Reading Reflection #8

Reading Reflection #8

1. There are specific ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom. These ways include: letting students choose an interesting topic, allowing students to make connections to themselves or their community, introducing the students to an expert on the topic, making connections to real world problems, and having students explore more in depth to help learn more about their topic.

2. EAST is a nonprofit organization that works with public and private partners to achieve its mission. It has four parts. According to the chapter these include:

-Student-driven learning: students need to be responsible for their own learning.

-Authentic project-based learning: students should be engaged in solving real problems in their communities.

-Technology as tools: students need access to the relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems.

-Collaboration: when students collaborate in teams to pursue authentic projects, they accomplish more than any one person can do in isolation.

3. Letting students “lead” their projects is important. By doing this, it allows students to choose something they are passionate about. If they are passionate about it they may take more interest in it and create something great. When they collaborate with other students, they can put their heads together and create an even bigger, better project. 

4. Our group project on gardening involves the real world very much and that is why it will be such a great project for students. We get to lead our own projects in the way of picking the topic and creating ideas for it and that is a great way to get our creative juices flowing.