Chapter 6: Project Launch- Implementation Strategies

We've read for chapters now how wonderful Project Based Learning can be and how beneficial it is for students. I'm pretty sure many of us, at least myself, have completely fallen in love with this idea of having the students learn through real-world applications that both develop their critical thinking abilities as well as their conceptual understandings. The next thing that needs to be examined is the role in which teachers play in this approach and how their work allows for their students' success.

As the text states, teachers must lay the ground-work for students' projects as, "During projects, students will inquire, study, plan, evaluate, compare, collaborate, manage, create and present" (95). With all of these activities beginning, it is vital that the teacher has a solid grasp on how they are to implemented, maintained, monitored and assessed. Further, before beginning, it is important to "Take time to inspire interest and learn what students already know and care about. Teach prerequisite concepts or skills (including those relating to technology) that students need for their projects" (95).

In my experience, when the students become invested for their own reasons, they have little to no problem becoming invested for ours, which are ultimately to cover as much as the content matter as possible. Often times, once they find an aspect of the content which they cling to, they will discover the rest of it without even realizing it in their personal journey. 

The text also suggests, "Before and after a project, have students complete a self-evaluation that focuses on the learning dispositions you expect them to develop during the project. The act of self-assessment causes students to think about their capabilities and how they direct their own learning" (96). This idea of formative assessment is an excellent way to guide yourself and your students through their learning, as well as our teaching. I strongly connected this part of the text to the speaker that we had this week from MACUL when he spoke about the importance of the formative assessment throughout student learning. He spoke about using the application KAHOOTS to have students assess not only their abilities to answer questions, but how they felt about the questions that were being asked- whether they were relative, important, well structured, etc. or not. I really love this idea and can easily so how it would greatly benefit students and teachers like in the classroom.

In the text it states, "As students gain experience in project-based learning, lay out projects in broad strokes, and help students establish their own goals and standards of excellence" (96). It was so good to see this statement in this text because the more involved I become in classrooms, the more that I am finding that standards of excellence are extremely subjective. What success and excellence might look like for one student, may not be the mirror image of another. Students should have the ability to discuss their own goals alongside of the ones that the teacher/school/curriculum set up for them. There is an enormous amount of encouragement and inspiration that come from allowing the student to determine their own success. One might think that this would lead to students only striving for the bare minimum, but if the teaching direction is aligned with their interest, needs and accommodations, I guarantee, as I have seen in other classes, that they will gladly rise to the occasion and challenge themselves to become the best that they can be.