Chapter 9

1.     A method to find out about your students’ prior understanding is to do a K-W-L chart with them.

2.     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.     How to assess what students learned:

a.     Have students create something new that asks them to summarize or synthesize what they have learned.

b.     Evaluate students’ work using the standards of these disciplines.

c.      Encourage students to enter in a contest.

d.     Encourage students to submit their work for publication.

4.     Our topic is Staying Healthy and this can relate to our topic because there are so many topics that deal with staying healthy, so by doing a K-W-L, it would be easy to see where the students stand.

Kent Ch. 8
1. Some ways to branch out and build connections outside the classroom are using blogs and digital story telling. Consulting with experts and communicating with other classes is a great way to build connections outside the class.
2. The (East) Initiative Model stands for Environmental and Spatial Technologies. This network of schools have been demonstrating benefits of using technology for real purpose to solve problems and make improvements in their communities. Students master sophisticated tools and applications in order to solve community issues that the students are interested in.
3. Some reasons to let student "lead" their projects are: they often times are more interested and can find ideas they are truly passionate about. By doing  their own resources and work they can come to their own conclusions and often decide to go above and beyond with their work. Some students may even make a resource for other students and people to use.
4. Concepts in this chapter relate directly to what we are doing in our project. We are finding different ways to use technology as well as using and finding our own resources. By the time our project is done we will have created something that community members as well as other interested parties can use.

Chapter 8

Abby Harrop

EDT

Chapter 8

1. Ways students can branch out of the classroom is by connecting outside the classroom. Perhaps students can consult with experts to learn more about a topic, they can communicate with other classes doing a similar project in America, or they could even communicate with people beyond this country to other countries. That way they will be more proficient with working in a culturally diverse world. Students will learn more about themselves, other people, and become experts on topics themselves.

2. EAST is a non-profit organization, which works with public and private partners to achieve its mission. There are four parts to EAST:

            a. Student-driven learning: Students need to be responsible for their own learning.

            b. Authentic project-based learning: Students should be engaged in solving real   problems in their communities.

            c. Technology as tools: Students need access to the relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems.

            d. Collaboration: When students collaborate in teams to pursue authentic projects, they accomplish more than any one person can do in isolation.

3. Reasons why students should lead their projects is because if they have that responsibility to first pick their topic, they are likely to create a project that they truly care about and are invested in rather than just doing what they are told to do. The teacher does not have to micromanage each project but can just ask, “what are you passionate about?” The students will learn for themselves and perhaps do more research than they typically would on a project because they are interested in it. This way the teacher can let students lead themselves but be there for support and when needed.

4. This relates to our project in that we have been branching out; we have been looking at different articles, looking at a school we could have our students write letters too, and are constantly keeping in mind what resources we can use to branch out and find more information. In our project we are having students themselves branch out and think of different speakers to invite to speak at our healthy retreat, whether that be doctors, an athlete, a yoga instructor, chef, dietician, etc.

Chapter 8

1.     The teacher makes connections by recognizing a learning opportunity or making introductions online to connect curious students with willing experts. Connecting students with experts will require effort by the teacher. Students have to be prepared for working with experts. By branching out, the students are learning more about other people and communities. They also take pride in their work knowing that they are making a difference in learning about new things.

2.     EAST has four parts:

a.     Student-driven learning: Students need to be responsible for their own learning.

b.     Authentic project-based learning: Students should be engaged in solving real problems in their communities.

c.      Technology as tools: Students need access to the relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems.

d.     Collaboration: When students collaborate in teams to pursue authentic projects, they accomplish more than any one person can do in isolation.

EAST is a nonprofit organization that works with public and private partners to achieve its’ mission.

3.     Students can lead by starting with generating a project idea they care about. Then they can come up with their own projects and collaborate with other students.

4.     This can relate to our project because we are leading our Healthy Living projects. Yes, we have rubrics, but we are doing our own project based off the guidelines.

Reading Reflection #7
Kent Rodman

1. Levels of classroom discussion:
               Teacher to teacher: Collegial effort that went into project planning must continue during the implementation phase. Whether it be face to face, or through a blog, wiki, or collaborative tool, keep the conversation going.
               Student to student: Students should be talking about their learning experiences as they unfold. This should be within their teams as well as across teams. Explaining and justifying their reasoning allows others to learn and challenge each other. Don't be afraid to observe and chime in when needed as a teacher.
               Teacher to student: Lecture based learning is much less often in project based learning. Announcements and mini lessons that the whole class needs to hear to introduce a new concept or to clear up any discussion will happen. Most direction can be given through project web sites or blogs or an online calendar. This frees your time to move around engage, listen, and probe questions to push higher order thinking.

2. Questions for checking in:
             Procedural: Simple questions to keep students on track and on task. ie Are we on schedule? Do we have the right materials
             Teamwork: Questions to establish whether or not the team is working as a team or if certain members are carrying the team. Creating a project blog or journal to raise any concerns about their team progress can help understand team dynamic.
             Understanding: By spending time observing, listening, and asking questions that probe we can help get an idea of where student understanding is. This can also be a good place to redirect student thinking, correct any faulty information, or suggest resources.
             Self-assessment: In order to find out student thinking ask questions that encourage self-assessment and reflection. Project journals and blogs may offer space to describe challenges or frustrations as well as ask any questions they were uncomfortable asking in class.

3. Benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology. By allowing students to choose what forms of technology they would like to use they are honing their skills in a certain area. You may require students to use certain technologies for certain parts, but allow other parts to be student choice.
    Questions to ask about student technology:
Is technology helping students reach learning goals?
Is technology helping students stay organized?
Are students able to use technology to expand their horizons by connecting outside experts or a broader community?
Is access equitable? Do students have ready access to the technologies needed?

4. 21st century skills that can make or break a project are troubleshooting, which is exactly what it sounds like. Conflict management, the ability to work as a team and learn to deal with individuals you may not normally in order to add to the collective.

5. Concepts in this chapter relate to any project. Team management, group work, individual assessments, technology, these are things that anyone in the modern world will deal with. Not only does this chapter relate directly to our projects, it directly relates to the world we live in.

Chapter 7

1.     Levels of classroom discussions:

a.     Teacher to teacher

                                               i.     Teacher conversations

                                              ii.     Talking about formative assessment

                                            iii.     Face-to-face or other collaborative ways to talk

b.     Student to student

                                               i.     Talking about learning experiences

                                              ii.     Remind them about good communication skills

                                            iii.     Listen to their conversations as a teacher

                                            iv.     Challenge each other

c.      Teacher to student

                                               i.     Whole group discussions to check student’s understanding

                                              ii.     Whole group discussions on teaching new concepts

2.     Questions for checking in

a.     Procedural: Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right materials available?

b.     Teamwork: How are team members getting along? Is one student carrying out too much of the load for the whole team?

c.      Understanding: To find out what students are thinking about the project, ask questions that encourage self-assessment and reflection.

3.     They gain new insights into how to communicate with a culturally diverse audience. They also learn new things about each tool, which makes them more knowledgeable in that sense.

4.     21^st-century skills

a.     Troubleshooting: Helps show students understand that real-world projects come with real-world challenges.

b.     Teamwork: Pay close attention to team dynamics. It is a real-life skill that they will use for years.

5.     One of the biggest things they talked about that relates to our topic is, teamwork. Since there are three of us in the group, teamwork is definitely something that needs to happen.