Reflection

This reflection is quite late, due to being stuck out of state for four days (cancelled flight) and not having access to internet.... As I recall the thoughts from this week, I keep thinking about my project that I am going to do for my students. Mia mentioned it's important for students to know deadlines and activities in advance. I think it's important students understand the expectations of their activity and can plan ahead. Thomas mentioned in his blog that, we need to step away from the "traditional" teaching strategies and think outside the box. Where this is a fantastic idea, it's also the idea that usually gets pushed to the side or looked down upon by other colleagues. To get everyone on board, their needs to be evidence of growth with students completing the activity in PBL design. I think students are going to be interested in anything we have them do, if we can find things they can relate too, reflect on how they can use it in an every day life situation and give them quick feedback. Students can do the work, but don't get the recognition if we don't tell them how they did or what they could do to improve.

With the insect project I do with my students. I always tell them way in advance what the project goal is, why were doing it and most of the activities we will be doing. The largest part of the project is comparing the different species of insects found in a certain area of Ecuador compared to Alaska in the month of May. It usually turns out that there's a huge difference, but due to the climate changing and our seasons becoming more warmer, the results have changed dramatically. The first time I did the project, my student only found maybe 2-3 different species of insects. Last year, we found over 20. It's still a small amount compared to Ecuador, but I can show my students this information through the PBL design. They can't get this information from a textbook. I think it's important to design PBL in the classroom, when it can be integrated into what the students are learning about. Not every content material taught will be done in a PBL based design. It's not necessary. Students will be able to work with groups and socialize. They will also work independently for completing a class goal. I think to have a successful PBL students should be given immediate feedback, objectives should be stated in advance, activities and deadlines should be available for students to look at before and students should have the opportunity to reflect on their own learning.