Reading Reflection 7

There are three levels of classroom discussion. Teacher to teacher discussion is when teachers collaborate even after the project has started. This is just as important as the prep because it keeps teachers on the same page. If students are struggling with a concept small changes may need to be made. For example a mini-lesson could be planned. This is a good time to use blogs, wiki and other online tools to communicate if your project colleagues are at another location or if you cannot meet face to face with them. Student to student discussion is when students are talking amongst each other about their learning experiences. Students can talk with their team members and it is also good for them to talk with other teams. Communication is very important because they need to work as a team and stay on track. Students learn and challenge each other. Teachers should be observing, and sometimes joining the conversation when appropriate. The last level of classroom discussion is teacher to student. This is the dominating classroom discussion format in a traditional classroom where teachers lectures most of the time. During project based learning this level is only used occasionally to make announcements to the whole class or to introduce or demonstrate new ideas. Teachers should be checking in on students along the way. Students will be taking different directions and working on different speeds, which is normal. There are four types of questions that should be asked. Procedural questions should be asked such as “are you getting everything done on time?” and “do you have all of the materials you need?” The second is teamwork questions. This is good to see if everyone is getting along and sharing the work equally. The third are understanding questions. This will take some observation and listening to students. This is a good opportunity to bring up ideas that they may not of thought of and encourage them to push themselves. The last type of questions are self-assessment. This is a good time to get feedback from the students on what they think about the project and for them to share their excitement or challenges about the project. It is important that technology is used as a tool and is not a distraction. Check in with students to make sure the technology is used properly is important. There are many benefits to optimizing the use of technology. It should help students reach their learning goals. It should help them stay organized as well. For example a collaborative blog allows them to log their ideas and to share with their team mates. Technology should expand students’ horizon by connecting to experts and people outside of their community. It should also be easily accessible. Teamwork is a 21st-century skill that can make or break a project. Pay close attention to team dynamics during the beginning of the project. Allow students to manage their own conflicts. It is a good idea to have the students make a contract before their project starts where students agree on everyone’s responsibilities and have them each sign it. Students can also evaluate each other on a teamwork-scoring rubric or with a journal entry. The concepts in this chapter relate to our project because we will need to implement appropriate classroom discussion. We will also need to check in with our students along the way to make sure the project is running smoothly.