Reading Reflection #2

This chapter is about collaboration between teachers. I have consistently been told that collaboration is extremely important, that way there is consistent with all the expectations teachers had for their students. If there is for consistency throughout a student's day, it will serve to eliminate misunderstandings and frustration on behalf of the students and teachers.    

In the Spotlight section, Elise collaborated with four other teachers. The teachers feed off of each other and were in a position to push each other forward to develop lessons that best utilized their resources and benefit the students. Having this type of collaboration between teachers is very significant because, we as teachers always push our students to do their best and expect them to reach for the next level. If we do not model what we expect them to do and lead by example then we are not helping our students to achieve their maximum potential.

This chapter illustrates the importance of collaboration as faculty. Having a team that pushes each other to expand and get better at the art of teaching is a team that will have success in many different aspects within their school. The chapter also explains that in order to have a team that is filled with people who put their best foot forward and put forth effort when working together is a lot of work, but when done correctly can lead to amazing results for both teachers and students.    

Group Concept Map

This is the link to our Group Concept Map it is a work in progress, but we think we have a pretty good start.

Barnes Concept Map

Here is my individual concept map. This is kind of what I was thinking of Cat...any suggestions? Confusion?

Also, I won't be around tonight or tomorrow. Will one of you be able to make a collaborative concept map with some of my ideas? I think it is due tomorrow night. Sorry that I'm not going to be around!

https://bubbl.us/view/2363b0/47aa76/23P591TrrWrik&r=39266933/

Reading Reflection 2

1.  The focus of a learning community is for teachers and students to come together and work collaboratively on a certain project. The focus should be on getting the most out of that project and how students will get the most and best learning.

      2. Some of the benefits of learning communities include: having time to work together and learn from one another, sharing ideas with other teachers/students, having a support system in which you learn together, and projects are taken to the next level.

      3.    Learning communities affect teachers because they give them the chance to come together and talk about what is going on inside their classrooms. It gives teachers a chance to give and receive critical feedback on the type of projects and learning going on in their classrooms. Teachers come to respect one another and see value in each other’s work. They can also really help teachers to develop their curriculum and improve as an overall teacher.

      4.   Learning communities can affect students because the students learning really improves and the view of the overall school improves. Students learn to learn together within a learning community.  They develop the skills that are necessary when working out in the real world, such as communicating well with others, how to problem solve, how to manage projects and how to stay motivated and persistent.

       5.   Learning communities have components that lead to a shared vision. Some of these components include: teachers coming together and having a common goal, often being to maximize the amount of learning done by their students; teachers coming together and agreeing on a series of changes or classroom implements that they want to make; and many ideas from different teachers coming together to create an overall goal for a section of their school.

      6.   This chapter on creating a professional learning community directly relates to the project we will be creating in our class.  We are coming together and collaborating on the best ideas for our projects. We will give feedback on each other’s ideas and decide together on what we want to include within the project.  There will be shared responsibility on what goes into the project. We will be learning together and deciding as a team what we want to go into our project.

Hi everyone!!!! So last night when I was working on my concept map I realized that we don't have an actual subject. We can use the brochure as our project that we are having the kids make but we need it to focus on something. Maybe use one of the other ideas we had as well.

 Pen Pals Map

Reading Reflection 1

1.    Discussion on what you need to keep in mind as you start the journey through Project-Based Learning (PBL).

As you start your journey through PBL that it is a group effort and it may take some teacher development in the beginning to be sure it runs smoothly and everyone has the same goal in mind. 

2.    Discussion on the overall benefits of the PBL approach.

PBL helps today's students put things into a context that is relevant to their lives. It also helps them develop problem salving skills in math and science. 

3. Discussion on the benefits to students who participate in PBL.

Students who participate in PBL develop skills that are relevant to today's world. It teaches personal responsibility, planning, critical thinking, reasoning and creativity. It also promotes visualization, decision making and cross cultural understanding.    

4. Discussion on what issues need to be considered in PBL approach.

When implementing the PBL approach it should be taken into consideration the ways your specific students learn best. 

5.   Discussion on New Technology High as an example of New Technology Model.

New Technology High  is the model of the way PBL would work in the optimal setting. New Technology High is where all students work with the best technology for their goal.  They have constantly achieve and had outstanding scholastic success.  

Project Ideas

I was looking up some PBL learning ideas and came up with a few interesting ones.

1. Creating a school courtyard
 - drawing a design
- making a model of the design
- bringing in architects to talk about design
- making it safe and accessible for all

2. Planning a dream vacation
- creating a budget
- researching places online
- costs of things on the trip
- geography on the trip
- what to bring for the trip
- things to do on the trip
- traveling to that place

3. Creating a school brochure
- a way to introduce your school to the community and new students
- telling about the gym, playground, bathrooms, lunch room, classrooms, teachers
- why your school is so cool
- why the new students will like it or should come to this school

4. Weather center broadcast
- daily weather
- severe weather
- collect data
global weather
- report to rest of school

5. Creating a healthy restaurant
- menu
- commercial
- presentation
-budget
-atmosphere

What do you guys think? Any that really stick out to you that you would enjoy working on?

Reading Reflection #1 pgs. 2-24

1.     1. Something I need to keep in mind regarding PBL is it is teaching in a different way. The students   are learning by engaging in real-world projects. The teacher’s role is shifting from being a content expert to more of a facilitator and guide. I also need to keep in mind that the teachers are just as much of a learner as the students are. Teachers will need to learn how to teach effectively using this approach, how to measure students expectations, how to monitor progress and assessment, all sorts of things that one would expect when you implement a new teaching approach in the classroom.

2. Some overall benefits to the PBL approach include projects being the center of the curriculum, not just an add-on at the end of a unit; an engagement in real-world activities; the solving of problems that really matter to the people working on the project; technology being integrated into the classroom that can help the students discover, collaborate, and communicate more effectively; and designing projects with a cross-cultural approach.

3. Some benefits to students using the PBL approach include high learning outcomes, excitement within the classroom about the projects, good communication skills, good inquiry skills, knowing how to meet deadlines, developing a fuller understanding of how the world works, and an understanding that individuals can do something about changing their world.

4. Some issues that need to be considered in PBL approach is that is takes time before you can develop a really good approach. There takes a lot of front-load work for teachers to be able to implement this approach effectively.  The teachers in the PBL approach do a lot of preparation and planning in setting the stage for each project. It is also a learning curve when the teacher has to step back, and let the students learn on their own, while he/she become more of a guide. The investment of preparation and planning will pay off eventually, but it takes a lot of hard work up front to pull off a good PBL approach.

5. New Technology high is a school  founded in Nappa, CA in 1996.  It is designed from the ground up to meet the needs of 21^st-century learners. PBL drives the entire curriculum model. I think this type of school is really interesting because it is a small school where you really get to know your classmates and teachers. The book says that less time is spent on classroom management because of this and more time can be spent on instruction. I feel like this would be really valuable, because a lot of public schools are overcrowded today, and a lot of time and effort by teachers is just getting the kids to listen and understand what it is that they are to be doing.  I also like how the book says that at this school technology is everywhere, but it is not the focus of the learning.  It is just there to facilitate the learning and act as a tool.  I also like how the teachers at this school get to collaborate with one another, that the staff meetings are not just boring periods of time where you have to listen to a supervisor talk.  But rather, it is a time to bounce ideas off of one another and get a second opinion on what you are doing within your classroom.

Yay! I was finally able to get signed up...hello everyone :)

Hello!! My name is Catrin!!

Greetings Team Awesome!