Reading Reflection #10

1.      Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection.

I think that providing students with the time to reflect is an essential part of the learning process. Students often wonder how a certain project or assignment is relevant to their learning and this gives them the opportunity to reflect on what they learned from each assignment and the types of skills that they have mastered during this time. On page 147, the author states how reflecting after a finishing a project/assignment provides students the opportunity to feel good about their accomplishments and makes what they’ve learned stick in their minds. As teachers, this is exactly what we want our students to gain from participating in Project-Based Learning units.

2.      Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate.

Students should reflect on their journey through learning to see how far they’ve come, to see what new skills they have accumulated, to appreciate the experiences that they have participated in, and most importantly what new material they have learned throughout the project. Student reflection is also important for teachers to receive feedback on what the students liked, what was challenging for them, what they learned, if the objectives were met, and how they can change the project the next time to further the learning experience. Other than reflection, being able to elaborate on a project is a great stepping stone for future projects. Giving students the chance to be part of the planning process gives them more motivation to work towards set goals. At the end of a project always make sure to ask your students what else they want to learn about now, how do you want to go about learning this information and what else does this get you thinking about. Asking these questions gives your students the opportunity to elaborate on the project and gives you, the teacher, the chance to incorporate these into the next project.

3.      Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.

Schools that have set traditions and identities have open communication with parents, families and the community. To build tradition in your school you must first build awareness about the strengths that you, as an institution have. Communication is important to the foundation of tradition and identity. When people are aware of the strengths that you possess than they want to get involved and create an even stronger bond to continue this tradition and positive reputation that the school has. I really like how the book mentions involving the community in a celebration of learning. (Page 150) This could be a positive experience for everyone involved, especially the students that are being recognized for their hard work. If the school, students and teachers provide their communities with great experiences such as this your school can benefit from the support that the community is willing to give.

4.      Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.

Sharing student work in a celebration manner gives the students involved a sense of pride in their work and can show how much you appreciate their accomplishments over the year. Celebrating student accomplishments shows them that everything they learned over the course of the year is truly valued and that they have made meaningful connections. Allowing the students to reflect on the year or even a project can show you, as a teacher, how much they have grown and what aspects they remember and value. A celebration of hard work also shows you how well the project went and some things that you may need to change for the next time you implement it.

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

Each of these concepts from chapter 10 relate to our topic of growing vegetables to sell at the local farmer’s market. Our group is constantly reflecting on what we’ve learned, how we can do something differently and the types of things that we may need to include that we originally forgot. Maintaining open communication has also helped keep our group project running smoothly. For our project we are having our students reflect all the time, whether it’s discussing with their groups, with another group, presenting information to the class or writing and replying to their virtual pen pals. We are also taking the time to celebrate the students’ growing their vegetables by bringing them to a market to sell them. The students will inform the customers about the growing process that they followed and what they had to do in order to successfully complete the project. The students will be able to see how much they learned from participating in the project by informing their customers about the process that they went through.