Chapter 5: Project Management Strategies for Teachers and Learners

This chapter hit very close to home for me in many of my experiences as a student. I have been in countless classrooms where it was clear that the teacher did not challenge them-self to work efficiently or keep up to date with the technology available. Even here at Western, I am shocked at how many professors use outdated software and resources. I once was in a math class that taught teachers how to teach math using a technology program that the professor them-self admitted was out of date and would probably not be used in schools by the time we were in the work field. Why did he not advocate for a change in the curriculum/syllabus then? Seeing his uncaring and inefficiency certainly impacted the way that I viewed the class and his intentions. This is exactly the position that I will strive daily to make sure that I never put my future students in, because it's true, as the text states, "...your students learn from your example" (74). 

I also really connected with the part of the text that talked about keeping your standards high and organization in check "regardless of the scale of the project you are planning" (75). I have witnessed small ideas turning into bigger ones and eventually even project because of the great conversations and intentions possible because of the organization behind them. 

This idea of keeping all lessons organized, managed and properly equipped reminded me of what the speaker was talking about this week. She reminded us that as beneficial as technology can be, if it not managed and set up for the students' success, it can serve as a disadvantage and take away from learning conversely.Thus, as noted in the text, figuring out your resources is extremely vital when beginning to prepare for a lesson. The students need to be able to access the materials needed for optimum growth and learning, but this means that the teacher must search high and low to get these in order prior to the start of the lesson. 

After figuring out what the teacher wants the students to ultimately achieve and equipping them with the right tools in order to make it happen, they must then decide how they want to get students to start thinking about their own organization, preparation and work. This is something that looking back in my schooling was enforced, I would say, only about half of the time among teachers. Sure, there were due dates in every classroom, but the guidance for planning and preparation did not come until after many failures to do so myself. I had to teach myself along the way how to manage my time and as useful as this struggle was, I do believe that if teachers in early elementary had begun instilling in some strategies for managing time, this eventual success would have come a lot sooner and with a lot more understanding. As an early childhood/elementary educator, I will certainly use this experience to help students begin managing their time and becoming more accountable for it as soon as I feel they can. Of course, this practice should not look stern, mean, or like, "You failed." I mean, embedding the practice of organizing and working efficiently and positively reinforcing the students' good time management and planning. :)

Overall, I think the most important way to help students become efficient, well-managed and caring students is to model these practices for them on a daily basis. Showing students that organization and preparation are key to success by doing it yourself consistently, gives them a great model to learn from. If we want our students to be all of these wonderful things, we must be them ourselves!