Can you give me praise, polish, and question about your website or your project?

Motivating 8th graders

I have been searching for ways in which to motivate my students and make them understand what an awesome opportunity they have been given by their school district. I found a high school student who presented at a TEDx conference discussing just that. Her push is for everyone to find his or her "mountain." My biggest hope is that the students take this tremendous opportunity they have been given and run with it. 

Beginnings of Passion Project

I'm proud to say that the 8th graders have taken to the idea of the course. You can sense the excitement in the room. Some are hesitant with so much freedom and need more direction. Others are beginning to see the huge possibility this course has given them. We started by creating an "I Wonder..." page in their folders. They are to write down any questions that they find themselves thinking about over the next week. We will take those wonder questions and use them to frame our projects. It has been exciting to hear the deep questions that students are thinking about. They are full of untapped potential. I can't wait to see what the year ahead brings for all of us as we continue on this journey together. 

Personalized Learning

This year I am embarking on a journey of project based learning with the entire 8th grade class. They will create their own driving question. We will work together in order to figure out the best way to ascertain the information needed to develop a final product to be presented in a real world environment. My class will be the definition of personalized learning because students will be researching their own passion in whatever way they feel they learn best. They will be able to present in any way that matches their learning style.

Beginning of the journey

Learning how to blog today to help my students communicate with others and document their own thoughts as we journey together through this first year of Passion Project together.