Thoughts about the Project

As I think about starting my project, I have a few things I want to keep in mind.

1. I want to make sure that my project is 100% ready to use as a part of my science pacing for this year. Since I am in charge of the science lesson plans for my 5th grade level this year, I would like to work on a project that would be able to be used as a seamless part of our science instruction. This means my materials need to be very well organized so other teachers can use them easily. This should be a given anyways, as organization and ease of use is a part of the grading for this activity. Also, I want to make sure it fits with the content used in November/December, which would mean an activity dealing with the Earth's destructive and constructive forces. I plan to start looking for resources and materials to use with the students, and how I can use those to create an exciting project-based learning activity for my students.

2. Work smarter, not harder. I am also hoping that I will be able to use some of the strategies I am learning in my gifted endorsement program I am taking right now. This will help to engage more of my learners, incorporate several different kinds of questioning, and help to meet some of the lesson planning standards for my gifted class. With all the demands of two graduate level courses, working full-time, and taking a gifted endorsement course at the same time, I am definitely trying to integrate several strategies and activities at once to create a better product that will improve my teaching practice.

3. Time management. Part of the struggle of an online course while working and juggling what seems like a thousand tasks a week, is making sure that I manage my time carefully. In the case of this project, that means keeping my calendar organized and well-filled, as well as breaking apart large assignments into smaller tasks to keep myself from procrastinating. Here's to hoping all these good intentions will help me keep on top of the project!

Assessment & Evaluation

The videos and readings for this week were a great follow-up to last week's learning about Project Based Learning. One of the struggles that my colleagues and I often face when including PBL into our plans is the need for grades and a clear evaluation of how the students are learning the content. The resources shared this week offered some terrific options on how to get students working hands-on and in collaborative groups, while still offering a structured system for assessing and evaluating student learning.

I had a very personal connection to the articles we read about the school design for 2050 project. When I was in high school, I aspired to be an architect as a future career. I took a couple drafting and engineering classes while in high school, and I participated in an after school club in which we worked on various technology projects to compete in a state-wide competition in the spring. I enjoyed working on an architectural model project every year, in which a team of us worked together to design a dream house. Unfortunately, a lot of these programs have been cut from high school programs recently because they are considered "technical" courses and do not translate into required courses for a college preparatory degree. I think that the projects described in the articles about using geometry and other math to design a high school of the future are an excellent idea, and would serve as a great inspiration to teachers everywhere.

Taking on a long project like the school design one requires careful planning and organization ahead of time for the activity to be successful and meaningful. The creation of careful rubrics, detailing deadlines and expectations for success, are essential for such long and complex projects to work out. When I design projects for my class, I always find that creating the rubric ahead of time, along with spending time going over the ratings with my class before they begin, leads to success for my students. Some of these ideas from the videos and articles may just inspire me to attempt a longer project with my students in the near future, such as one that has several parts for teams to work through together.

Project Based Learning

The articles and videos from this week really have me interested in using Project Based Learning with my class this year. I was very encouraged by some of the evidence that supports the value of Project Based Learning. Many teachers might worry that time spent on projects would lower student test scores, but I was happy to read that test scores were the same or even improved with project-based learning. I also never really thought about how Project-Based Learning would be popular with parents and that students could feel more confidence and leadership in working on such tasks, instead of more skill and drill or individual activities. Student's attitudes toward learning are so important, and a shift to project-based learning could encourage students to stay in school and pursue higher education in the long run.

There were several resources that I found very useful when I begin Project Based Learning with my students this year. I loved the checklist website! One fear of starting a project is that it would be difficult for students to self-assess their progress and effort, but I think this checklist is wonderful for spelling out exactly what students need to be accomplishing during their project. Also, it is a perfect tool to differentiate between my gifted and regular ed students, in that I could add a higher level of rigor in research skills for students that have more experience from their Focus classes.  I also thought that the video which laid out the 5 components of Project-Based Learning was a great starting point for teachers trying their first project (like me). As I plan the unit, I will make sure to include a connection to real life, roots in the content, collaboration with structure, student driven focus, and many forms of assessment. Since I am the science lead for my grade level this year, I am thinking that a 3-week project based learning assignment could be a great addition to our unit about erosion and deposition and I am looking forward to start putting some resources together.

Levels of Teaching Innovation

Since I teach 5th grade (all subjects) to my students, I thought that I would use the LoTi framework to assess the level of teaching innovation I used when teaching a specific science unit during my last school year. Since I know that our 5th grade unit on learned behaviors and inherited traits will be coming up in a few weeks, I want to reflect on how I used technology last year when I taught this subject, and then how I could improve this as we approach the unit this year.

When I taught my class last year, we used a combination of direct instruction note taking, some inventory/quiz style activities where students compared various inherited traits they had acquired, and a handful of Kahoot online review quizzes as we prepared for the unit test. Being completely transparent in my evaluation of these activities from last year, I can see that there is a lot of room for growth.

In the "H" area of student questioning, I notice that most of the activities ranged from a level 1 - level 4. The highest level of questioning occurs when students have to use the definitions of inherited vs. learned to characterize different traits.

In the "E" area for engaged learning, activities again ranged from a level of 1 to 4. Most tasks involve students reporting their findings, which is a lower rating level. I allow and encourage my students to collaborate often, which brought the engagement level higher. Level 3 and 4 activities that allow students to solve a problem were more rare during the unit, and only used for one activity where students had to read a paragraph about a child, like a case study, and then categorize the traits in the story as learned or inherited.

In the "A" level for authentic learning, I found that the activity may be stuck at Level 1 on the LOTI framework, because I was not sure the relevance or authenticity of the inherited and learned behavior activities. I believe that in order to reach a higher level, there would need to be a more purposeful and relevant project associated with the tasks.

Finally, in the "T" level for technology integration, I would rate the unit as a level 3. The Kahoot activity was a neat add-on in order for students to be able to test their knowledge on the unit material, but it was not an essential component of the learning in this unit, and could have easily served the same purpose as a class review game without technology.

In order to improve the LOTI rating for this unit, there are two activities that I would add to the unit to transform its rating using the HEAT acronym.

One of these activities is the Gene Finder Simulation activity from the Centre of the Cell website (https://www.centreofthecell.org/learn-play/games/gene-finder/). In this activity, students watch a short video clip of a young girl who has a genetic disease called Harlequin Ichthiosis. Then the students look at the patterns of each gene among a group of siblings. They use what they have learned about genes to determine which gene is responsible for the disease. This activity will increase the "A" authentic learning component of the activity, as well as the "T" for technology integration. The technology is necessary for the activity and the students will see real life application of these skills by analyzing the genes and connecting it to real people with these diseases.

Another activity I would like to try is for students to create a presentation about the traits and behaviors of themselves. I would give them a list of common, well-known inherited traits as a jumping off point, but encourage them to question about traits that they have that are not on the list. Then we will take time to conduct research about the traits they have chosen, trying to determine if these traits are indeed inherited or learned. Then students will present what they have learned using a technology tool of their choice. Students will have the online research library with online encyclopedias and articles to access. Also, I will curate a symbaloo of several kid-friendly websites that list commonly and rarely inherited traits. It could take some research and luck, but finding a genetic scientist to interview or consult would also be an incredible opportunity for my students. I believe that this activity would increase the "H" "E" and "T" levels. Students will be using higher-level thinking skills because they are conducting research about their own questions, and will therefore be engaged in the activity. Since they will be researching traits not only listed in their science textbook and that I, their teacher, don't necessarily know the answers to, this will mean that technology becomes an essential part of the task.

Project Ideas from Apple and Edutopia

Through my browsing on Apple's website and Edutopia, I found two articles/stories that really caught and held my attention. These are ideas I might like to explore more for how technology can impact the classroom in a positive and transformational way.

The first idea was from Edutopia, and it was all about making the Back-to-School parent/teacher night into a technology enhanced event (link to article here). I just had my own curriculum night last week, and I found myself standing in front of the parents - talking at them for a long period in time. It wasn't really a fun experience, but seemed like something we all just had to get through (parents and teachers alike). In the Edutopia article, there were some great ideas about how technology could make a parent night much more engaging. I loved the idea of having QR codes displayed near student names or work in order for parents to see a video of their student talking. This could be used to have the kids talk about the different school rules, procedures in the classroom, or could be an actual project that they have worked on in the classroom. This would have been a great way to get my parents moving around and having fun, while still learning about how my classroom operates. Another idea that I liked was sending home a link to the main presentation to all parents, even the ones who couldn't make the parent night. Then as parents ask questions, you can answer them on the link to minimize repetition of questions. Also, as the year goes on you could push out new information easily. It might be too late for the this first parent night, but I think some of these 2.0 ideas would be a great way to transform our school's literacy or STEM night this year.

Another idea I found interesting came in the form of one of the Apple teacher stories (link here). She talked about how using the iPads and the iTunes university in her classroom allowed her students to be able to research topics in their area of interest much more quickly and easily than if she had to make copies or procure books for each individual student. Having several activities set up for each unit ahead of time also allowed her early finisher students to move ahead without waiting for the rest of the class. I find these ideas intriguing as I have tossed around the idea of including some Genius Hour projects with my class this year. Teaching them how to use the online research tools available through our school system would give them unlimited potential to tap into when researching topics. Then if I explain some possible final product choices for them, they are ready to move ahead at their own pace, with me guiding them along the way. Having several activities ready for students is something I try to accomplish when my students have their day in the computer lab. I find that when they know there are many activities they can attempt that day, they are very focused and driven to be able to try them all in the allotted time. Some of them even get so excited that they visit the other websites at home because they don't want to miss out!