Reflection #9

Reflection #9
One method of understanding prior-knowledge of students is by using a KWL chart. This way teachers will know what each students knows in th K section of the chart before beginning the project or assignment. It is important for teachers to understand that not all students will be starting at the same place.
It is important to establish anchors for a project. Anchors will let the teacher know where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals. Using KWL charts is a great way to know where students are at. Also this will help the teacher know how to differentiate instruction to help all kinds of learners in the classroom.
There are several ways to assess what students learned during the project. When assessing students at the end of a project, letting the students being creative is a great way to see what they learned. One teacher from California had their students create a comic book of a book they read. They had to use quotes and symbols they read in the story.
Another way to assess what students learned during the project is to flat out ask the students what they learn. It is hard to give a student a multiple choice test and know exactly what the student knows. I learned in another class the best way to know what a child has comprehended is by verbally talking to the student or having the student write down what they know. The students can be in groups while the teacher is over-seeing the conversation and taking anecdotal notes on what the students know. The students can present in front of the class. Or if the student is not out-going having them write down what they know lets the teacher inside the brain of the student and what they learned.
Another way teachers can asses student learning is having the students create something new. At the end of a project having a student create an extension. This way the students have to take what they learned within the project to apply to something new. This gives them the chance to be creative as well as letting the teacher know what they have learned. Another great way of assessing it entering a contest or submit for publication. This gives the student something to work for that is not only school based.
Many of these topics can be used in our project. When assessing students during a project I think the best way to assess would be to have the students create extensions off the project. Staying healthy is a wide range topic which gives the students to be really creative with what they already know and what they may want to know.