Reading Reflection #10

When working on projects with students it is always important to take time to reflect on the work you and the students have just done. Everything is going so fast when you finish a project then move onto the next project. This leaves no time for reflection and to feel a sense of accomplishment for what you've completed. It's important for students to reflect on what they learned, how they grew throughout the project, and what they want to learn next. Students learn lots of skills while working on projects, but also have challenges. It's important for students to have time to talk about these different parts of the project and also fun moments of the project.
When students reflect/elaborate about what they learned from a project you'll learn what they wonder about next, what they want to learn, and that will help you decide how to go about it. After awhile, you'll begin to put more and more decisions into their hand(example: grant proposal done by students). Student may have more ambitious project ideas than you have planned and that's great!
Building awareness about projects in your classroom will get people involved and upcoming students will be excited about the things they'll learn and get to do in your classroom. Invite the community, families, and students to a showcase to show different projects that students do in your classroom. You can get help from the community and your classroom will get the identity of a community of learners. I remember in elementary school the 5th grade teacher always had students create animal habitats and the 6th graders always created salt maps. I couldn't wait to get into those grades so that I could create those projects. At the end of the year, we showed them off to teachers, parents, and other classrooms!
Celebrate! You and your students have been working hard on these projects, its important to show them off! You could have an event, party, or put information/photos on a blog for family who is not able to come to the party. You also can ask students what they remember/value about the project they did this year. Their responses will help you plan for the next years to come.
This chapter relates to our topic of classroom kitchen and catering because at the end of our project we are having a "Taste the World" Night where students will be able to cook a recipe from a different country and bring it in, along with research on that country. All of the students parents, teachers, and family members will be invited. We want the students to have the opportunity to celebrate the hard work they've done and share this with many people!