Chapter 10 Reading Reflection

1.) Setting aside time for reflection:

 There is rarely any time to reflect upon new knowledge being learned  in school. When students have the chance and time to reflect, they can think about what was really important to them about the project as well as what they learned.  Reflection allows students to look back at the project in hindsight and evaluate the successful and unsuccessful parts of the project- what they would or would not  do differently


2.) Reasons why students should reflect and elaborate:

  It's noted that reflection is a crucial part in learning. When students are able to reflect, they can create their own meaning to every aspect of the learning process. The reflection should be meaningful, personal and important to them. Setting aside time to reflect gives the students a chance to think about every aspect of the project, such as skill development, learning behaviors associated and how the project has changed some aspect of their learning process or knowledge gained.

  It may be a good idea for the teacher to provide their students with reflection questions that emphasize what the teacher's objective were for their students- such as overcoming obstacles, collaboration and other 21st century skills that the teacher wanted her students to learn. 

  Successful projects can potentially change the ways students view the learning process, and increase their passion to become better learners.  They may be excited and anticipating their next challenge.  When students reflect, they are able to elaborate on what they need for their next project.  

3.) Schools Tradition and Identity

   Establishing a culture in the classroom is the first step for students to have pride in their school and learning. Students want to be proud of where they spend 7 hours of their day, so establishing a tradition or culture in the classroom that entails being really good at PBL is something that can be done by teachers. A key word in this section of the chapter is Enthusiasm. If the teacher is enthusiastic about what the students are learning then that will show the students that its ok to be excited. Schools establish their identity by what the students accomplish, so if the students accomplishments are shown throughout the school, then it shows potential students and parents that this is a great place to go to school.

4.) Celebrating a project

  
 Who doesnt love to celebrate? After all the hard work the project demands, its extremely important for their to be a celebration of recognition. Involving either just the class, the school, the families or the community will make the students feel proud.  Classroom displays, hall displays, reward ceremonies or planned events are some ways the students can celebrate. Even taking a field trip or having a guest speaker come can be a way for students to celebrate.  Letting the students take charge in planning the celebration can be another part of the PBL experience. At the celebration, make sure there is time for looking back at the project process, showing the hard work and dedication of the students, a display of what was learned,  opportunities for students to speak about their experience.

5.) I really enjoyed reading about how to plan a celebration. Since we are going to have a performance at the end of the year, it was insightful to know what goes into planning a celebration.