Reading Reflection #7

1. Description of levels of classroom discussions:
(1) The first level of classroom discussion is Teacher to Teacher. Teachers collaborating and working together continue to make PBL work smoothly and more effectively. Formative assessment is a huge part in classroom discussions. Providing ways for students to work together and discuss their thoughts and understandings toward a project is very important. If teachers do not have the time to collaborate face to face, they may consider using a blog, wiki, or other tools to keep teacher to teacher conversation stable.
(2) The second level of classroom discussion is Student to Student. Students should always be talking to one another about their learning experiences and what works best for how they learn and understand the information coming from a project. It is important to remind students that good communication skills is part of an effective team. As a teacher, it is important to continue to listen to student-to-student conversation so you know if students are on the right track or if they bring up something that can help better your instruction. Teacher's shouldn't take over the conversation, adding comments and encouragement is key. It is important to model good communication skills while giving critical feedback which give students the opportunity to use those skills themselves.
(3) Teacher to Student is the third leve to classroom discussion. In a PBL classroom, it is important to keep conversations student run. For example, create a discussion topic and see where students take it and what they want to learn from that topic. As a teacher, you need to be there for guidance and be there whenever students may get off track. Ask probing questions that push students toward higher-order thinking.

2. Discussion on questions for "checking in" on students during a project:
There are four types of questions that teachers should be asking students during a project.
(1) Procedural questions include: Are we staying on track? Do we have all the materials needed? Do we need to schedule any meetings with outsiders?

• Remind students to move toward milestones and deadlines, providing them with a calendar and monitor project logs and checklists.

(2) Teamwork: How are team members getting along? Is one student doing most of the work? How are their time management skills?

• Having students create a blog on team progress is key to continuing that team work and understanding that each student in the group is getting the equal amount of work. 
• Using online survey tools are good for this type of monitoring.

(3) Understanding: Formative assessment is where understanding comes in. Provide students with "have you thought about this....?" or "have you considered....?"

• Provides students with the opportunity to go beyond expectations and encourages them to push themselves.

(4) Self-assessment: Project journals or blogs offer space for students to describe challenges and frustrations, or to ask questions if they don't feel comfortable asking in class. This is also a way for students to share their ideas and excitement about the project as a whole. 

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

When a teacher involves new technology, it broadens students' knowledge of technology and allows them to use this technology in other courses or iin future projects. If the technologies become a distraction, then there will be more strict rules on using the technologies while having weekly goals to maintain in order to stay on track. Online technologies allows students to broaden their learning community, a way to connect to the outer world for more information and tools to use during a project. Students will gain insight on how to communicate with a culturally diverse audience. I love the idea of educational podcasting. It helps not only students, but adults who want to learn mor about something. My boyfriend listens to a lot of different kinds of podcasts, anywhere from basketball to comedy. He learns a lot about media and communication.

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

Troubleshooting provides the chance for students to overcome challenges. Brainstorming with students helps students use their brain to focus on what they want to get out of a project. The teacher is there to guide students in the right direction. Communication skills are very important. Nowadays, there aren't many lecture based classes. Most of the classrooms contain student based learning and collaboration. Team dynamics is very important when doing student collaboration projects. Evaluating peers is a tactic that will help give team members critical feedback and knowledge of what they need to work on and how they can become a better team worker. 

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

My partners and I are learning that communication is extremely important. It is hard to get things done if you don't communicate and understand each others thoughts. Troubleshooting is something that we have done a few times and it reassures us that we can overcome our struggles.