Reading Reflection #3

1. Discussion on what should be considered in finding "the Big Idea" for a project.
From what I read in the chapter, I found that making sure that the big idea for a project is an idea that happens in the real world. The importance of this is so that your students will be able to understand and be able to reflect on aspects that happen in life. This helps students and teachers to get thinking about the application process that goes into real world topics. Issues that are brought up in classroom projects are often ones that are discussed at the dinner table at home and are making news in the media.

2. Discussion on 21st century skills.
While reading the chapter on Imagining the Possibilities it made a point to discuss Bloom's Taxonomy and how each category aids in the learning of skills such as: analyzing, evaluating, creating, understanding and applying. Project-Based Learning requires students to have higher-order thinking skills which are incorporated by creating lessons and projects that demand students to analyze data that they are researching, evaluate the sources that they have found information on and to create projects off of their research. Each category on Bloom's Taxonomy listed above has certain actions that are associated with that students are able to obtain knowledge from.

3. Discussion on 21st century literacies. 
Through Project-Based Learning the lesson plans and projects that students are required to accomplish give them more than just 21st century skills to further their success, but teach them a different type of literacy that students who participate in traditional classrooms do not receive. Students in PBL learn Digital-Age Learning which teaches them the scientific, economic and technological literacy skills. They are also informed of visual, informational and multicultural literacy and global awareness. Students are also taught to have Initiative Thinking which allows students to manage complex thinking, have self direction, are curious about the world, show creativity in their work and take more risks than the ordinary student. Students that are taught with a PBL curriculum are also skilled in Effective Communication. These students learn about their civic responsibility to their nation and community, how to communicate with everyone that they come across, they know how to manage and plan their time wisely, they are better able to produce high quality goods and have an effective use of real-world tools. Students who participate in PBL are better equip to handle fast-paced tasks that are frequently seen in real world situations. These students are prepared for life after high school and can adjust to any situation where they can work together and meet deadlines. They are ready to be independent thinkers, are aware of their surroundings and what's going on in the world and how to be productive citizens.

4. Discussion on essential learning functions. 
 Students that are in Project-Based Learning classrooms are asked to work together, dig deeper into the topic and give them a chance to take ownership of their learning. When students take ownership of their learning they are obtaining knowledge that they are interested in and allows them to put more effort into their work. PBL has several functions that allow the curriculum to become successful. Students learn in and outside of the classroom and bring that knowledge with them and it stays with them over time, rather than just memorizing facts for a test. Students dig deep into their topics which allows them to learn more about their specified topics. Because students learn about real-world topics they make better connections and are able to discuss these topics that are made more visible rather than just hearing about them in the news. PBL gives students the opportunity to express themselves, share ideas and build a community within the classroom. Working together has given the students the chance to accomplish these things which will benefit them in the future. Because Project-Based Learning requires collaboration with teachers, students and people from across the world you are able to get many different aspects on topics and therefore have a diverse way of looking at the world. Research is a main key point in the success of Project-Based Learning and allows students to build upon the skills that are learned in this type of classroom. Literacy is a huge aspect in the research of a project. Being able to manage your time and having an organization plan makes PBL and the projects that much easier. Students are required to complete many projects and parts of projects within certain time limits and being organized and having a plan to complete these makes a difference in student success and failure.The last main learning function in PBL is reflection. Being able to reflect on what you have learned is a huge part of the learning process. Students are becoming successful because they are given the chance to reflect on a project and all of the real-world learning that they have obtained from doing so.

5. Discussion on how the concepts in this chapter relate to our topic/project.
I believe that all of these concepts relate to our project in this course. Being able to come up with the main idea and digging deeper into that topic is something that takes a lot of time management and commitment with each member of our group. Working together and being able to communicate with one another is the key point to the success of the outcome of our projects. Each of the eight learning functions play a big part in this course as well. We are always learning both in and outside of class, we need to dig deep into our topic or we won't find out enough information on gardening to be able to have a great blog and project to share with our peers that may not know a lot about it, we are able to discuss our ideas and share them with our group to gain a better idea of what we want to accomplish in this project and working together creates a little community within our group that will be the success of our project this semester. I believe that each chapter in this text will play a big part in our project.