We lost contact….are you still alive?

Jamestown II meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 20th at 12:30 PM.

What is reflection?

“Reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice” (Reid, 1993)So, how did it go?  Thinking about the Jamestown II Project, what were its strengths , what were its weaknesses?  Using the describe (What?), analyze (So What?), and evaluate (Now What?) model of reflection, what are your thoughts on Jamestown II?

I’ll start….

What?  The overall Jamestown II lesson plan.  Using problem based learning, students at University of Toledo and Trumbull Career and Technical Center explored the possiblity of building a new colony on Mars to escape a deteriorating environment on Earth.  Given a premise, fact sheet, and a variety of scenarios, students discussed possible solutions to the posed problems and attempted to reach consensus via distance learning.

So What?  The whole PBL type of learning highly appeals to me.  I love the discussion, the creativity, the energy that this type of learning brings to students.  I felt that the scenarios were interesting and sparked lots of conversation in my classroom.  I enjoyed the volley of ideas being batted around the room.  When my students first began the project, they were reluctant to become engaged in the learning process.  Answering the “why” do we have to learn this, I shared the goals and objectives of the project which successfully highlighted both knowledge and skills students would gain through this experience.  They then put time, effort, and thought into visualizing Jamestown II.  The energy level dropped considerably upon entering the distance learning lab, as did their confidence.  The collaborative environment became defensive very quickly.

Now What?  After experiencing our first meeting of the minds, I saw that my students were reluctant to share the ideas that flowed so freely in our room.  I think the next time I participate in this type of project, I would try to establish some rapport between the two classes.  Maybe a “Getting to Know You” blog that would allow students to introduce themselves to each other, add pictures, share interests, hopes and dreams for the future. Blogging would certainly help  make connections between the two classes stronger.  Students function best in a comfortable learning evironment where they feel safe even when making mistakes.  I would work in some icebreaker activities prior to beginning the actual meeting.

Download Video: Posted by vidcaster770 at TeacherTube.com.

                                                        james-plueprint.doc

The link above reveals the blueprint for Jamestown II.