Reading Reflection #10

Kim Poe

Reading Reflection #10

It is important to set aside time for your students to reflect on their work. They can reflect on what they have learned through the project, and what they might have done differently. It is important for students to be active in all part of the project including the assessment stage. They need to understand the categories by which their performance will be measured. Students can review the rubrics that they were given at the beginning of the project and reflect on how well their projects demonstrate or apply what they have learned. Setting aside time for reflection helps students reveal things they might not have thought about otherwise, such as: what they learned, what they enjoyed about learning, their growth as learners, and what / how they want to learn in projects ahead.

Reflection is important because it helps the students think about how joyous and gratifying the learning journey can be. They can recall their positive learning experiences that made them confident and look forward to more. The realization that they are quite good at something, or understand something complex can be a great motivator for students. Students should also elaborate, to figure out where to go after they have finished the project. They can elaborate about things like what they are wondering about next, what they want to learn about now, and how they want to go about it.

Schools also build tradition and identity. Some schools are known for their sports, while other schools may be known for their symphonies. Community members will notice and value students' accomplishments, and give you enthusiastic support, and after a time expect to be involved. It is important to show your class accomplishments are the result of the students' commitment to their own learning, and a result of their hard work.

You can build your school's identity as a place where students learn through meaningful projects by celebrating their learning. Some ideas for celebrating are creating a blog, putting on a display, or holding a party.

There were many key ideas in this chapter. I really liked the idea of celebrating your students work. I feel like this would really motivate the students and give them confidence in their abilities. For our project we could make displays of some of the things students had created throughout the project or post digital assignments, such as digital stories and podcasts, on a classroom blog. I think this would be a great way to get parents as well as the community involved, and help the students to feel proud of their accomplishments.