Wow what a week. Most of the students have finished their projects and have begun to write their speeches for our Presentation night in two weeks. These speeches will introduce themselves and what their passion project is. They need to give a breif outline on how they went and what were their challenges as well as their successes. This is a great way for them to reflect on what they have achived and what skills they have gained. I have been very impressed with their honesty and I feel this has been one of the many benefits from doing the projects
Today I noticed that some of the students have started finishing their projects and are now beginning to work on their class presentations. Whilst other students have begun to work on another aspect of their project. It is really amazing to observe them adapting their ideas and trying new ways to achieve their goals.
Most students are now managing their time really well and I am looking forward to seeing their presentations in a few weeks time! Last week our mentors did a blog on their students page and it was really interesting to read their feedback - we are so lucky to have such lovely volunteers each week. Just a short post today to say how well the students are working. most of the students are on task and working well now. It is great to see them problem solving and working independently and helping each other. I am so pleased this year that more mentors and parents are engaging with the website too. Lovely to read the comments encouraging us to keep going.
I have noticed that the students are getting much better at reflecting on their progress each week and this is an important part of the process, as it also helps them to plan ahead so they know what they need to do next week..
I am starting to see students thinking more about how they will present to the class too, which is also a important part of the project and some students have started documenting for this. Overall everyone is working well. Overall the Passion Projects are going really well. We seem to be getting more mentors every week and this has been wonderful to see. They really are such an intregal part of this project.
Most of the students are working really well and are making good progress. A few students are struggling with making decisions about what to do next and need some guidance to move them forward with their projects. I find most of my time is taken up problem solving with these students and I am frustrated that I do not always get around to talking to other students. This said, I have noticed that they are all engaged in their projects and are excited to share what they have achieved or done so far. I couldn't believe how nervous I was! But once we got started, this was quickly replaced by excitement as the students got started on their passion projects and were really engaged throughout the lesson.
It was fantastic to have so many adults come in to help mentor the students and this made a big difference in getting students on track. Of course we had some teething problems as well. Whilst it did take some time to help some students connect the Ipads to the internet, I was amazed at how patient they were. Some students were not organised and didn't bring the things they needed , whilst others had trouble finding answers to their "un-Google-able" questions. However, these students were able to use their skills in persistence and resiliency throughout the lesson. I was really happy with how the lesson went and look forward to seeing what they do next week. I am very excited.
The students have worked hard to identify their passions and have developed their BIG question. For some of the students this was really easy whilst others had trouble committing to one thing and kept changing their minds! But we got there. I am amazed at the variety of topics the students have picked to either teach themselves or create. I am a bit overwhelmed too - how will I manage all my students doing different things? The reality is I can't and I hope our mentors will help us all. Fingers crossed! |