Chapters 6 & 7

Chapter 6

When reading the chapters in the book, I often times think back on when I was a student in middle and high school. I guess it works cause blogs are about reflection and I tend to reflect alot on my experiences as a student since I haven't actually taught students yet.

In reading Chapter 6, I definitely understood why its important to peak the interest of the students before beginning projects. We want the students to want to learn as they are completing the projects, as well as enjoy doing them. In high school, we did science projects for the science fair. Instead of giving us topics to do projects on, the teacher allowed us to complete a project on whatever we were interested in. It was good method, in a way, because it allowed us as students to explore what we already had an interest in. However, you always have those students that just aren't interested, so they do something simple like "Does alcohol have the same affect on baking soda as vinegar?" However, I was deeply interested in DNA Fingerprinting because it was something we had just studied and it amazed me. I went to my teacher for some supplies and I did more research online for the project. I created a crime scene with leftover "DNA" and used the DNA to determine who had committed the crime. I won first place at the Science Fair, and I was really pleased because I had learned more about a topic that interested me and could share with others.

This is how we, as teachers, should want our students to feel. Before we introduce the project, we should build up their interest and eagerness to learn more about the subject. It's like the students from "The Magic School Bus". Ms. Frizzle would ask questions to get the students to ask questions and increase their curiosity. Just when the students were at the brink of their curiosity, they'd go on a field trip to learn and mostly problem solve their way out of situations. We should create that same sense of curiosity and eagerness for our students to want to learn and complete projects.

Chapter 7

This chapter was mainly about how to keep a project going and/or how to keep the students engaged and involved in the project. A section that I had to read and re-read was that of "Questions for Inquiry". It took me a minute, but I had to understand what types of questions to ask and how to ask higher-order questions. All too often, teachers ask simple questions that only allow students to recall information. We should ask them questions that make them scratch their heads and think a little longer. This will lead them to ask questions that they can answer themselves while completing the project. However, as teachers, we need to make sure that their questions do not cause them to go in a direction we didn't intend for them to go. Their questions should inevitably lead them to the learning goal.

During the projects, we must also monitor the students. If projects are completed in different groups, we must make sure that the students are getting along, each student is carrying their own weight, and the project is going int he intended direction. We must keep in mind that even though these projects are handled by the students, we aren't supppose to just leave them out to dry. We will need to be around to help with troubleshooting and managing conflict. When our students are stuck, or even scared, we should be their to help guide them until they can get going again. I generally liked the example given in the chapter about a teacher from Georgia named Anne Davis. She realized something was wrong with her students and immediately seeked a resolution that would help them continue with the project.

These chapters were very enlightening and brought up many good points and ideas on how to get our students started and help progress our students through projects.