Category: Project Based Learning

365 Lessons – #7 Beginnings Are Good Places To Start

365 Lessons

(Critical Thinking About What The World Is Teaching Me Every Day)

#7 Beginnings Are Good Places To Start

[Lesson Break Down]

Sometimes our ambitions for excellence hold us back from beginning with anything less, which is ironic because excellence tends to come from hard work and patience.

Twice today I experienced situations where amazing educators made decisions to move forward without having made everything “perfect” up front.  First, I saw a fourth grade team work out a way to have their students think critically about what makes a clear and communicative news report while exploring social studies content.  We were brainstorming elements of a regions project and trying to create a rubric that would guide groups through the production process.  Instead they chose to put the students in front of the camera to film impromptu reports.  The students will analyze those reports to think critically about what they’ll have to do in producing a final, polished report as a culminating project for the unit.  They’re having their students engage in a developmental drafting process similar to what they would do in during writing instruction.  It’s exciting.

The other situation was equally exciting.  Another fourth grade teacher decided a couple of months ago that she was going to take advantage of the interactive technology she has in her classroom.  Instead of scrutinizing the flip charts (that she’s now regularly creating and adapting) for aesthetic perfection, she simply moves forward once they fit the academic criteria and instructional potential she sets forth to achieve.  While some people (teachers and others) hold back adopting new tools or using new strategies because they don’t feel “ready,” this incredible teacher is becoming quite an expert at using interactive technology for authentic, effective instruction by accepting that she had to start somewhere.

A wonderful double dose of learning for me today!

Making Authentic Connections: A Culture of Comprehension

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Planning and implementing great project based instruction in your classroom can be easy and fun.  Projects can be short or long, simple or complex, and they can address any content area or set of skills by using all or some of the elements of effective project based learning design.  Check out the following Teacher Feature video illustrating parts of  a short project that Candi Gorski (Harlan 2nd grade) used to perpetuate her instruction in reading comprehension.

Teacher Feature Link:  http://tinyurl.com/d8ydsak

In the span of a week she…

…read a great book about Native American culture to her students.

  • Played traditional Native American music softly while reading
  • Set the stage by making some connections to Native American culture and generating a thoughtful mood in her classroom
  • Transported the group through space and time with her voice and energy

…followed up with a collaborative workshop in which her second grade students created Dream Catchers with their fifth grade learning buddies.

  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Authentic purpose and connections to content

…Incorporated Native American cultural artifacts in classroom communication across the curriculum.

  • More music
  • Other literature
  • Photographs

…facilitated ongoing comprehension conversations, revisiting content, skills, and strategies repeatedly.

Again, the critical content driving this project was reading comprehension; specifically making connections for enhance comprehension.

Thanks for your great work Candi…and thanks for sharing!

Stayed tuned and/or contact your Ignite Facilitator, Media Specialist, or other interested colleagues for more information about planning for project based learning in your classroom.

Have a great week and let me know how I can support your exploration!

Seth

Digital Backpacks: Student Portfolios Enhanced!

Digital Backpacks are on-line portfolios that teachers and students can use to collect and communicate learning artifacts.   Come spring, a well maintained digital backpack tells the story of any given student’s developmental journey, and, with a bit of frontloading, prep, and practice they’re easy and fun to maintain!  If you’re at all interested in exploring Digital Backpacks – do it!

A few reasons why:

  1. Digital Backpacks become a great data source to inform instruction.
  2. Digital backpacks give student ownership over their growth and the communication of that growth.
  3. Digital backpacks can be engaging and truly reflective of each student’s individual interests and abilities – they can each shine in their own way.
  4. Digital backpacks help keep parents informed and involved by giving them the ability to stay connected to the learning process.
  5. Digital Backpacks provide an authentic opportunity to teach digital citizenship.

Below are multiple Tool Tip clips.  Each are labeled with the skill they address.  If you intend to peruse Digital Backpacks using Wiki Spaces I would send the clips home with your students to ‘flip’ instruction.  They can learn how to do this stuff outside of the classroom, practice at home (with their parents), and become experts outside of school…maximizing learning time in class.

Toot Tip:  Adding Documents to a Wiki Page http://tinyurl.com/bx2ewqo

Tool Tip:  Inserting Images into Wiki Pages http://tinyurl.com/bdmvepp

Tool Tip:  Using Widgets and Tags to Organize Wikis http://tinyurl.com/a6po8oc

Also, the wonderful Jen Wind (Quarton 2nd grade), Laurie Cooper (Harlan 3rd Grade), and John Kernan (Pierce 4th Grade) are exploring QR Codes.  Laurie came up with the great idea of creating QR refrigerator magnets for her parents to stay connected to her students’ Digital Backpacks at their convenience.  It’s really cool!  Talk to Jen, Laurie, John, (or the many others using these tools) for some other great ideas.  See below for some ‘Connected Tool Tips’ and a resource link from Jen Wind – Thanks Jen!

Connected Tool Tip:  Creating QR Codes on Desktops and Laptops http://tinyurl.com/akwq9dv

Connected Tool Tip:  Other QR Code Ideas http://tinyurl.com/b9nvh4e

QR Resource Link from Jen Wind: http://tinyurl.com/a38pcyz

Contact me at sb20bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us for more information and collaboration.  Pick the brain of your ignite facilitator.  Share ideas…spread the word!

Have a great weekend,

 

Seth

Project Based Learning: Great Guiding Questions

Hi Everyone…I hope you all had a nice weekend!

This Teacher Feature comes from a fifth grade class at Harlan Elementary School.  The Team is working on a project about the solar system.  The students were split into partnerships and given a central topic.  This pair’s topic is ‘the sun.’  Cathy Osip (fifth grade teacher) is working with Elisabeth Stayer (media specialist) to get her class familiar with key word searches.  By the time I showed up they were getting really good at identifying key words and adapting their inquiries to fit the results they were finding.  This is a great example of critical thinking.  I love how the student in this clip sounds so casual as he talks about the complex process of narrowing down guiding questions to address relevant and authentic problems.

When they came across information about solar flares they were excited to learning that solar flares could last up to a thousand years.  Upon further investigation they found out that a solar flare produce x-rays, radiation, and lots of energy.  Digging even deeper into those key words they learned that those things are embedded in medicine and communication.  These two fifth graders started out with, “Why do solar flares last up to a thousand years?” and by the time they were in line to go to lunch they were wondering if human beings are able to collect the explotion of x-rays, radiation, and energy that comes from solar flares to be used in medicine and communication.

Here’s some of what this experience taught me about Project Based Learning:

  1. Key word searches are essential in the narrowing process of guiding questions.
  2. A partnership with your building media specialist goes a long way in teaching students effective research strategies.
  3. Guiding questions should be relevant, authentic, and connected to the human condition – our students should be thinking about questions and taking on challenges that stand to make a positive impact on themselves, their communities, and the world in which they live.
  4. There can be many products along the path of a quality project, including great guiding questions.
  5. Fifth graders are capable of imagining possibilities that adults might never think of.

Click below to watch the Teacher Feature: 

http://tinyurl.com/9fv46c8

Thanks Cathy and Elizabeth – I can’t wait to join you again as you continue on this awesome path of learning!

As always, let me know if you have any questions.  Post a comment if you’d like.  Touch base with Cathy and Elizabeth to hear about their progress or share ideas.

Have a great week!
Seth