Not Yet

At first, I was very defensive in what she was saying in the video.  I found myself scrutinizing everything she was saying, how she was saying it, and what she was saying.  In my mind, I was attacking her lack of enthusiasm for the subject to rationalize why I was against what she was trying to portray.  I was trying to scientifically prove her wrong in hopes to justify why I must be right.  I was thinking, she is only showing us the part of the scientific process in these experiments.  What about the places where it did not work?  Why didn't it work?  What was different about those schools?  My mind continued to wonder, if she was a true scientist then she would show us that side as well.  She must be trying to sell us something.   Eventually, I caught myself and then tried to focus on the message.

I felt as if the problem she said students are facing did not mesh with the solution she was proposing.   The not yet idea (meaning you don't really fail) and the solution of a working process are like comparing apples and oranges.  At one point she mentioned students run from difficulty and would rather cheat than study.  These are intrinsic problems and not process problems.  The thinking process that was introduced was something new and exciting to the students. Eventually, the newness will wear off and then the problem of intrinsic motivation stills exists.

Now I am not disagreeing with praising the process idea.  It should be a tool that we could use to help our students but it does not solve the problem of intrinsic motivation.  I use this in my class when we are completing math problems.  I give partial credit if they show each of the parts: formula, plug the numbers in, answer, units, and variables.  However, the not yet part does have its limits.  If a student puts down none of the five parts then the student receives 0 points.

Shanna Pittman – Video Self Reflection

I watched the videos of my PBL lesson for the first time with my daughter. She said what I was thinking, “Mom, why are you talking like that and what’s up with your hands! Ha ha ha ha ha”. After watching the videos the first time, I realized that I really was not being myself because I knew I was on camera. Knowing I was on camera made me self-conscious, so I was not acting or talking as I normally do. It took several viewings for me to get past the way I looked and sounded and get to the content of the lesson I was teaching. Some aspects of the lesson were good; some aspects need work.

     The lesson I chose to video was the second lesson in my PBL unit in which students ate the snack for which they had voted during the entry event. Students are listening quietly while we discuss their choice and whether or not they voted for our snack, Oreos. This piece of video showed students listening and participating in my discussion about which snack they chose and if they like it. Students in the video are quiet and listening to what I say but I am not sure if this is because they were interested in the content of the lesson or if they just wanted their snack. I know from subsequent lessons during the implementation of this PBL it was m uch more difficult to hold students’ attention when there was not a snack involved. In order to gain a more accurate perspective and more valuable information from the Selfie-Reflection process, in the future I will video a lesson that does not involve a snack, treat, or reward.

     Another observation about the video clip showed that While I am talking, students are sitting at tables listening to me. I ask questions both before and during the distribution of the snack. Students appear to be listening and engaged. This evidence is valuable in that shows me asking students if they voted for Oreos and if they liked them. I ask each student if they voted for the snack and if they liked what they ate. I did not go to the next step and adequately help students make the connection that the majority rules in any vote and we do not always like the outcome of an election. In the future, I plan to offer students a choice in snacks and allow them to vote. However, the choices will not be candy/cookies that all students like. The snack choices will be more varied and diverse.

     During the lesson I chose to video students are sitting at tables and facing me, the teacher, while I do most of the talking. Students had little interaction with me and each other.  They ate their snack and each waited their turn for me to ask how they liked their Oreos. This evidence from the video is extremely important. As a result of students waiting on my (although they were busy chewing), opportunities for discussion and communication were lost during this time. One of the main goals of this PBL is to improve and facilitate communication between students. Young children need many opportunities to communicate in order to become better speakers, expand vocabulary, etc. Communication, as well as cooperation and collaboration, are core components of Project Based Learning. I missed an opportunity to facilitate communication in groups.  In the future, while students are enjoying their snack, I will facilitate 

Shanna Pittman – Growth Mindset

Although she is not the most entertaining speaker, Carol Dwek, in her TED Talk: The Power of Yet, gives educators much to think about. She describes research suggesting that our success as individuals is not only determined by our talents and abilities but also by our mindset. Do we have a “fixed mindset” or a “growth mindset”?  A person with a “fixed mindset” believes that they are limited by their intelligence and abilities. They believe that talent alone ensures success and do not spend time fostering growth in these areas. On the other hand, a person with a “growth mindset” believes that their basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. 

Our challenge as educators is how to foster a growth mindset in our classrooms. One of the first steps we can take in changing mindsets in our classrooms is to praise hard work and effort rather than innate ability or talent. Using the NTN rubric for assessing autonomy and effort and not just the end product is also a powerful way to help students alter their mindsets. By rewarding effort and agency in the classroom, we show students that it is a vital part of the learning process and imperative to their learning.

Video Self-Reflection

As I watched my video the first time, I thought that I probably should have done something different for my video. I went around with my phone in my hand and asked my students questions while I videotaped them. I asked them questions about what they were doing and had them explain to me some of the reasoning behind it. I wrote down a few things I noticed and then didn’t come back to it until the next day. Before I rewatched the video, I reread the Video Selfie article and realized that I needed to set a goal. For my second watch, my goals were to look at the types of student-to-student and student-to-teacher interactions that were had and on my student’s engagement. When focusing on engagement, for the one activity, students were out of their seats putting their sticky notes on the board and many were playing around or taking the long route back to their seats while others were calling out, “Do we have to put our name on these?” and “Can we put our notebooks away?” But while this controlled chaos was going on, some students were still focused on finishing their assignment, at their seat. This made me realize that the students wanted to participate in the activity by adding their thoughts on the four topics to the class chart, so they worked to get theirs completed too. On the second watch, I realized that my students have great student-to-student interactions. When talking with one student, M.Y., about his fact, another student, N.G., jumped in and said, “It’s 5 categories? I put down 4.” M.Y. helped clarify N.G.’s thinking and then N.G. said that she meant ‘phases’ or quadrants of a hurricane and had just used the wrong term. L.S., another student at the table group, jumped into the conversation and asked a question about Hurricane Matthew’s category level. M.Y. again responded and answered L.S.’s question. The students in this table group all get along well and are not afraid to ask each other questions and want to learn. They trust one another and know that they will not be made fun of for asking a question or even if they are incorrect in a fact.

From the video recording and trying to identify what was important, I felt that the interactions my students were having with one another were great, but my student-to-teacher interactions are in need of improvement. When talking with my students, I answered clarifying questions they had, but noticed that with one student, I did not fully answer her question. She asked me a question, then I turned it back around on her, and asked her to think about what I wanted her to do, she gave a response, and then I walked away. Watching her facial expression and the tone of her voice, I realized after watching that she was really not sure of what she was supposed to be doing and really just wanted some affirmation that she was doing her research correctly. So I plan on going back to her to actually clarify any questions that she has.  With other students, I listened to what facts they had learned and recorded in their chart and with others, I asked them to tell me about what they were doing, and they were able to tell me about the research and how they were recording their facts. We had less of a conversation, yet I was able to see what my students had already learned on their own. I was very focused on students being engaged, and less on making sure they were understanding what they were researching, which is the point of learning. So, I plan to hold more conversations with my students and really make sure that they understand their research. As without understanding, they will struggle through their project.

From what was recorded in the video, I was able to make a few connections to broader teaching.  As I walked around with my video, I was serving as the facilitator in the classroom. The students were in charge of their own learning, though we had previously discussed, as a class, what the students needed to learn in their research. We discussed our prior research in the classroom, and the students were amazed at all the research they had already completed, with planets, explorers, and writing a seasons book (which I had forgotten myself until a student brought it up). The students had choice in the resources and storm to research for the day, so I was free to wander and help students as needed. Some students did not need any guidance and were able to get started immediately. Other students needed some more focused encouragement, while two needed me to sit down with them in order for them to focus and get going on their research.   

I believe the reason for my student’s great interactions with one another stems from a few factors. One, they are sitting in table groups of 4 or 5 students. The students have been in these same table groups for a number of weeks, so they are comfortable with one another. They have also worked with their groups, and other mixed groups, on a number of activities, from STEM challenges to sharing their writing. Their experience, and the kindness that they exhibit in the classroom, helps create the positive, stress free learning environment where all students know that they can learn.  I believe my student-to-teacher interactions were less informative because I was concerned with moving around the room in order to help with classroom management and to make sure I got to check-in with everyone. I asked students to tell me what they were working on, what sites they were using to gain their research, and what they were doing with their notes and thinking they were writing down. After seeing that they were indeed working, I moved on to the next student.  

For my next steps, I plan to work on my student-to-teacher interactions. I want to spend more time with each student and ask them deeper questions regarding their learning.  I tended to ask very basic questions, or general, ‘how’s it going questions’ of the students, but would then not go further. If they told me a true fact, I would say good, and then move on. I now know that I need to ask deeper questions or ask them to elaborate on their facts. The facts that they will be learning from book and internet sources are all likely going to be true, so I need to make sure that my students are understanding the content that they are writing down.

Blog Post 2: Agency

I enjoyed Carol Dwek’s TED talk video on The Power of Yet. During the school day before I watched the video, one of my students said, ‘This is hard. I can’t do this.’ and I corrected him by saying, ‘Yes, this is hard. You can’t do it, yet, but you will.’ While he still seemed a little discouraged, he went back to attempting to solve the 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication problem. After watching the video, I was reassured by the fact that I, personally, have a growth mindset, and strive to help my students also develop a growth mindset. The word ‘yet’ offers so much possibility to students. Students cannot do many things yet, such as drive a car, or live by themselves. There are so many things that they are just not ready to tackle on their own, yet.

I also encourage failures in my classroom and learning from that failure. As we discussed in the first PBL course, if students don’t fail at anything, it is going to be really hard for them to grow. When my student did not complete his math problem correctly the first time, he wanted to give up and go back to another strategy. But it was going back through his mistakes, that we were both able to realize what he was doing wrong and fix it. I think these moments are essential in helping students develop a growth mindset. As Dwek said, ‘many are focused on the now and worry about failure’. But if we can show them how to learn from failure, that failure then becomes a success. We are not going to be successful on things the first time through; we have to accept that we can and will learn through time. While waiting is hard, we have to realize that not yet does not mean never, it just means not yet.

Another thing I loved from this TED talk was ‘praising the process’. This is something I learned about when I worked at summer camp. When you praise the process the child takes, you can help them learn from it, whether they were successful or if they had a failure. Letting students know that you notice their effort and their work is such an important skill. Many times they only receive praise if they get the right answer. The example we used at summer camp was, what if you only praised the child when they got a bulls eye in archery? Even if you are holding the bow and arrow correctly, you may not hit the bull's eye, or even the target the first time. But when you notice, and then mention, them working hard and persevering, you are letting the child know that the process is just as important as the product. When teachers praise the process you give the student the sense that their work matters, not just what they produce. I hope to continue to encourage the process my students take in my class on more of a daily basis.

Bog Post 2: Agency

When I think about the students in my classroom, I see such a wide range of maturity, ability, and attitude, etc. And yet, they are all expected to master the same set of standards in five separate areas of instruction. This leaves me with a group of students who are satisfied because they have achieved mastery, a group of students who are discouraged because they have fallen short, and a group of students who have simply learned not to care at all. 

Dwek argues that we should be teaching kids to develop a growth mindset. We need to teach our students that their intelligence can be developed. When they face challenges in school, they need to develop the confidence that each challenge they encounter is growing their brain. They need to push through the challenge. Unfortunately, I see so many of my students turn away when they encounter challenges in class. As I mentioned before, I have some students who become discouraged, and some students who don’t see any worth in putting forth effort. It breaks my heart to see so many students who have gone through five years of school believing that they aren’t capable of success. It’s hard to change that way of thinking.

I like the idea of praising the process. It is important for students to realize that their effort, perseverance, and use of a variety of strategies will get them where they want to be. Dwek described a game that she co-created that was designed to praise the process. I found one of the games on the BrainPop website and played it for a few minutes to experience what she was describing. I found it interesting that I did not always get points for solving the problem correctly. Instead, the game told me that my brain needed more of a challenge, so it immediately moved me to more challenging levels. I would like to see one my students interact with this game. I wonder if providing rewards and encouragement during challenges will encourage my students to keep trying when they want to give up. Perhaps it is a strategy that I should use every day in the classroom.  

Blog Post #2-Agency

In my teaching career I have taught a diverse group of students.  Over the last 11 years I have had students enter my classrooms with anxiety issues, emotional disorders, learning disabilities, overachievers, unsupportive parents, etc.  and it is my job to reach each student and help them learn.  This “baggage” that comes with each student, whether positive or negative, impacts their ability to learn.  The power of yet will be a powerful tool with helping each student; especially your students who are quick to give up or the ones who feel pressure to perform.  For me the word “yet” makes me think of hope.  Students will be recognized for their effort, strategy, and process so it gives them hope.  Sometimes that is all a kid needs to know that they can succeed and be successful.   

"The Power of Yet" by Jonathan Terry

"The Power of Yet" was an extremely encouraging, yet challenging, TED talk.  Throughout the video, I just kept thinking that the notion of "praising the process" in order to push our students farther than they think they can go is such a simple idea but it could completely revolutionize education.  Too many times we are overly concerned with the end result (the grade) and ignore the process of learning.  Dwek suggests that we spend more time on the process and everything else will fall into line.

Dwek's recollection of how students responded to a difficult set of problems reminded me so much of the reactions I get in my own classroom.  Middle school science classrooms are heterogeneously grouped.  It is very common for me to have an advanced 7th grade student who is taking high school math on one side of the room, and another student operating on a  2nd grade reading level on the other side of the room.  The other week I introduced a scientific concept that was a little more abstract than anything we've done so far this year.  As Dwek mentioned, some students loved the challenge of a harder concept.  Other students, however, looked at the difficult challenge as a tragic event.  So many of my students wanted to immediately shut down and not try for fear of failure.  They were living in the "now" instead of living in the "yet."

The concept of "now" and "yet" reminded me of the discussions we had when I gained my gifted and talented endorsement.  Today's students, especially those that are identified as gifted and talented, have been conditioned to achieve the grade.  Their entire academic self-worth stems on the A or B they can make on the assignment or report card.  Because of this, anything less than a stellar grade is considered failure.  Fear of failure is a natural human emotion, but we can not let our students use this emotion as a means to shutdown and refuse to try.

I also loved Dwek's illustration of the brain forming new neural connections as we push ourselves out of our comfort zones.  I can remember being a high school student, looking at my report card filled with A's and B's, and thinking that I didn't learn a single thing that entire term.  I put in the effort, put in the work, and crammed the information to prepare for the test, but I hadn't actually learned how to apply what I was taught.  Real knowledge is not the facts you've crammed into your brain.  Real knowledge is built through the entire learning process.  This relates so closely with project based learning because more focus is being placed on the independent learning process of each student.

Video Self-Reflection

A little background information: My project is not quite going as planned. I feel like there have been so many interruptions in the last few weeks… field day parts 1 and 2, guest speakers, special events. I haven’t been able to devote significant time to my unit, and most of our work days are separated by our Horizons day or another irregular event. I know that I will not be finished before we go to Barrier Island, but maybe our experiences on our trip will help my students better develop their models and solutions.

The day I filmed was our very first group work day. Up until this point, students had been researching on their own or with partners. During their initial research, students were beginning to think about different shorelines and types of erosion so they would be able to make choices later on.

The first thing that stuck out to me when I watched my video is that I talk incredibly fast.  How do my students even understand what I’m saying? I would say that I want to work on my talking speed in the future, but I honestly don’t think I recognize when I’m doing it in the moment. After getting past that… and the mess in my classroom… I tried to focus on what went well and what needed improvement. The majority of my students were actually staying on topic and working with their groups. A few groups needed some scaffolding, and some needed redirection. I could tell that a few students didn’t know exactly what they were supposed to be doing, so I should have found a way to make my directions clearer. In the middle of group work time, one of my students came up to me expressing a desire to move to another group. I should have seen this coming, as this is a student who struggles to work with others, but he has been doing so well with groups lately! I allowed him to move to another group because he wanted to focus on hurricanes instead of slow changes, but I faced a little push back from his group. I had to address this after this video clip ended. I think that this group may need a little more guidance as we continue on with this project, but I think they will be able to learn a lot as they learn to work together despite their initial differences.

On days like this one (and pretty much every other day as well), I wish there were more of me in the classroom. I tried to circulate among groups as much as possible, but I found that I spent a little more time with some groups than others. I wish I could give each group an equal amount of attention, and I wish that I could be there for each group each time they need me. I think I need to work with them on continuing to develop independence, and I may have to implement some accountability measures. Ultimately, I think that more practice with this type of work will help my students grow. I am excited to see where this project takes us. 

Agency Blog Post

“Not Yet” Response

This may be a little off-topic, I'm not sure, but, it's what came to mind after watching the video.

My initial reaction to the beginning of the TED talk was that “not yet” is not the way to go. I think kids do need to hear they failed because in life does have black and white scenarios, and employers most definitely expect success, not failure. But then she started talking about using games to engage students and that got me thinking about one of my favorite hobbies (outside of photography), online gaming. I still don’t agree with a lot of what she says because I think I’m old school, and I feel she’s a bit too touchy-feely. However, what she talked about made me think about something.

If you’re not familiar with World of Warcraft (and that’s probably a good thing if you’re not), it’s an online MMORPG (massively multiplayer online roleplaying game), which, at its peak a few years ago, had over 15 million active subscribers. And by active subscribers, I mean people who paid $60 for the game + $15/mo to access it. This is a game that launched in 2004. People are still playing it. Subscriptions dipped pretty low over the past couple years (below 5 million), but with the most recent launch, it’s back up over 10 million people actively playing. 10 million people across the globe are paying $15/mo (after yet another $60 investment in the expansion pack) to play this game. The talk made me think about why people (like myself) are still playing. One of the most controversial (and arguably most effective) things that have been implanted in this most recent version of the game is the shift from clear-cut paths to rewards, to RNG (random number generator) based rewards. If you’re not familiar with RNG, it’s a term used in the computer and gaming world to indicate that basically there’s a chance something will happen, much like rolling the dice.

Why is it controversial in the game? Because effort does not guarantee reward. Obviously, if you don’t put in an effort, there’s no chance for you to roll the dice. Small amounts of rewards are doled out along the way, but, the big, fat, shiny rewards are almost purely chance-based now. So what that means is that someone who’s spent only a minimum of time on the game can walk into the same raid as someone who’s dumped days, months, and years of their life into the game and walk about laden with loot, while the veteran walks out empty-handed. Has this led to much anguish and gnashing of teeth? You bet. But it has also led to a massively increased amount of time played on the part of the average player. They keep grinding hoping for RNG (often grudgingly referred to as “RNGesus) to smile upon them and drop that epic reward they so desperately crave, even after time after time it doesn’t.

What’s the takeaway on this (I know it’s a bit of a stretch). Well for one, instead of these educators and researchers trying to reinvent the wheel and makes “educational games” that are pale in comparison to their big-budget counterparts like WoW and tons of other massively successful franchises, they should look at what these companies are doing to keep their players coming back for more. I could spend an inordinate amount of time talking about what I think are the benefits of online gaming and gaming in general (collaboration, social skills, problem-solving skills, lateral-thinking skills, reading comprehension, and a host of others), but I think they need to look at the fact that in many of these successful models, hard work doesn’t guarantee a reward; it simply increases the chance of one.  

Dwecker talks about persistence. These games most definitely teach them this. What happens when you fail in these games? You often die (your character, at least). There is a definitely consequence for failure. One of the games I’ve played in the past, a space-based sandbox game, is known for its ruthless PvP (player-versus-player combat). Players are allowed to basically do whatever, whenever. There is almost no hand-holding, no safe places. You learn very quickly that if you are unaware of your surroundings and unprepared for anything, your ship will be destroyed, your avatar killed, and all the cool equipment that was on your ship that you spent possibly months or even years collecting will be scooped up by the aggressors, who will laugh at your and carry on their merry way. To survive and flourish in the game, you have to work, plan, figure out problems, and be better than those around you. You have to work hard or you will not progress. This game (EVE Online) has a super-steep learning curve. Everyone I know that has ever played has a story about the first time they got killed. I know for me personally, I quit for about 6 months. But, after a while, I was curious if I could get into it and prevent that same situation from happening, and maybe even triumph in the face of stacked odds. Fast forward a few years and much frustration later, and my efforts were finally rewarded. I learned to navigate the dangerous no-man’s land of EVE, armed and aware of my surroundings. In even spent some time on the other end of the barrel, both as a hunter-killer and a killer myself.

What’s the takeaway from this? I think failure is good. I think consequences are good. And I think educators should look away from just the classroom to other areas that involve people learning. I think education often times becomes an echo chamber; we keep looking in the same direction and talking to the same people, instead of looking at other, successful things, and adapting them to the education world. 

Blog Post 2: Agency

"Are you smart enought to solve it...or have you just not solved it yet?"  This is such a meaningful statement.  After listening to Carol Dwek's TED Talk, I can't help, but think of my own students who when faced with a task, the first thing to come out of their mouths is, "this is too hard" or "I can't do this."  Sometimes making these assumptions before even beginning to think/process what is being asked of them.  As an educator, I believe that ALL students can learn, they just learn differently and at different pace.  I think that the generation of children, that we teach, or "Microwave kids," are so used to getting an immediate response and have a hard time believing they have to work to be successful.

In my own classroom, I see it with my students who stuggle and my high achievers.  I have taught students who struggle to complete a task and because they are used to struggling they shut down and believe that they can not succeed.  It is hard as the teacher to encounter these kids because you know that even though these kids are beaten down in their mindset, you have to build it up so that the student can believe in the power of yet.  I have also witnessed my gifted students who have become overachievers because they don't believe in the challenge.  These students are so smart that they feel they don't have to work hard because it usually comes easy to them.  When these students are given anything with a more of a challenge than they are used to, they too often shut down

I love diffferentiated instruction for my classroom because it allows me to help my students believe in the power of yet.  I am able to work with my students who are stuggling and help them to meet personal goals and I can also challenge students who need to go deeper in content.

I think "The Power of Yet" is powerful for all stakeholders in educations to learn.  Sometimes I feel like we put a cap on "yet" when we judge students on standardized test scores.  Those scores provide us with data and sometimes can predict a student's future performance, but they don't determine how well a students will succeed.  We have to began to inform student's of their own growth mindset at a very early age, so that they can believe that the problems they face have just not been solved YET!!

The power of Yet---Jeneane Allgood

This was one of the best videos I have ever watched (that's why I love TED talks!). I found myself nodding and agreeing with Professor Dweck the entire way, as if she was leading a pep rally.  Because I teach AP Biology to upperclassmen as well as STEM students, I often encounter the student who has never struggled (gradewise) until they got to my class---and parents like to use that phrase, too. I loved when she was going through the typical student responses---shutting down, finding someone who did worse than them, etc.  I witness that all too often.

So, how does this relate to my classroom? When I hand back a major test, I first give a grade breakdown so that they know how they did compared to the rest of the class. The only real reason for this is so that they can't go home and tell their parents that "EVERYONE failed the test". What I try to emphasize is that I am looking for individual improvement, and I try to write words of encouragement on their test, like "Big improvement! Way to go! Keep it up!" to let them see that this class really is a journey, and I am really only comparing them to themselves. I want to see progress. I want to see them learning from their mistakes.

I really feel like some parents put way too much emphasis on the grades that their child is making that students aren't learning for the sake of learning.  Whatever happened to enjoying learning something new or trying something a little too hard (like what Professor Dweck talked about in her TED talk)? Today, I gave my AP Biology students a 10-point free response question from an AP Bio exam from a few years ago. It was on a topic that we had just covered, and I told them that I wanted them to do their best---figure out what they think the question is asking for and write the best answer that they could come up with.  I tried to be their cheerleader---saying things like, "Just do your best! You'll surprise yourself!".  And then it happened---a student raised his hand and said, "Is this for a grade?", and my response was, "Does it matter?".  No, I wasn't taking this up for a grade, but should that really affect your answer? Go out on a limb! Write what you think the answer should be. It's ok to be wrong and not be perfect!

I am really considering showing this TED talk to my AP classes at the start of next school year. I would like to start them out encouraging the proper mindset--that it is ok to not be perfect and not know everything. When did we all start having to be perfect, anyway?

Video Self-Reflection

So, I filmed my lesson twice. I have the luxury of teaching the same class first and fourth period, so I have a chance to reflect and improve upon a lesson between first and fourth every day. First off, watching a video of yourself teaching is brutal. Aside from the fact (as my wife has so generously pointed out before) I sound like a big dumb redneck when I talk, I noticed a lot of things that aren’t always apparent to me when simply reflecting on a lesson. I know the assignment said 10-15 minutes of lesson, but I worked with 60 minutes of lesson, because in my class I typically only do direct instruction 1-2 days tops, and let them work on their projects for the rest of the time. I did notice that, for the most part, I kept most of the classes attention of the full 60 minutes. I also know that some people will hammer me for basically lecturing for an hour straight but, like I said, that’s the bulk of the instruction for the week. After that, it’s them working on their projects and me working one-on-one with them to address their individual needs.

So my work for this class has been a little bit different from what a lot of other people have been doing. I took the class because I was already interested in PBL and have been doing a rough form of it for about 8 years. My goal for the class has been to further refine and streamline my curriculum into basically one giant PBL curriculum. In the summer, I rebuilt my Level 1 curriculum from the ground up in such a way that I thought I would be pretty much done planning for the year. I was wrong. As I got into the assignments, I found that I needed to rearrange some of them, and later (over the past couple weeks), I’ve identified that I need to go back and reinforce some of the skills and ideas that we covered earlier on, because they’re just now at the level they can realize the significance of what I was trying to teach them.

For the sake of the class, a lot of my work has been focused on a semester-long website building unit, but what I filmed was just one part of it, namely a lesson on both self-critique and a critical friends protocol. The goal of this lesson is to help tie the website into their overall growth. At the end of the day, them having a great website is a good thing, but more importantly, them learning to reflect on their work, and to assess others’ work as well, is more important than a shiny website, as most of these students will probably not go on to pursue photography on a hardcore level. Regardless of whether they keep it up, the analysis skills they learn, both in how to analyze themselves and think critically of their work, and how to properly give feedback to others will be a valuable skill for them throughout their lives.

Let’s talk about what I think I did well first. I think I did a pretty good job of connecting the learning to the students. I used lots of examples of students and their recent work to tie into what I was teaching for the day. I called on several students individually, and pointed out how what they were doing tied in directly to what I was talking about. I provided lots of examples of the learning in context. For example, when they first made their websites, they didn’t really get why they needed a blog. I spent 9 weeks going through and doing group critiques of their work so that they could see what good critique looks like, as well as grow as photographers. Now that I’ve spent some serious time on teaching critique (it has been covered before, but not as a main assignment), I’m tying it into the overall goal of them building a website to show their growth over the course of the semester. They have seen critiques, and they have seen their own photos improve, and now they can apply the same skills and thought processes I have used to help them achieve this growth on their own.

Aside from the fact that watching yourself teach is pretty brutal, I identified some areas that I definitely need to work on. I know that I need to condense my information, and shorten my examples. I spent 47 minutes building up to the assignment, and only 3 minutes actually going over it. In my head, all of it made sense, but I’m not sure that it did for others. I know that I lost some kids along the way (as I’ve had to go back and further explain what they needed to do).

I definitely need to differentiate between the most important information I’m going over and the less important details. I think that’s where I’m losing a lot of them. They’re not able to see the whole picture (because they didn’t create the lesson), so they don’t always understand why I’m explaining what I’m explaining because they can’t tell where I’m going. I definitely need to map it out more. I could definitely stand to give them an outline of my lesson, so that they can see where I’m at and where I’m going and how all of it ties in together.

The other big thing I noticed is how technology is playing a role in the room. I’ve bought into the idea of 1-to-1 technology in the room. However, with them all having computers, it’s tough to always know what they’re doing on them. I’m not more interesting than the Internet; never have been, never will be. No matter how cool I think the stuff I’m covering is, or how passionate I am about the topic (and I try really hard to let that passion bleed through into my teaching, and I think it’s working, as evidenced by a couple of my kids saying something to the effect of “preach it, Baker!” during the lesson), most of them are not going to be as into the topics as I am. Eventually, the allure of the Web right in front of them will draw them in, and, as I have told them to follow along on their laptops, I can’t tell if they’re reading along or looking at the example images, or doing searches for memes or their homework for another class. I’m going to try to introduce a lesson where I have them keep their computers put up until after I’m done talking and see how that goes.

I need to make sure all my tech works, although, to be fair to me, it’s not my fault when our internet goes down and my lessons are on itsLearning (which has happened frequently and has been an issue several times). I need to make sure I have offline copies of everything so I can keep trucking right along when the net goes down by simply putting the materials on my computer locally and not relying solely on the cloud.

I’ve got to figure out how I want to handle cell phones. In the past, I haven’t particularly cared about them, because most students have had enough respect to leave them mostly alone during a lesson. But now that it’s 2016 and teenagers have their cellphones practically implanted in their brains, they’ve no problem zoning out and messing around on their phones instead of listening to me.

I need to do a better job of classroom management, (and I know this doesn’t really have a lot to do with PBL, but it still is critically important to teaching as a whole) one, by nipping stuff in the bud earlier and two by spending less time actually engaging students in addressing their behavior. Instead of arguing with them, I need to simply address it and move on, and if they fail to comply, remove them. It’s a lot easier said than done, at least, for me, because I got into teaching because I wanted to share stuff, not because I wanted to be in control of everyone and everything, but I know it’s something I’ve got to get better at.

I know I need to spread my attention out better among the class. I call on the same people repeatedly, and I think if I did a better job of pulling more kids in, a lot of my issues would take care of themselves.  I know I missed some opportunities to tie the learning in better because I didn’t address kids I’m not as familiar with as much as I did the ones I’ve taught a couple times, and I’m sure they had some good stuff to bring to the table.

Going back to the technology thing, I’m not sure what the answer is. I want the kids to have access to the web so that they can search and research and grow, because I know that’s how I’ve been doing it for years. But, at the same time, I typically have the self-restraint to stay on topic and to spend the time reading a lengthy article or watching a long video. They don’t have that maturity, discipline, or endurance, so an open gateway to almost anything is often too much of a temptation and I for everyone it’s helping, it’s definitely hurting others. I’m not really sure what the answer is: our district wants them to have their devices and wants technology to be incorporated into our teaching, and I’m totally cool with that. But, in all the things I read and speakers I’ve listened to, I’ve yet to hear one address how to keep a class of 30 kids with laptops and Wi-Fi access all on task for a 90-minute period. It may simply be impossible; I know it definitely feels like it. 
-Austin Baker

Video reflection: 

I am used to video recording but it has been a while since I tried to get myself video recorded.  The problem with having myself recorded--besides the things that others have already mentioned such as not liking what I sound like--is that EVRY TIME someone video records me they make some decision about how it OUGHT to be done that negatively affects the outcome.

I recall doing my National Board videos and having to ditch one lesson after another because the person doing the recording decided--despite my explicit instructions otherwise--not to stop recording!  The same thing happened with this project.  I asked the person recording the lesson to please don't stop recording... and they did so anyway!  What do you do?  I'm not paying them.  They are volunteering their time.  And it is always a different person doing the recording.  This time, rather than trying to find still another lesson to record, I just decided to edit together pieces.

OK, so enough complaining.

What was most important in my classroom and instruction:

Because this is NOT the PBL that I have been developing since the summer, I was creating a PBL “on the fly.”  I was brainstorming some part of a PBL that I could do to show in this class.  The more I brainstormed, the more I started to see the pieces of an entire PBL coming together.  In the end, I found that I had most of the parts, but there were a few missing and I will fill those in when I do this in the future.    

What I saw as being most important was that most students in this class were working diligently to tackle the task assigned them.  In doing so, they were not only teaching themselves how to name chemicals from formulas or to write formulas from names, but they were also building so-called soft skills such as:

1. learning to work in a team,
2. learning how to work around or through problems,
3. developing a belief in their own abilities to work through a problem, and
4. developing small group diplomacy skills.  

I am holding off reaching a final conclusion on this, but I believe that students are developing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of nomenclature.  They are not just learning the rules, they are learning how the rules apply outside of this immediate context.  

I also found something important for me in developing PBL lesson plans: I can build these in steps.  I don’t have to have a complete PBL when I first implement a lesson.  Just to get things off the ground I can use SOME these elements of PBL in this semester, and fully flesh it out in a later semester.

Make connections between important parts of classroom instruction and principles of effective teaching:

The learning objectives of this PBL is for students be able to:

1. successfully work together to develop an attainable work product,
2. be able to understand the nomenclature systems used in the sciences
1. with a long-term goal of being able to transfer that knowledge and understanding to other sciences or disciplines outside of science,
3. be able to correctly name chemicals given a formula and write formulas given a name, and
4. be able to teach others how to name chemicals given a formula and write formulas given a name using the skills and knowledge acquired in their project development.

I am learning more and more about my students that my initial survey did not tell me.  Many --perhaps most--have done projects before but they have gotten used to being able to put forth minimal effort to earn a grade that is acceptable for them.  If the grade isn’t acceptable, they claim that the project was too hard or they didn’t understand.  

Incorporate contextual knowledge into my analysis:

I analyzing the preliminary results of the projects I have found that young men struggle the most with this methodology particularly those in one particular racial minority groups.  The cohort is too small to reach any broad conclusions.  It is also true that some of my young male students, including those in the racial minority group of concern, have been the most successful.  The results of my unit assessment did not demonstrate a greater grasp of concepts.

The less successful young men exhibit a greater amount of off-task behavior and greater resistance (both direct and passive aggressive) to efforts to keep them on task.

There is a smaller group of young women that exhibit what we commonly refer to as quiet and shy behavior that also are less successful.  Again, there are also quiet and shy young women that are among the most successful.  

I see no reason to conclude that these students are unable to be as successful as the rest of the cohort.  What is am seeing is a lack of what we might call grit.  Teasing out the influences that contribute to behaviors that result in lower success seems an almost impossible task.  No clear pattern or trend seems evident.

PBL Self Video Take Out

The Power of Yet/Growth Mindset Tedtalk

Once I got over the fact that Dr. Dweck delivered an entire presentation without once moving any part of her body other than her lips and eyeballs, I really took a lot away from her talk. It was steeped in scientific research, which is super important to me and provided a solid base for her points.

I recently read that many high schools throughout the country are doing away with awarding valedictorian and salutatorian to students in their graduating classes. I, personally, was outraged. Why would these districts take away the opportunity for students to earn such prestigious honors? The only reasoning I could find for this decision in some schools is that these awards foster unhealthy competition between students. I can understand that as I teach the STEM students here in district 6. Some (not all) of these students are "cut throat." I have had students and their parents crying over a 98 instead of a 100. I have had 2 hour parent conferences discussing what classes a student should take to ensure the highest possible GPA. I've even been hung up on during a phone conference because a student made her first B in my class. These are examples of fixed mindsets. I get frustrated every year with the students who bring me their labs or research papers a day before they are due and ask me to read it all and see if they need to change anything. I refuse to do this anymore because if the student ends up with less than a 100, it is my fault. They have this need for perfection - the next 100 or A+, instead of enjoying the ride. I find myself saying almost every day to at least one STEM student, "Well, you live and learn," or "This is how you learn and grow." My class and teaching is not perfect, but I do allow effort to be part of the journey. Homework is graded on effort, but I comment on misconceptions. It is then left up to them to correct their misunderstandings. As for the "let me get Mrs. Crossley to read everything I ever do so I can know I have an ace in the hole before I turn it in" problem, I have an idea. I may require them to let a classmate from a separate lab or research group read their report or paper and help them reflect on it. This could be a requirement for the first few reports and the first research paper, but then let them take it from there. I could also have them do self-reflections about each type of assignment for a grade at the beginning of the semester to foster the growth mindset. I truly believe if students enjoyed growing and learning more than the next 100, no school would have unhealthy competition for valedictorian and salutatorian.

I think sometimes I have a fixed mindset, thus the frustrations with some of these behaviors. However, I'm "living and learning," and enjoying the process - most of the time.  ;)

Growth Mindset - Jessica Barwick

While watching Professor Dweck's TedTalk, I connected it with the discussions about motivation in Dan Pink's Drive and a recent "Freakonomics" podcast I listened to on increasing productivity.  Basically, Pink shows us though his research that incentivizing employees (or students) through tangible rewards only works for rudimentary tasks that require little to no critical thinking.  In fact, external rewards can actually decrease motivation in jobs or tasks that require thought, problem solving, and creativity.  According to Pink, the best motivators are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  When given the opportunity to self-direct a project that has personal meaning and purpose, people are more likely to produce quality work, rather than simply responding to outside stimuli.

On the "Freakonomics" podcast on productivity, what stood out to me the most was the conversation about intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.  They were discussing the idea that intrinsic motivation is more effective than extrinsic (which aligns with Pink's ideas), and that the praise we give to others can emphasize one or the other, depending on what we say.  For example, if you tell a person, "Wow, you did great.  You are so smart," it can give the impression to that person and others that they don't have any control over whether or not they do well at something.  If they are already smart, they will do well.  If they don't think they are smart, why should they try?  On the other hand, if you say to someone, "Wow, you did great.  You must have worked really hard," it can actually start to increase their internal motivation to work hard because they believe it's something they can control.

This is exactly one of the points that Dweck made in her talk.  The type of praise we give to our students can affect their mindset on a project.  If we praise hard work or progress rather than intelligence, we are letting the students know that they have control over their work and that they are capable of even more growth.  I loved the study she described in which students who were told that neurons form new, stronger connections in the brain when they tried something new, dramatically increased performance compared to the control group.  If all people, not just students, actually believe that challenges and effort can make you smarter, there would be more productivity and risk-taking instead of frustration.  This is one issue I see often in my students - when confronted with a difficult task, frustration and anger overtake the motivation to persevere.  Students need to practice solving difficult problems, and that practice, combined with receiving praise for effort, can lead to an increase in intrinsic motivation.

Rather than just rewarding the end product with an A, maybe educators should look more closely at the NTN agency rubric and the possibilities for rewarding effort and autonomy throughout the process.  I don't think this has to be an entire grade in and of itself, but it could be incorporated throughout PBL as a way to motivate students who are trying their best.  Going back to Drive, a project that is personally meaningful, relevant, and allows for student choice and self-direction will also increase intrinsic motivation, so the final grade doesn't matter as much as the process of creating the product.  Project-based learning has the capability to do much more for students' learning than just mastery of content - it can increase effort, drive, and self-confidence as well.

And the Ocsar Doesn't Go To....Video Reflection

My garden project at Dawkins continues to grow.  Currently I am waiting on approval from the principal and the "PBL" committee on the informational packet I put together for all the teachers.  All teachers will be given the option to work with groups of students on the garden design.   In December, as the community comes to the school for Christmas concerts and events, they will be given the opportunity to 'vote' for their favorite design and that design will become the Dawkins garden.

Since we are not meeting yet to work on the garden project, I choose a geometry lesson for my video recording.  I have found myself using many of the protocols introduced during this class, To kick of the Geometry unit I chose a four-square consensus.   The video captures the students recording their definition of Geometry and their opinion on why is it important to study geometry.  They also work as a group to form a consensus definition and opinion.  After the video ends, they use index cards to share their "I like" and "I wonder" statements with each group.

I don't really mind being video-taped but I do mind what it does to the students.   To get more of the students in frame, I had to re-arrange the regular seat assignments.  I really like my regular set up and this 'new' set up reminded me why.  Group dynamic (especially in middle school) can be a critical element towards the success or failure of the group.

Over all I was very happy with the video and activity.  There were a few items that I felt like I could do better.
- slow down my explanations - speak slower so the students have time to process the information
- have a "if you get finished" option for those groups that get finished quicker than others.
- assign different tasks during the consensus time (ex: dictation, script, timer).   Some students seems to just want to watch.
-leave the groups spread out in their regular places to avoid talking between the groups
- a student in the front felt like sticking out his tongue was appropriate behavior.

The elements that I thought were successful were:
- visual aids (on the board -out of shot) to help students divide their paper and keep track of time.
- fair amount of time spent with all groups.
- students had good ideas about the definition of geometry but showed that they needed instruction on why it's important.
- students were redirected as needed and encouraged.

I am looking forward to a follow activity after the Geometry unit to demonstrate how their opinions have changed.

Video Selfie Reflection - Jessica Barwick

I was initially nervous about not only being filmed, but about having to reflect on it afterward.  As someone who generally does not like to be on camera, I knew I would be overly critical of myself.  Of course, there are the initial thoughts of "Wow, I didn't realize I sounded so country" and "What was up with my hair that day?"  But within the first minute I quickly learned to tune that out and focus on what mattered.  The "Video Selfie Module" recommended setting a goal before watching your video, and my goal was to focus on student engagement.  So, I decided to pay close attention to what the children were doing/saying in my video rather than what I was doing.  I chose four pieces of evidence from the video that I felt were the most important in determining engagement and informing future instruction and reflected on those.

The project I am currently in the middle of is not the one I wrote this summer, but one on westward expansion.  I was so excited about PBL after our course that I wanted to try it out in an earlier unit before attacking it with my immigration unit.  Of course, it has taken longer than I anticipated, and we are still working on it.  But it has been a great learning experience for me and the students, and I feel more prepared to do my immigration project next month.  The general gist is that the students are divided into "families" that are traveling west by covered wagon.  They are writing personal journals about their travels from their point of view (mama, papa, son, daughter) that describe their journey and the obstacles they must encounter.  Their group culminating project is a skit about one of their travel days, and they must include handmade props and costumes.  The day that we filmed, I decided to let it be "Family Choice" on what they wanted to work on.

First, I gave students time to talk with their families about what they felt they needed to work on that day.  I said that I was going to give them two minutes, but my first observation in my video was that students were on task for the two minutes, but then conversation died down some after that time.  I wanted to check in with all groups before beginning work time to make sure every group had a goal, but I spent the entire first two minutes (and possibly more) with one group who is struggling to work together and make goals.  The rest of the class was ready to move on, but I wasn't, so the planning time dragged on for another three minutes.  While it doesn't seem like that much, it was a time waster to those groups that were ready and could have led to behavior issues.  Those students that were finished were no longer engaged in the project.  In the future, I need to check in with more productive groups first and then let them move on, and I also need to set a timer for myself to keep us on track.

Next, I noticed that when I announced work time, most of the groups wanted the materials that I had brought and they all went to this one area of the classroom where I kept them.  This was kind of wild with so many students in one place, and fortunately, nobody was bumped or pushed that could have caused an issue.  I did see in the video that I didn't realize at the time, that the "pushier" kids took all the materials before the quieter ones had a chance to get any.  I need to let one group at a time come look at materials and get something - that will cut down on traffic and allow each group to get at least one item to use for their skits.

One of my groups decided to work on their journals instead of their skits, which was a wise choice in my opinion, but once the other groups began creating props, it became loud and distracting to the group writing.  This was something I saw during filming, but it was confirmed on the video.  I talked to the group to let them know they could change their activity if they wanted to because I would rather them be engaged with props than with nothing at all.  Since then, I have designated specific journal writing tine each day that is quiet and focused on writing so that everyone can concentrate, then give helpful feedback to each other.

Finally, where I saw the least student engagement was in one particular group.  I allowed students to choose their own groups in the beginning of the project so that they would be excited about working with their teammates, but the students in one of the groups were more or less leftover once others had chosen their groups.  They are not well-suited to work together, not because they don't get along, but because all three of them are easily distracted and tough to stay focused in class.  I knew during the class that they were not engaged, and I tried to help them, but to the detriment of the other kids.  After watching the video, I realized I spent even more time than I thought trying to redirect or focus them.  Also, the video shows that, at least during the entire 12 minutes of filming, this particular group accomplished nothing.  The video showed them playing with pencils, pencil sharpeners, staplers, each other, flipping notebooks, etc.  In the future, I need to monitor groups more closely, possibly reserving the right to change up groups as I see fit or letting students make requests of teammates that I then form into groups that I know will work well together.  Unfortunately, because this one group is off task, everyone loses out on some valuable instruction time with me!

Like I mentioned earlier, there were some things I saw in the video that confirmed what I already knew, but it certainly highlighted some new areas of improvement for me to further student engagement with this project and others in the future.  I can see how this video selfie strategy could be helpful not only to teachers, but to students as well!

The Power of Yet - Melissa Terry

The Power of Yet –

Last year, when I was principal of AR Lewis Elementary, our school used the book, Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, for our book study.  This book was eye-opening for me.  It was amazing to see how many “fixed mindsets” we, as educators, had when thinking about teaching and assessing students.  Carol Dweck alludes to many of these same points in her Ted Talk.  The language and approach that a teacher uses when working with students is critical.  Helping students see the power of yet as it relates to problem solving and continuing learning is crucial.  I found it interesting that studies showed that when students were only given one chance to master material, they often turn to cheating or quitting.  How often do we see that in school?!  The pressure that comes from having one opportunity to do well sends a negative message that learning is finite and you only have one chance to show what you know.  Teaching with a growth mindset means rewarding students for effort, strategy, and progress toward goals and helping them continue to expand their knowledge about a topic.  I think the New Tech rubric is on the right track with helping students work toward continuing learning rather than the next A+.  

Filming seemed to be quite difficult for me.  It was very unnatural and forced for both me and the students.  I was almost like a robot and my students were very mechanical in their responses as well. So, as for teaching styles and methods I did not learn much from the video.  However, I did learn a great deal about what was happening during non-instructional time.

During the portion of the class when they were creating their poster I was attentive to make sure I went to every table.  However, I became hyper-focused on that table and their needs.  In most cases I was unaware about what was going on in the other groups.  You can see in several cases where my back was turned to the entire class and sometimes I did not know what was happening behind me.  As I watched the video I could tell when a group would get too noisy and off track.  However, there were several instances where the students would hop in front of the camera to dab, make silly faces, or even dance.  But, if the camera was not there then would they have been silly?

I also learned exactly how fast I talk and how loud I really am.  The wife, students, friends, and teachers next to my room have been telling me for a while about those three factors. How loud I am I do not foresee as a problem but I do see a problem with how fast I talk.  For some students when I talk that fast the instructions could be unclear.

Jonathan Terry - Video Selfie Reflection

Filming and viewing myself teaching was an extremely terrifying, but rewarding experience.  I did find it difficult at first to not focus on those insignificant aspects of my teaching or my classroom.  Once I was able to look past those distractions I really did learn some valuable things about my teaching and my interactions with the students.

I finished my PBL activities two weeks ago, so I chose a separate inquiry-based assessment to film for my video selfie.  During my PBL, I felt like I did not do a great job explaining and prepping my students during the gallery walk protocol.  To replicate that, I filmed the part of my lesson where I had students turn and present their mini-research project to their student groups.  To encourage them to be active listeners when other students were presenting, I created a guided listening sheet where students had to fill in pertinent pieces of information from other presentations.

As I watched my video, the biggest thing that stood out to me was how students responded to my instructions for the presentations.  Most of the students were so focused on skimming through the sheet themselves, they missed a lot of the instructions I was giving.  This came to light when I told the students to get started and I was immediately bombarded with questions of "What are we doing?" and "Where am I supposed to write this?"  I started thinking back to the various learning styles in my classroom.  Not every student is an auditory learner so I can't expect everyone to respond to just auditory instructions.  Next time I will provide some visual on the Promethean board to help guide my instructions.

I also noticed in my video selfie that I float from group to group extremely fast.  I don't think I stayed at one group longer than 10-15 seconds.  The main reason I move so quickly is because I'm overly concerned that my 7th graders will quickly stray off-task or simply do anything other than complete the presentations.  Part of this reminds me of the student "buy-in" of a PBL.  If I can create enough engagement and interest in the activities they are completing then students will want to present and share their ideas.  It is also important that I stay at one group long enough to hear their ideas and coach them in the correct ways to present, if a problem should arise.

At the end of my video, I had students switch groups and present their mini-project to students who were not in their original group.  While students moved quickly to their new groups, it did feel a little chaotic as certain students were confused about where to go.  This confusion could lead to frustration with my students.  And frustration could be a mechanism for them to shut down or not put their best effort into the presentations.  I will be more mindful of how students will move to eliminate anything that could be a distraction during the process.

Jeneane Allgood---selfie reflection

The first things I thought when I saw myself on video were: 1) My voice sure does sound different on video than it does in my head.  2) I'm really that heavy?

But, then I realized that that was not what I was supposed to be focusing on.

In the video, I was giving instructions for how to do their mock presentations in small groups. I gave them 2 handouts and went over the handouts with them.  I thought my voice sounded clear and easy to understand as I gave directions.  I even tried to model what they were supposed to do using students that sat up toward the front of the classroom.

When I mentioned to students that there might be people coming to observe their presentations, I could tell that my students started to freak out a little bit. So, I pulled back a little and tried to remind them of what the overall goal of this presentation was (to be able to explain a complicated disease-mechanism pathway in a simplified way that a patient could understand), and they seemed to relax a little bit.  I noticed this in the video and was proud of the way that I handled their anxiety about that.

One thing that I noticed in the video that I didn't' notice as much in person was that they started to get a little antsy around the 5-minute mark of my explanation (which lasted 8 minutes total). Maybe I took too long to explain things, or maybe I was a little bit repetitive.  Since they were working in 5 separate classrooms, though, I didn't want to risk students not knowing what to do. Maybe I could shorten my explanation a little bit next time. I also felt like I could have done a better job making eye contact with my students, but admittedly, I was really nervous about being recorded.

I also received feedback (via e-mail) from Dawn Mitchell, who was there observing my introduction.  It was very beneficial for me to see someone else's perspective on my lesson and how students seemed to respond to it.

Because I was almost done with my PBL unit, I felt like the best lesson to record was this one of me introducing their mock presentations. However, if I could do it all over again, I might have liked recording a lesson where the students were more directly involved, instead of one that primarily involved me talking---maybe their 4-square protocol activity from a few weeks ago or their computer neurotoxin lab.