chapter 4 Reading reflection

1.       The book mentioned some very important pitfalls we could run into with our projects.  One of the most important to keep in mind is that we have to remember that our activities need to have many ideas that the students learn so that they are not working hard only to learn a small amount of information and skills.  I also think the pitfall of overly scripted with many steps is important to avoid as well because students need to be able to figure some things out for themselves.  The teacher has to be able to evaluate how much help their students are going to need though before this step.

2.       A good project will challenge students but not completely frustrate them, have a main idea or question that the teacher wants students to answer, include many different ways that students learn, focuses on a subject that interests students, uses skills that go beyond schooling like communication and project management, and has students doing varied methods of research like gathering information about weather patterns by having students keep a journal of the weather patterns they experience and why they happen.

3.       Project ideas can come from other teachers, news stories, and student interests.  These are some the best places because the ideas are usually recent topics and can keep students motivated about the project.

4.       To start designing a project the teacher should have an idea from her students or other source and be relating learning objectives to it.  Then they should consider what Job/ 21^st Century skills they want their students to practice along with the learning dispositions.  Then the teacher should consider the background knowledge of the students as well as the best ways the students learn to incorporate the information the students will need into the project.  Think about what the students` overall goal would be and anything structurally you may need to change to allow your students to do their best work.  In other words, think of ways to make your project very flexible to all your students` needs without blowing off the project`s structure.  Imagine how you will introduce your students to the project to excite them about learning about it and motivate their future work.

5.       The lesson plan concepts relate to our project because we are working on lesson plans and also it is making me reconsider certain aspects of the project that my group may have to change to accommodate all of the students.