Bruner Scheets RR 9

Making Assessment Meaningful 

In a well-designed project, students should be actively engaged in all parts. Even the assessment. By letting them know what success looks like in the project, they can be more accountable for their progress and the end product. Your assessment should not only be about the end product, but also the teamwork, creativity, and effort that they placed in the project.

By establishing anchors and grading what matters you make the assessment more valuable and attainable for students. Because all students start at different places in their knowledge of a project, they will most likely end at different places as well. By making anchors or checkpoints, you see how far each student is getting, based on their starting point and their pace of learning. By grading what matters (there is no positivity in taking a B+ project down to a C- because it was late, that's not grading their actual work) you give students a chance to show their best work to you and to the other people you invite in to your classroom.

At the end of the project, ask the students what they learned and to create something new from the project they just completed. By asking them what they learned, this will give you new insight on topics or ideas that you might not have thought of at the beginning of the project planning. Furthering the project even more, the students can decide to create something new to use in context of the project. For example, the students are doing weather monitoring in our project and becoming mini meteorologists. We are having them put on their own news crew station about the weather. Once this is over, our students can take it one step further, doing something fun, and create a song or a rap about all the things they have learned about weather. Or they could try to put on a weather segment in a different language (Australia for example) and use the language that might be seen there to describe the weather. This incorporates science and culture!

Students can also be encouraged to take their best work and enter it into a contest or submit it for publication. As a teacher, we need to be encouraging our students to take their work the extra step and help them see that they are worthwhile and do great work and are learning things that are relevant in the real world.

Parker- Chapter 9 RR

Reading Reflection #9

1.     Describe a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students.

Where did a student begin their learning journey? Not all students were starting at the same place at the start of the project. You can gain an understanding of prior-knowledge of a student just by talking to them and asking what they possible know about the topic. The distance they will travel during a project will not be the same for each student.

2.     Discuss the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

Establishing “anchors”, you gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals. In a project-based classroom, you expand the opportunities to differentiate instruction and help all learners be successful.

3.     Describe several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

When designing the project, develop a rubric to assess progress toward the key learning goals. Listening carefully to student’s conversations, see if they got the essentials.

4.     Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

The concepts in this chapter relate to my project because it shows that there are different ways to assess the students on what they learned, instead of using traditional ways. 

Parker- Chapter 8 RR

Reading Reflection #8

1.     Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom

By using blogs students can grow into more competent and confident writers, knowing that others will be reading and commenting can be a powerful motivator. When projects are designed to incorporate inquiry, asking questions of experts becomes a natural component of the experience. Connecting students with experts requires some effort on the teacher’s part. Teachers who make this a regular part of the learning experience often state by developing a list of willing experts.

2.     Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

Environmental and Spatial Technologies Initiative is a network of schools that have been demonstrating the benefits of using technology for a real purpose.  The purpose is to solve problems and make improvements in their communities. These projects make use of geospatial technologies and multimedia tools that are more commonly found in professional labs or design studios. The students of the EAST model master these sophisticated tools and applications in context while solving community problems that interest them. EAST Initiative started in rural Arkansas in 1996 and has grown to include more than 260 schools in seven states.

3.     Discussion on some reasons to led students “lead” their projects.

Letting students lead their own projects will lead to them generating ideas that they are passionate about. They can generate a project that can tack an issue in their own life and the teachers don’t have to micromanage each project.

4.     Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/projects.

This relates to our topic/project because the students can decide what they want to learn about when it comes to weather monitoring. It also tells use that we don’t always have to be the expert on the topic we can find willing experts to lend the whole class knowledge and in turn the students can also become the experts.

Cobb Chapter 9 R.R

1. Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students.

You can gain an understanding of a students’ prior-knowledge by talking to them, asking them what they know and observing them in conversations with one another

2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

By establishing anchors you gain a sense of where students’ are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals.

3. Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

By observing or watching and listening to the students, we are able to see and hear what the students have actually taken in.

Open discussion on a topic can show how well students understand a subject.

Have students write in a daily journal.

Students outcome of project can be assessed. How well did they do?

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

This chapter made me consider keeping the book for future use! I really enjoyed all of the advice. I plan on doing non-traditional assessment based on student work and this chapter gave me good ideas about how to go about doing so.

Cobb Chapter 8 R.R

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.

One way to build connection beyond the classroom is to have your students create a blog that they share with experts where they are able to ask questions and interact with professionals.  The teacher should first create an expert list of people with certain skills and areas of expertise. This list could include parents of your children or parents from previous years. You can also branch out to other cities, states, and countries. This can be done through video chatting through skype or other outlets.

2.    Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

EAST stands for Environmental And Spatial Technology. It is a network of schools that use technology to solve problems and make improvements in the community. Their projects make use of geospatial technologies and multimedia tools that are commonly found in professional laboratories or design studios. They master these tools in context while solving community problems that interest them

3. Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.

By letting a student take the “lead” in their project, you are allowing the student to take on their own learning. This gives the student a since of ownership which makes them responsible for it.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

For our project we will be using different technological tools also, such as a Radiosonde, radar or satellite. We will also use the computer to communicate with meteorologist at the local weather stations.

Bruner Scheets Ch 8 RR

Building Connections and Branching Out

To have a well planned, thought out project for your class, it is important to go beyond the normal classroom, taking unconventional methods for the students to learn. Since almost everyone has access to technology, using it in your projects makes it simple for students to share their work with their parents, community leaders, and other students around the globe. It is important to allow your students to connect with experts to enhance their learning experience. If you are studying government, have them talk to local politicians; if it is about marine biology, find a local biologist or even try to set up one over Skype, so your students have a chance to discuss the topic with people that are doing it everyday. By expanding your students' learning circles to other peers around the world, you are allowing them to see a different perspective and lifestyle that will enhance not only their learning, but their cultural awareness as well. Another amazing opportunity for students is to find something that they don't like or something that is wrong with their community and having a project to raise awareness for this to make the community better. They are able to meet with community council members and speak up for something that they believe in. This will give them confidence to go out and do great things, and their only children at this time!
An important part to project-based learning is that you, as the teacher, create a scaffold or a mold for the students and then you let the students lead. This builds their self-confidence, communication skills, and teamwork abilities, all needed for the real world outside of school. By extending the benefits of these projects (keeping a website up after the project is done for anything new to be added to) is a great way to make the students feel like they are a part of something bigger. This also gives the chance for the community to get involved, even if school is not in session.
For our project, this chapter helps us by telling us that we, the teachers, don't have to be experts on everything. We have experts that we can lean on, while enhancing the education of our students. We could bring in local news workers or even try to arrange for our students to go to them and experience what it is like on a news station. How does the weather man/woman figure out their information? What is it like to be on site of something happening? This could be an amazing experience for our students and by broadening the possibilities, we can make their education memorable.

Cobb Chapter 7 R.R

Classroom discussion takes place on different levels. The following are the Levels of classroom discussions:

1.       Teacher to Teacher-

a.       The teacher continues to get support from fellow teachers and staff around her while implementing the project.  This can be on procedures, daily reflections or any issues that come up during the project. Collaboration can take place face tom face or online in a blog or wiki site.

2.       Student to Student-

a.       Students should be engaging in conversation with each other throughout the project. This allows them to learn from and challenge one another. Especially in group projects.

3.       Teacher to Student-

a.       In a project based classroom the teacher may talk to the students as a whole when giving directions or transitioning from one phase to another in the project, but the majority of the teacher /student interaction is in small groups or individually to give feedback and support when necessary. The teacher works as a guide on the side and not a sage on the stage.

When checking in on students the teacher should know if the student is:

1.        doing the procedure the right way

2.       Working as a team

3.       Understanding the project

4.       Evaluating/assessing themselves.

 To see if the student is following the correct procedure, the teacher may ask if they are keeping track of the deadlines in the checklist or she may monitor the students’ progress. To make sure that the student is working as a team member, the teacher may monitor how the team is getting along through observation and follow the group wiki if used. To make sure that the student has a good understanding of the project the teacher will listen to the students’ conversations and review their work in progress. Project journals and blogs help the student to assess themselves.

When optimizing the use of technology in a project the student benefits by gaining new insights into how to communicate with a culturally diverse audience by communicating with peers as well as online. Technology opens the doors to not just the community but the world.

How a teacher shows the students how to trouble shoots or deal with challenges and how he/she shows the students how to manage the conflicts that arise in group projects will make or break a project. The teacher should prepare herself for problems well before the project starts so that she will be able to address them in the best possible manner.

The majority of the discussions that will take place in our project will be between student and student since the project is research based. I will be only directing the students in the way that they should go, not holding their hand.

I enjoyed reading about “Checking in” on students because it showed me how to assess students through observation more effectively. This will come in handy when monitoring our young weather monitors.

Bruner Scheets RR 7

A Guiding Hand- Keeping a Project Moving

Students must do the work and discover the answers for themselves in projects. Going to the "university of Google" will just not teach them the life lessons and information they need to know. Teachers must support students in their learning, not the looking up of learning already finished.

There are three levels of discussion that should take place in a classroom and in a project:
Teacher to teacher: You have to take advantages of working together. Use the valuable time to come up with new ideas and methods on teaching  the lesson and discussing what the students are learning. Even if you can not talk face-to-face, make sure you are taking time to talk about things over the phone, through a blog, or even send quick e-mails to keep in touch.

Student to student: They should be discussing what they are learning with each other, at the time of the learning. Allow conversation to go on during the project, not just at the end when the project is completed. By allowing them to talk through confusing information, they are learning the value of teamwork and collaboration.

Teacher to student: With project based learning, teaching whole group is not a normal everyday activity. This allows you to talk one on one or with groups to see how they are progressing and what they are learning. You are able to ask more direct questions to individual students and see what and how they are thinking.

Questions for checking in:
There are different types of questions when looking at how your students are progressing in their projects. There is procedural questions which ask "Are we staying on schedule?". There are teamwork questions, making sure that groups are getting along and working well with each other. Understanding questions are about observing groups, listening in to conversations, and asking those probing questions that check the understanding of students. Self-assessment questions encourage reflection on the project. Use journals or blogs to allow students to anomalously ask questions that they might not be comfortable asking out loud.

It is important to optimize technology, help with troubleshooting, and manage conflict when working within project based learning. Use the technology you chose to use during the project to its full ability. Make sure that the technology is helping students learn the information, instead of making it more difficult. Instead of solving problems for the students, help students 'troubleshoot' and try again when problems and set back occur in their project. By helping them become better problem solvers, we are preparing them for the real world. For project based learning to be a success, groups have to work well together. It's our job as the teacher to facilitate arguments that occur and help come to a solution. Students will have to work together in groups sometime, and if they learn now how to be good team players, they will make it far in the real world.

Our project deals a lot with teamwork and decision making. This chapter deals with how we can better solve problems that occur and keep our students on task, because this is quite a large unit and it is important to meet deadlines, so the students learn all the necessary information, in a way that they will actually remember it.   

Parker- Chapter 7 RR

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions:

Classroom discussions take place on several leaves during project implementations. There is the Teacher to Teacher which is the collegial effort that went into the project planning continues during the implementation phase. Then there is Student to Student where students should be talking about the their learning experiences as the are unfolding, within their teams as well as across other teams. Then finally there is the Teacher to Student which is in a traditional classroom, the lecture format dominates teacher to student interactions. 

2.   Discussion on the questions for checking in on students during a project:

Based on the type of information you want from your students, asking questions about Procedural: Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right materials available? You want to track progress toward milestones and deadlines and also remind students of the project calendar. Teamwork: How are team members getting along? Is one student carrying too much of the load for the whole team? You want to circulate and ask question to help assess team dynamics. Understanding: You want to spend time observing teams at work, listening to students conversations, and asking probing questions. Self-assessment: You want to find out what students are thinking about the projects, ask questions that encourage self assessment and reflection. Project journals or blogs offer space for students to talk about their challenges or frustrations.

3.   Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of      technology:

When optimum use of technology, you may find students gaining benefits you didn't think of. Students gain new insights into how to communicate with a culturally diverse audience. 

4. Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project:

Troubleshooting is a 21st century skill that distinguishes effective project mangers. Help students learn from setbacks and fine-tune their strategies for getting a project back on track. Teamwork is another 21st century skill that can make or break a project. During project implementation, pay close attention to team dynamics. If there is trouble detected, help students learn to manage their own team conflicts. This is a real life skill that will seve them well for years. 

Concept Map B

WEB EVALUATIONS?

Were we supposed to turn in the Web Evaluations?

Bruner Ch 6 RR

Project Launch-Implementation Strategies 

During projects, students are going to be involved in many different levels and areas of cognitive developments. By giving them a self-evaluation before the project, students are able to see and become prepared for what is expected of them during the project; it shows them what they are going to learn. By giving one after the project is over, it allows them to reflect on what they did learn and allows you to make adjustments for the next time for any pitfalls. This also encourages them to be confident on the next project that is introduced to them. Technology also gives students a chance to give feedback and self-evaluation. For example, blogs allow them to reflect on what they are learning, ProfilerPRO is a survey site that can be used to identify strengths, weaknesses, and interests, and tools like SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang let you set up online surveys to see where the students are in the progress of their project.

A good project first taps into students' prior knowledge, taking what they already know and building on it. The project has to be transferred to the students and they have to be interested in it for it to be successful. For a week before a project, have students looking for things that will be brought up during the project and talking to people they know about it. Then, take a few minutes out of each day to talk about in class and find out what students are understanding or discovering.

It is important to teach the fundamentals first in a project. Students all have to have a common baseline of knowledge about the topic of the project before they can get started. This also helps in setting the stage for independent work and group work, without you being the center of attention. Have students do a KWL (know, wonder, learn) chart. What do they know about the topic? What do they wonder about the project? What do they want to learn, or what have they learned (as a evaluation tool at the end)?

Technology is how the project gets done, not the project in itself. Students have to know how to use the technology before they can complete the project. By setting up a technology playground for students, it gives them a chance to explore the tools they will be using.

This chapter is good for our project on weather, because some students might not know some fundamentals on weather. It is important for each student to understand basics before starting, so everyone is on the same page.

Cobb Ch.6 R.R

Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths. For example, when writing a blog students create their own space where they can reflect over time about what they are learning. Also, ProfilerPRO, which is a online survey tool that a teacher can use to identify the characteristics of an individual and those among members of a group. Other survey tools are Survey Monkey and Zoomerang.

The technology tools help students but you have to get the students minds ready. There are several ways to do this. One way to start is to present a K-W-L, (Know-Wonder-Learn) chart to the students to tap into their prior knowledge. It is your job to instill passion and transfer the project into the students hands. Encourage students to explore and think about the project through discussions with their family and friends for several days. Build the excitement of the students by having discussions about the project a few days or weeks before introduction. For instance, you can bring in posters of earths interior and discuss it with the children, as well as have the students visit a museum exhibit. The kick off of the project can be a show and tell of rocks and other earth samples.

Think about the skills that a student needs to work independently in their investigation. By preparing children with the fundamentals, you point them in the right direction for the project. The teacher has to set the stage for independent inquiry, this can be done by using the K-W-L chart. The K-W-L chart puts students in touch with their prior knowledge and helps them to imagine where they could go in their learning. A teacher should also share the assessment rubric with the student so that they know what it is that you expect.

Technology is not the project, but rather how the project gets done so students need to be prepared for using technology. The teacher should set up a technology playground by encouraging students to help each other as well as get their parents involved.  It is essential to have the technology at hand such as a computer and other tools that will be used in the project. These tools can be anything from hand held sonar devices to special calculators. Let those students who know the technology teach other students and give them all project management tools such as a journal to keep track of their progress to goals and reflect on their learning. It is also important that the teacher demonstrates to the best of their ability how to use the technology or have an expert come in and demonstrate how they will use the tools in the project.

Inquiry and deep learning can be promoted by guiding students as they choose questions, plan investigations, and put their plan into action.  A teacher can transform questions that students pose. For example, a student may ask, “do people use gold anymore? This question can be transformed into, “is any coin worth it’s value?” or “Is a paper dollar worth a dollar?”

In the Monsoons group we plan on using journals to keep track of weather and also bringing in a specialist such as a meteorologist, to show us how they use technology to track the weather.