Reading Reflection 7

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

Good questions are an important ingredient in effective classroom discussions. Classroom discussions can take place on several levels during project implementation, these levels include:

·       Teacher to teacher- Teacher conversations will likely touch on ideas such as procedural and formative assessment. If you don’t have time for face to face collaboration you can still communicate through a project blog, or other collaborative tools to keep the conversations going.

·       Student to student- Students should be talking about their learning experiences as they unfold. Good communication skills are a part of effective teamwork and help to keep the students organized and on track. Explaining their thinking gives students an opportunity to learn from and change each other. Teachers are observers this discussion and can go around and listen in on conversations as long as they don’t take over the conversation.

·       Teacher to student- In this discussion you may talk to a whole group to check in on students understanding and to wrap up or begin a new lesson. Most often teachers will be circulation, observing, and talking with smaller groups of students. This is ideal for teachers to practice their listening skills and to ask questions that push students towards higher-order thinking.

2. Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.

In the middle of the project students are likely to be going in many directions and working at different speeds. Because of this teachers need to pay attention to many activities at once and they need to ask certain questions to get the information from their students that is necessary to make adjustments in the project. Some questions include:

·       Procedural- Questions asked to track progress toward milestones and deadlines.

·       Teamwork- These questions are asked to determine the team dynamic.

·       Understandings- These questions guide further learning by giving suggestions and encouraging students to go beyond expectations.

·       Self-Assessment- To find out what the students are thinking about the project and to get them to reflect on their work thus far.

3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

During a project we should ask ourselves questions to help us maximize the potential of technology. Asking ourselves questions can help students reach their learning goals, focus on communicating key content, help the students use technology to stay organized, use technology to expand their horizons by connecting to outside experts or a broader community, and teachers are able to assess if the technology is equitable and accessible to all students. With optimum use of technology you may find students gaining benefits you did not envision at the beginning of the project.

4. Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.

Trouble shooting is a 21^st century skill that distinguishes effective project managers. This helps the students understand that real-world projects come with challenges and help them to learn from the setbacks and to get their project back on track. Another skill that can make or break a project is teamwork. Teachers need to pay close attention to the team dynamics and if conflicts arise help the student manage their own problems.

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

All of this information could be useful in our project-based learning assignment. During the project I will need to discuss with other teachers and see how each class is progressing, talk with my students about how they doing in the project and to walk around listen in to their conversations to see how the team is working together and what kind of information they are gaining. As well I now know what type of questions to ask the students to make sure they are headed in the right direction and so that I can ensure they are taking advantage of the technology available to them. Finally the text gave ideas about how to get the students to manage their troubleshooting and teamwork skills so that the project and the students can live up to their potential.