Chapter 7 Reflection

A Guiding Hand-Keeping a Project Moving

Make a Classroom Discussion More Productive

Levels of Classroom Discussion:

·         Teacher to teacher-during projects it is very important to plan together and collaborate with one another. This will make the project go more smoothly and as teachers, you will be able to bounce ideas off of one another. 

·         Student to student-students should always be talking with one another while creating projects and be communicating with other teams as well.  If the students have effective teamwork, they will be able to stay on track more easily and be organized.

·         Teacher to student-When in a PBL classroom, the traditional teacher lecturing to the students will not be happening.  The teacher will be observing, talking to small groups, and circulating throughout the classroom in order to be in contact with the students. 

Higher-Order Questions:

When in a PBL classroom, higher order questions are crucial.  These questions need to be asked to students on a regular basis.  This can be to a small group or an individual, but lower-order questions are not an option.  These questions include: How and Why questions and then following those answers up with more questions.  The students need to be fully engaged and thinking about their learning and their experiences and this is one of the best ways to do that. 

Questions for Inquiry:

This is a great way to get students into the expert role! As the teacher, you can help them learn how to ask good questions.  A great of doing this is to have them interview someone in the community.  An important part of this, though, is to work with them before they head out into the community and help them develop a good list of questions. 

Optimize Technology

A few good questions to ask yourself about the technology the students are using in your classroom:

·         Is the technology helping the students reach their goals?

·         Is the technology helping the students become and stay organized throughout this project?

·         Is the technology helping the students expand their knowledge into the community?

·         IS this technology accessible to the students?

Throughout our project, the students will be using technology and getting the best use out of them.  In order to make sure the students also use their time wisely while in the classroom, questions that cause them to think critically will be asked and questions to help them further explore will be helpful.