Reflection is a major part of any teaching process, so it is no surprise that it is an important aspect of project-based learning. Reflection allows teachers to look back on lessons or certain aspect of lessons to think about what parts were successful and which were not. This allows the opportunity to change necessary elements of a lesson to improve upon the student learning experience.
Who will be involved in the reflection process?
To reflect on my PBL unit "The Wood Chips have to Go", it will be necessary to involve a few different key groups in the process. The first, most obvious group of people who will be involved are the students. They are the key players in the lesson implementation, and their feedback on each step of the unit is key in targeting specific areas that worked or need improvement. Other people who should be involved in the reflection process would be the principal and vice principal of Pine Butte Elementary, and the superintendent and school board of Colstrip Public Schools. They are the audience for student presentations and ultimately, the people who will decide if the work the students have completed in this project can move into action or if the playground will maintain the status quo. Teacher reflection is also an important component of this process, as the teacher is the main facilitator of the project and has observed each phase being carried out by students and areas that need to have additional support.
What will the reflection process look like?
The overall process of reflection will involve a lot of group discussion and conversation. Students sharing their thoughts with the teacher in a group format will allow students to agree/disagree with one another to come to a consensus about areas that should be targeted for improvement or left alone. It also allows students the opportunity to focus on their own engagement in the unit and learning process to identify whether or not they applied themselves like they feel they are capable of. Following the group discussion after project completion, the students will create a final learning log entry reflecting upon their engagement and establishing goals for themselves for future projects. In including school administrators and school board members in the reflection process, I think it is important that they engage with students in a face-to-face scenario as well. The students presented their issues and proposed solutions in that manner and deserve the same in response. Finding time to have all of the administrators present at one time may be difficult to accomplish outside of the night of the presentation, but if it is not possible, the conversation can happen at multiple times with only a few members of the administrative team present each time. Teacher reflection will occur throughout all of these discussions as information is gathered from students and administrators. This information should be recorded in the teachers reflection log that has been established and used throughout the unit so that it can be accessed for future project planning.
Is this just a one-time assessment?
This exact assessment will only occur one time, as this project is not one that can be replicated year after year in the same form. The playground surface will not need to be changed each year. Depending upon the result of this project, a few different scenarios could occur. The first scenario presents a situation in which the work of the students in this project starts a process in which the playground surface will be changed. In this instance, further work will need to be completed for students to assist in the process of fundraising and seeing the project through to the finish. If this were to occur, a similar reflection process would be completed once the playground surface had been changed. In following years, students may engage in projects to maintain the playground to ensure it creates a fun and safe environment for the students at PBES. A second scenario would result in school administrators deciding that the wood chips on the playground will remain in tact as the surface. In this case, students will not be able to pursue this exact project further. However, it is important to impress upon students that just because they were not successful in this attempt does not mean that all attempts at change will be unsuccessful. Future projects may see the targeting of other areas in which the school or community could be improved and creating plans to seek necessary change. If this were to occur, similar reflection methods could be utilized in the process as well, involving appropriate school and community members as necessary.
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