End of Year PBL Reflections

Project Based Learning Reflection (answer in paragraphs)

What did you learn?

• I learned... (paragraph)
  

How do you know you learned it?

• I know that I learned it because....
  

What got in the way of your learning?

• Barriers to my learning were...group members, my lack of ability to know how to find information,, no organizational schema...
  

What helped your learning?

• facilitators, group members, background knowledge...
  

How did you feel about project based learning this year?

• I felt...
  

What was your favorite project?

• My favorite project was.
  

Why was it your favorite project?

• ....was my favorite project because (paragraph)
  

How will you use what you learned this year to help you with next year’s project work?

• 
  

End of day reflection 3/16

Today I met expectations for my project work with the students.

Today I achieved my goals. I talked to everyone about their projects and have a pretty good idea of who is on track and who needs support.

Meets Expectations

• Blog:
• Completes a daily goal setting entry at the beginning of each PBL day.-did this
  
• Completes an end of the day reflection entry at the end of each PBL day.-did this
  

• Check ins:-NA today
  
• Is prepared for formal check ins with facilitator which include:
• project planning form check in
• expert email check in
• presentation check in
• Pace:
• Meets all assigned project deadlines.-did this
  

• Collaboration:-N/A
• Meets on a regular basis with group members.
• Completes assigned tasks for group.
• Maintains positive interactions with group members at all times.

• Project:
• Meets all expectations on project rubric.

Daily Goals 3/16/11

What are your goals for today?

• My goals are to meet with everybody both in the morning and afternoon to see where they are with their project work.
  

What is your plan for getting today’s work done?

• Check in with all students either via skype of in person.
  

Daily Goals 2/14/11

Today's Goals:

• Check in students to: 1. make it clear that current PBL is due Friday and 2. help students identify what they need to complete in order to finish their projects.

• Do a community builder with Telluride.

End of Day Reflection

Yay! I achieved my goals to day. Hot diggity dog!

Next steps are to look at group's pacing and take some of the lessons.

Today was a good day overall. I feel like the projects will be pretty much wrapped up by the end of next week.

Once lesson plans are done I think my next steps will be: to start making project plans for the rest of the year.

One small reflection is that I feel like as sad as it is the students that just take the lessons will probably be more aware of what they learned than students in the traditional class. I know the students engaged in the actual PBL work are learning more but what I am talking about is when they look at their classmate's work on standards. This probably does not make sense if you are reading it but if you are living the experience it really makes sense.

Daily Goals Monday February 7th

Daily Goals:

• I only have one goal and that is to check in with every person today to see where they are in the process and help them figure out next steps as needed (some need no help others need lots of support).
  

End of Day Reflection

Today's goals:

• Have at least two groups send OHpedia to experts today.-Goal Accomplished-one middle school and one High School group sent these off.
  
• Conference with all groups on their writing/process.Got to most groups and ones that I did not get to Randy got to.

Things I am thinking about today:

• I really enjoyed learning alongside the students today. It was a struggle to find some of the benchmarks. As one student put it "pbl is frying my brain!" Overall I am really pleased with the project work but a little apprehensive about next week in terms of staying connected to the students while we travel. However, I am also really excited about trying it out. Things are really clicking with the work.
  

Daily Goals 1/28/11

Today's goals:

• Have at least two groups send OHpedia to experts today.
• Conference with all groups on their writing/process.
  

End of Day Reflection

Did I achieve my goals today?

1. Check ins with PBL groups. Goal Accomplished.
   
2. Work with Mysterious Package on looking at a blog from a class in England.Will have to do tomorrow.
   
3. Finish Math Inquiry Videos. Yes and we had a blast!

What did I learn about myself as a facilitator today?

A lot of the same things keep popping up in my mind. The students need to be self motivated during work time but constantly need people to follow up and check on them. One student in particular did almost nothing. She came in late, talked to friends and then got really stressed out when we discussed next week's work. The students were talking about how excited they were that they were out of school next week. However, we are not out of school. The facilitators are traveling to a conference in Orlando so OH is closed but the point of a virtual model is that even if the actual bricks and mortar building is not unlocked that work goes on. This is a concept that we need to get through to the students and families. I think that we will get there but right now it is slow going.

Daily Goals 1/26/11

Today I expect to accomplish:

1. Check ins with PBL groups.
2. Work with Mysterious Package on looking at a blog from a class in England.
3. Finish Math Inquiry Videos

Who will benefit from OHpedia?

• Ideally this will evolve into a resource for students, teachers and anyone interested in the topics in OHpedia. Future OH students will be able to use this information as a platform to start projects. Teachers can use it as a resource to plan lessons etc. Anyone else might use it as a resource for reading and learning about the topics covered in OHpedia.
  

End of Day Reflection

Daily Goals:

Meet with every MS/HS group for a check in and to provide feedback.-Goal achieved.

• I feel good about meeting face to face with groups as well as skypeing with the Telluride crew. However the dilemma of how to get some students motivated
  

Meet with Mysterious Package to start transcribing their interviews.-Goal achieved

Wonderings:

• How much should I as a facilitator intervene with students as they work. What I mean by this is that they are setting deadlines that are unrealistic (too long) and could be working much faster...Should I set deadlines fro work?They also sit around not working until the deadline gets closer...

• I spoke to Mira and Leah briefly about these dilemmas because they both are engaged in and do well in both FLVS and PBl work. Their feeling was that they learn more through PBL but also like to be able to check things off with FLVS. They both prefer PBL work for the most part.
  

Daily Goals 1/24/11

Daily Goals:

• Meet with every MS/HS group for a check in and to provide feedback.
• Meet with Mysterious Package to start transcribing their interviews.
  

End of Day Reflection

Did I achieve my daily goals?

Check off all project plans:

• Goal accomplished-Yay!
  

Mini conference with each student/group after completion of first benchmark:

• Almost we have two groups to check on Monday.

This week was pretty intense and fast paced in terms of our work. The students are really not use to having things so structures and being pushed to provide detailed plans. One part of me thinks that this is good thing to go through with them. The other half of me still wishes that their own self motivation would drive them forward. However, when assigned work that they have to cover I think it is to be expected that they have to be consistently "coached up" and motivated to learn. This is probably why I dislike the structured nature of this PBL.

However, what I like about the projects is that some students are really getting into things and discovering some neat things.

1/21/11 Daily Goals

Today's goals:

1. Check off all project plans
2. Mini conference with each student/group after completion of first benchmark.
   

End of Day Reflection 1/19

Did I achieve my goals? Why or why not?

• I achieved the finishing creating the OHpedia rubrics with the students and sharing the rubrics with the students.

• I did accomplish doing some research along with the students. I mainly worked with Alex on helping her to find resources for her benchmarks. I learned a bit about how during WWI some African Americans joined the military to try and gain some more respect in American society.

• What I learned about myself as a facilitator is that I get really disappointed in the students when they do not want to engage in the PBL process. I am disappointed in myself for not being able to get them going and I am disappointed in them for wanting to be spoon fed. Randy and I had a brief conversation about motivation being the hardest part of this structured project. I do want to do an inquiry on when they are given more choice in topic if they still have difficulty with self motivation. This is something that I will need to think more about before Friday.

• Project plans that are finished: Davis, Hannah, Leah/Cale, Hunter/Nathan, Joanna/Chase, and McKenzie/Kylie. Still need to finish: Connor/Alex, Mira/Taylor, Alyssa, Mitchell and Mason. This task is monumental and consists of a check in and then a follow up about every hour to make sure that they are working and to see if they need any support (sometimes just word of encouragement).
  

What did I notice about myself as a learner today?

• I love to learn and would rather spend my time researching and learning with the students instead of checking off their project plans.
  

What went well today?

• Lots of things went well. Plans got done, Davis has his first part of his OHpedia entry done, mysterious package and ms watched and reflected on a social studies video together...
  

What do I need to change next time I facilitate PBL?

• Bring the motivation a bit more. I feel like now that we are into the work and it is hard the students are starting to hit the doldrums a bit.
  

What do I need help with on Friday (from facilitators)?

• I need Randy to help me bring the motivation.
  

How would I rate myself as a facilitator today?

• I would give myself a decent rating for following through and giving feedback. Was it my best day ever? No, but it was a good day in terms of getting things accomplished and following up with students.
  

Daily Goals 1/19/11

Today my goals are:

• Get all student project plans done and checked off
• Finish and share OHpedia rubrics with students
• Do research with the students
• Learn more about myself and how I operate as a facilitator
  

Daily Goals Check Off

Today's goals were:

Meet with all middle school students and give feedback on their project plans.

• Met with 3 out 5. One was absent and one is not done with his plan.
  
• Feel okay because I met with two of them twice and they were able to compete their plan to move on to start their research.
• I also met with one high school group and helped another high school student identify potential experts to review his group's pbl.
• Goal partially met. Next steps-make sure last plan comes in and support students working on research.
  

Work with "Mysterious Package" formerly known as our elementary students to learn what they are working on with their recycling project and help them gather data from local business about recycling.

• This was an absolute blast. We practiced our questions and then went out "in the field" to local shops in Rosemary Beach.
• We did not make it around to all the places because some were closed due to the federal holiday and others were busy with customers.
• Goal achieved. Next steps-visit places that were closed today and shops that were busy with customers.
  

Prep students and parents for the parent interest night Tuesday evening.

• Talked to two students and a parent about their talks for tomorrow evening. I think that we are in good shape.
• Goal halfway met-need to meet with one more students and parent tomorrow. Next steps work on prep for tomorrow night and work with remaining student and parent on their talks.
  

Daily Goals

Today's goals are:

• Meet with all middle school students and give feedback on their project plans.

• Work with "Mysterious Package" formerly known as our elementary students to learn what they are working on with their recycling project and help them gather data from local business about recycling.

• Prep students and parents for the parent interest night Tuesday evening.

Work Habits Last Week

Last week I think my work habits were okay. On the plus side I was able to manage all the PBL work but on the delta side I did no writing on my dissertation. It is hard to not have any space in the day to plan because then what happens is we end up planning all evening long which was previusly my writing time. On the plus side again I am collecting some good data on PBL for both OH Institute and my dissertation.

I think that I got distracted from my writing because I am having to pay so much attention to the structured PBL. No longer are the students in the driver's seat but rather we, the facilitators, are in the driver's seat. As Harry Wong would say, "Who is doing the work here?" The answer is the facilitators. The next question becomes, "Who is doing the learning?" The answer would most likely be both in this instance. However, the learning is highly facilitator directed.

This week what I plan to do differently is carve out some time for writing. I have set aside time starting on Thursday and I plan to stick to it.

State Standards PBL

Here is what I think I know about facilitating pbl work based on state standards. First, I think that you have to be able to facilitate learning and that it is not necessary to be a content expert. What is important is to be able to guide students through the process. If there are enough check points along the way such as getting information from reliable resources, check ins with facilitators, expert review of work and constant revising of projects based on new information the students will learn the content.

The other thing that I think I know for sure is that students will retain information better if they are actively involved in finding it. The act of a teacher standing and delivering a lecture while students take notes is fairly passive in nature. Although the students are writing they are not required to think. If they have to find things and construct their knowledge it is an active way to learn.I think the retention will be much better.

The third thing that I think I know is that the learning is much more relevant and meaningful to the learner. When they get to create their own projects even within the constraints of covering state standards they have at least some level ownership that does not happen with traditional instruction.

The fourth and final thing that I think that I know for sure is that the more structured the PBL process the more work it will be to get the students to do high quality work. The trick of structure is that to the outside "eye in the sky" it looks good and makes sense. I mean who wouldn't want to see student check ins and structured points along the way that guarantee that the students are covering things? However, once the structure becomes the thing that is driving the process then it becomes a teacher centric project not a students centric process. Students need to understand the basic steps and process of PBL but they should not be pushed into a lock step process if true excitement and learning is to occur. The more structured the PBL is the more teacher directed it becomes and the closer it comes to the traditional lecture type classroom. It teaches students that they are not to be trusted to make judgements within their own learning. Students are taught to wait for the teacher/facilitator to tell the what to do. There is not meaning construction anymore but rather construction of an assignment that the teacher tells you to do.

Basically, what I know for sure is that I am willing to do this structured PBL process to meet the requirement of covering the state standards but I cannot wait for the freedom of allowing the students to choose what they learn about and how to learn it.

End of Day Reflection

What we accomplished today:

• Not enough ha ha! The students were really engaged and worked hard all day but I feel like there is never enough time in the day to get everything done.

• Okay seriously we did: work on a shared google doc which spring boarded up into the beginning of creating our project rubric. We worked on project plans and did several posts to our blogs. The MS and HS students actually "coded" data much like I code my data in qualitative research. That was awesome! I also had them define meta cognition and answer the question, "what does it mean to be meta cognitive?" One of our goals as facilitators this spring is to teach them about their thinking.
  

After today's work I am feeling:

• Pumped up and invigorated! I really REALLY love PBL days.
  

Next steps:

• Finish project rubric
• Formal check in with students to go over project plans

Lingering questions:

• Where do we go next based on what we accomplished today. I need time to read blogs and reflect on where each student is to be able to coach their project process.
  

OHpedia Rubric Creation

This morning was spent working on the creation of a a rubric to go along with our current OHpedia project. Specifically, we used a shared google doc:

• http://docs.google.com/a/oh-institute.org/Doc?docid=0AcyQXLwPIuqVZGdzM245c2JfMTkwaGp0ZHF4Zzg&hl=en)
  

We used this document to answer two questions. First, what things do you notice about wikipedia (structure as well as what makes a really good entry)? And second, what components make up a good online lesson?

We then took our shared google doc and working together looked for themes throughout. Some students worked in groups and some on their own. The writing below is part of my mini lesson to help students understand the structure of coding.

We took all the students' coding to create a rubric for the OHpedia entry portion of our project.

Interesting Activities:

• games
• videos
  

Graphics:

• Pictures

Visual Media:

• Videos (youtube)

Written Information:

• facts
• introductory paragraph
• bold titles