Chapter 4: Discoveries

This week we read about facing the important task of choosing a topic for and designing a project. That word keeps coming up: "authenticity". There are pitfalls to avoid when planning a project-based-learning experience. Certain things need to be avoided, such as projects with too many steps, or activities whose learning outcomes are not worth the time it took to actually attain them. Instead, we need to choose projects that can be accomplished in a timely manner and which interest our students so that they want to continue with it. One thing I really liked, and something which has always made sense to me, is the idea of establishing an environment where the students want to ask questions. That is largely the idea behind project based learning, where students become so engrossed in the real-life work that they're doing, that they look forward to it every day. The topic is so important, in fact, that learner preference alone may be all it takes to change topics at the beginning of the project if it means that interests will be peaked. This all makes so much sense, especially when I consider some of the responses I've seen from students when faced with a new topic of study. Generally, it becomes apparent who is and is not going to be engaged for the remainder of the unit. This will come into play when we introduce our topic: putting on a musical. It will be very important to introduce the idea to the class in such a way as to instill excitement in everyone in the class. On top of that, is the need for everyday learning experiences to be authentically tied into what is being achieved in the project. This helps the students see the correlation between the knowledge attained at school, and the world where they get to apply it.