ImagineIT Spring Timeline
Looking back at my fall reflection, I am reminded of some of the shortcomings of my Fall ImagineIT project and of the ideas I came up with to improve upon it. Based on student journal entries and my own observations, I would like to work on being more transparent in my teaching, both with the content and with the overall plan behind what we are doing and why we are doing it. The overarching PBL projects do well at keeping students focused on the application and the end-goal, but they sometimes have trouble deciphering what is essential knowledge for our level of study. Recently, we put up a large sheet of notebook paper in the front of the room where we write up necessary content knowledge as it is learned. I also want to make sure I put aside enough time to actually practice each new topic in a more traditional way that allows for some repetition so that students can feel confident in their abilities.
My ImagineIT project definitely has some room to grow in terms of bringing in field professionals for these PBL units. With a more concrete plan, I will have a better idea of knowing what kinds of professionals need to be brought in and when they should actually come. I’ve learned that these projects can be hard to predict since you want to be able to respond to student needs, but giving a set date to classroom guests is necessary since their schedules can be more rigid. Having a general plan will help us stick to the timeline so that we are ready for feedback when the field professionals visit.
In the spring, I want to hit a variety of “mini topics” in order to teach one or two overarching themes, which will likely be focused on energy conservation/renewable resources and a connection to the human body/health. The mini topics would be small, additional applicable examples that help teach the content in a more focused way. Simply creating this plan will take some time, but with these two general areas of focus, I believe it is something that could be created over a few weeks. I want to have a flexible, yet clear plan for the order and focus of these smaller topics to ensure continuity and coherence as we move from one chemistry topic to another. If I am not able to see the general path we are taking to an endpoint, the students will not see it either and can easily get lost in the content or in the transitions. With these topics laid out in order, I will also have a better idea of what types of field professionals I could utilize and when I would need them.
Click on the timeline below for a more detailed explanation of the monthly benchmarks that need to be reached in order for this project to be successful!
Looking back at my fall reflection, I am reminded of some of the shortcomings of my Fall ImagineIT project and of the ideas I came up with to improve upon it. Based on student journal entries and my own observations, I would like to work on being more transparent in my teaching, both with the content and with the overall plan behind what we are doing and why we are doing it. The overarching PBL projects do well at keeping students focused on the application and the end-goal, but they sometimes have trouble deciphering what is essential knowledge for our level of study. Recently, we put up a large sheet of notebook paper in the front of the room where we write up necessary content knowledge as it is learned. I also want to make sure I put aside enough time to actually practice each new topic in a more traditional way that allows for some repetition so that students can feel confident in their abilities.
My ImagineIT project definitely has some room to grow in terms of bringing in field professionals for these PBL units. With a more concrete plan, I will have a better idea of knowing what kinds of professionals need to be brought in and when they should actually come. I’ve learned that these projects can be hard to predict since you want to be able to respond to student needs, but giving a set date to classroom guests is necessary since their schedules can be more rigid. Having a general plan will help us stick to the timeline so that we are ready for feedback when the field professionals visit.
In the spring, I want to hit a variety of “mini topics” in order to teach one or two overarching themes, which will likely be focused on energy conservation/renewable resources and a connection to the human body/health. The mini topics would be small, additional applicable examples that help teach the content in a more focused way. Simply creating this plan will take some time, but with these two general areas of focus, I believe it is something that could be created over a few weeks. I want to have a flexible, yet clear plan for the order and focus of these smaller topics to ensure continuity and coherence as we move from one chemistry topic to another. If I am not able to see the general path we are taking to an endpoint, the students will not see it either and can easily get lost in the content or in the transitions. With these topics laid out in order, I will also have a better idea of what types of field professionals I could utilize and when I would need them.
Click on the timeline below for a more detailed explanation of the monthly benchmarks that need to be reached in order for this project to be successful!