Notes from Boss and Krauss, Chapter 8-10

I skimmed over Chapter 8: Building Connections and Branching Out because it seems the farthest removed from my goals right now.  Of course, I want my kids' projects to connect to the world and I want to offer opportunities for students to connect with experts and resources outside of the classroom, but right now I'm really focused on just getting started.  I anticipate that I will need to come back to this chapter during the fall semester. 


Chapter 9: Making Assessment Meaningful

"Assessing students' project work requires deliberate strategies to take stock not only what they created, but also the teamwork, effort, and creativity that went into the project" (p. 139). 

Establish anchors-- *This part actually confuses me.
  I think what they mean is that you need to get a sense of what students already know/can do and then gain a sense of "how far they are going as they work to meet learning goals" (p. 140).   I assume this means to differentiate assessment based on the learner.

Using rubrics as communication tools, not just evaluation tools


Can use traditional assessments in conjunction with PBL learning

Ask students what they learner or have them create something to represent their learning

Use modern, real world assessments-- apply the skills or assessments used by professionals in certain disciplines




Although I feel comfortable using rubrics and grading holistically, I am still apprehensive about assessment.  I am concerned about differentiating between projects and justifying grades.  Often, when I assign projects, I will grade based on completion or the following of directions rather than truly assessing the nuances of the project.  

I am also concerned about time.  I know Nick and Kyle from NGHS said that grading took forever and they had to be really committed to giving feedback in a timely manner.  I tend to be an efficient grader, but I'm not always the most detail-oriented.  

Chapter 10: Celebrating and Reflecting 

It's important to consider ahead of time how you will wrap up the project.

Reflection is so important! Students need to think metacognitively and create their own meaning (echoes of dialogical teaching here!).   They need time to think about the growth of their learning dispositions as well as their increased content knowledge.  

Elaborate--now what?  How will you extend the project? Improve? Share with others?  Build community in your school?

Celebrate-- put on an event, make your blog live, hold a party or an open house.


Teachers need to "bring it home" too (p. 159).  Reflect and critique the project, share with others (either locally or on the blogosphere).   Do your reflection while the project is still fresh in your mind. 

**Reading this book was a great starting point in my PBL journey because it gave me a framework from which to start and it helped me to visualize what a project might look like from start to finish.  I also think it will continue to be a resource-- there were so many links and ideas that I didn't really digest because I was seeking about the big picture.  But once I'm in stage of the project, I know I will come back to Boss and Krauss to help me flesh out the details.