Our Final Garden Concept Map

Reading Reflection #11

1. As a result of using the Project-based learning approach, students and teachers alike should feel as though they have gone on a journey together while collecting memories and learning. Completing a project should open new doors for future projects and students should be able to see connections with their learning thus far.
2. To “bring your project home,” you can start thinking of ways to make your project better in the future. You can see which technology helped benefit this project, what type of classroom organization flows best, what kind of community leaders you'd like to reach out to next, etc. Make sure to continue to collaborate with the same colleagues you did during the project. It's a good idea to debrief on the project and find its positives and negatives. Also, share your insights with other teachers. If your project worked well, find ways to encourage other teachers to use this project, or give helpful tips on how to have a successful project. Try to enter a contest. This provides even more critical feedback on your project, as well as exposure for all that you and your students have accomplished. Finally, make sure you reflect on the project and remember to enjoy the journey.
3. Concepts in this chapter relate to our project because we are currently in the phase of wrapping it up. We are putting together all that we've done by creating a website and sharing it with our colleagues. We're taking the time to reflect on all the steps we took to create our project, and we are appreciating all that we've accomplished!

Reading Reflection #11

1. As a result of using the Project-based learning approach students will become more independent and teachers will be more prepared. Teamwork will be used among students who are working on projects and also among the teachers who are getting ready for their projects. By having students participate in a project-based learning approach we are setting them up for more success in the future by preparing them for the real world and having them develop their 21st century skills.
2. Some ways you can "bring your project home" is to praise your students. Teacher need to acknowledge all the new skills their students have acquired so that the students know their teachers are proud of them and so that they can be proud of themselves. Teachers and students together need to share what they've done and what they've learned and reflect on things that can be changed or improved for next time.
3. Both of these ideas relate to my project and future classroom because they are things that are necessary for me to do. There are a number of different benefits to participating in project-based learning and this chapter and this book has proven that it is an essential part of the classroom.

Reading Reflection #10

1. It is important to set aside time for reflection because if a classroom is moving at a fast pace, reflection helps students to realize their accomplishments. It also helps them to to look back on what they've learned and to create their own meaning from it. Reflection also helps students to see the big picture set up within their classrooms.
2. Students need to reflect and elaborate because it helps to anchor their learning. By reflecting and elaborating students are able to think for themselves and become more independent. By elaborating students should be thinking about why something worked or didn't work within their project. As teachers it is our job to help them expand on these thoughts they have while reflecting and elaborating if they are struggling to come up with any ideas.
3. Schools can build tradition and identity by connecting their students to their school. By calling your students by their school mascot or reference what the school stands for students will be able to build an identity and keep up with the tradition. By doing this students will feel encouraged and thus their learning will be able to excel and they will be able to accomplish more.
4. It is important to celebrate a project after it is done because the students worked hard on their assignment and they should be proud of what they've done. By referencing the agenda or calendar and putting projects on display students will be able to celebrate their work. Actually having a celebration or a party works well after a large project too.
5. All of these ideas relate to my project and my future classroom because because they are all great ideas and tools that I will be able to implement into my own teaching. 
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Reading Reflection #10

1. Setting aside time for reflection is important because it can help students feel good about what they've accomplished as well as allow time for the information to stick. They need the time to reflect on what they've done and how far they've grown personally.
2. The reason students need to reflect and elaborate on their experience during projects is because it allows them to think about what they learned, what they liked or disliked about it, how far they've grown as learners, and what they want to learn in future projects. It's best to let students reflect on the accumulation of their project because that may cause students to learn the fundamental content better. It's also a great way for students to think about their creative growth and how they overcome obstacles.
3. Schools build tradition and identity by establishing traditions like having successful sports or academic teams. They can also build tradition by having exemplary project work that connects them to the community. In the community, identity is created by allowing them to volunteer in the learning and experience of the school which creates a mutual respect of each other.
4. Celebrating a project is incredibly important because it gives an ultimate motivation for students to do their best. If they know their results will be shown with community members or parents they have a bigger drive and goal to create a good identity for their school. Student's can put together a slide show, diorama, or fill their whole classroom with photographs. Something that encompasses the whole project and makes them feel good about what they're doing.
5. Concepts in this chapter relate to my project because we are in the final stages of our project. We are creating a website that represents the culmination of all we've done. We will present our information which will celebrate the work we've created in the class. It's also blogs like these that allow us to reflect on all the work we've done. 

Reading Reflection #9

1. A method of understanding prior-knowledge of students is to assess what they already know by asking them specifically what they know about a certain subject or to have them write out what they know through a graphic organizer such as a KWL.
2. It is important to establish anchors for a project because you are able to get a sense of where the students are starting and how well they are meeting their goals. As a teacher this is important for project-based learning because the students are doing so much independent work that we need to be checking in with them.
3. Several ways to assess what students learned during the project is to use the standards set up from the  different area disciplines. You could ask what they have learned, ask them for feedback, and not consider what you want to measure but how you will assess improvement.
4. All of these things relates to my project because they are ideas I can use in my own classroom.

Reading Reflection #9

1. A method of understanding prior-knowledge of students is to find deliberate strategies that show not only what they created, but the teamwork, effort, and creativity that went into the project as well. To do this, one may follow The National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standard, and Student Testing which encourages teachers to use multiple types of evaluation. 
2. It's import to establish anchors for a project because it's hard to understand how far a student's learning has come, if their beginning point has not been observed. Knowing that all students will start at a different place and end at a different place encourages the teacher to differentiate instruction to allow all different types of learners to be successful.
3. There are several ways to assess what a student has learned throughout the project. For starters, the way that the grades are represented in the grade book matters. There should be various categories; such as, understanding of content, written communication, critical thinking, and work ethic. Simply asking a student what they learned can show a teacher the student's connection to the material. It's also possible to ask students to create something new about what they learned as to prove that the students are able to transfer their knowledge to other disciplines.
4. This chapter relates to my topic/project because we are at the point of the project where our students need to be evaluated on what they've learned. In our technology class, we as students, are experiencing the same thing. We are creating our website as a representation to show everything that we've learned throughout this semester. It's a great evaluation tool, as well as a way for us to be able to show off everything that we have developed and learned.