Sarah Hughey's Reading Reflection #7

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions.


Teacher to teacher:  Teachers discuss not only to plan the project but also during their implementation as well.  Teachers will discuss routine things such as who will lead which activity and other things such as formative assessment.  These discussions also don't have to be face-to-face; they can be via a project blog, wiki, etc.

Student to student: Students need to be talking as they work together on project needs, of course, but they also need to be discussing what they are learning and discovering.  This helps them learn both the material and communication skills.  Teachers can join student to student discussions and should be listening to them as a bystander, but teachers have to be careful not to take over the conversation.

Teacher to student: This is the most common level in a traditional classroom but less in a PBL classroom.  This level is usually used for class-wide announcements when a project management tool such as a project Web site is not being used for them.


2. Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.

Questions for "checking in" should be higher order questions that get students to analyze, compare, evaluate, and elaborate.  These types of questions should encourage students to look even deeper in their topic.  Also, give the students time to give an answer - the longer the teacher is willing to wait, the more engaged the students become and the more quality work they provide. 

Beyond just a general discussion on questions, the teacher should "check in" with procedural, teamwork, understanding, and self-assessment questions.  All of these questions keep the students on task, help them with work management, and encourage them to think further about their project. 

3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

The benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology are many.  For one, technology can help students reach learning goals, or it can misdirect them on "side trips" if not optimized.  Technology can also help them keep organized and manage time/work better and help them "expand their horizons" and connect them to people outside of the classroom relate to the project idea.  For technology to be optimized, it must be accessible by the students.


4. Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.

21st-century skills that can make or break a project include knowing how to troubleshoot, overcome challenges, and managing conflict.  Troubleshooting and overcoming challenges is key to PBL; without these skills, students will not be able to work on their problems because the point of PBL is to teach them to find solutions to problems.  Conflict is also natural in any team and must be dealt with maturely and responsibly, as no team will be able to get anything done if they're always tied up in arguing and fighting.  Managing conflict also relates to intercultural differences when working with students from different cultures, which is a skill they must develop for PBL to be successful.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

We are currently practicing teacher-to-teacher discussion and collaborating together to create a PBL project, and this chapter will become more and more relevant to use when we actually begin working with students.  We have to be prepared to have many different levels of discussion, check in with questions, optimize technology, and teach 21st-century skills.  Studying this now will help us manage PBL units in the future.