I like the
comparison of textbooks and published curriculums to projects. Seeing them
explained back-to-back really showed how much more projects have to offer
students. It also was a good lead into thinking about the big idea. There are
always going to be big ideas that students need to grasp, but that doesn’t mean
they have to go about it in the typical way. Students will actually get more
out of a big idea by branching out and making it their own. It will also relate
more to the real life and what students will experience outside of school.
I like the comment
about how “life gets messy and overlaps multiple disciplines” it really says a
lot about what students are going to be facing out of school, so why not bring
it in and ingrain it in the projects being created. I believe projects can turn
into great things when they are interdisciplinary because teachers do not have
to worry about getting to everything. There is no cutting a math project short
to move on to science or English. Instead it is all just one and the same, and
students get so much more out of it.
I definitely agree
with the importance of bringing in 21st Century skills, it is a
changing world and students need to be equipped to go out and be able to
problem solve within the context of real world problems. The higher level
thinking that is required of students within a project based curriculum would
definitely give students experiences that they may not otherwise get, that can
directly relate to real world situations.
Technology of
course is going to play a bigger and bigger role as things move forward, and it
will be integrated more into the classroom. The point about choosing the right
technology and being able to back it up makes a lot of sense. I found the Romeo
in Myspace story to be particularly interesting because it showed that the
technology does not have to be something educational, it can be anything out
there as long as it is safe for students and backed up by strong educational
value.
In the end it
really does come to keeping students in mind. Students do need to reach certain
standards and scores, but how they learn is more flexible. If students are
really going to get the most out of their education they have to be actively
involved in it. This not only means designing an engaging project, but also
making it so it sparks student interest and gives them something they can be
passionate about. That should be the focus of education.
I agree with what you said about how projects can turn out great when they are interdisciplinary. It’s important that teachers not feel rushed when they are trying to teach an important topic. It is definitely true that technology is going to be incorporated more into the classroom. It is extremely crucial to incorporate technology that you can explain to students and that are useful to use when using project-based learning. I also agree with the fact that HOW students learn is flexible. Students need to have more hands on experiences of learning. I think that students being passionate about something that they are doing in school will keep them that much more engaged and focused.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you touched on the inevitable truth that technology is growing more and more every day and that having our students perfect their ability to work with technology will be vital to their success in the real world. Did you have an elementary school teacher like I did, who despite knowing better, tried to make us believe that if we didn't learn cursive we would never be able to turn in a college paper for full credit?! Ha! If we want to equip our students for assured success, we need to progress WITH them as well as for them!
Great job!
-Sabrina