Wicked Problem Project Part D-Findings and Implications

Formative: Did the project get implemented as planned?

My project is off to a great start. When I created the plan for my project I split the implementation up into different phases. The 1^st phase would take place this semester with a 3^rd grade classroom. The 2^nd phase would take place next year when I am back in the classroom and have more time with my students to dig deep into this project. Currently I am implementing the first phase of my project.  The project is a success so far; however it is progressing at a slower rate than I had anticipated. I realize that it will be more effective to develop this project when I have more time with the students. Right now, my time with the students is limited. The students are very eager and excited about it. However it is taking them a long time to develop a meaningful presentation to teach the lessons. The students have lots of ideas to share. I am working with them to help them organize these thoughts into a format that could be presented to students in an understandable way. I think that this project will be more successful in the second phase of my implementation. I will take what I have learned this semester from my experience working with students on this and apply it to my classroom next year. I foresee this project still being feasible but requiring more time with the students to achieve success.

Summative: Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice

I discussed my project with several teachers at my school. Their positive response was overwhelming and confirmed that the problem that I had addressed is a real concern for them as well. This was my first indication of success. I had accurately identified a meaningful problem that was in need of a dependable and achievable solution. My second evidence of success came from my students. When I explained to them the problem they agreed that it was a problem. Their response showed eagerness and a motivation to help their classmates out but also an eagerness to share with an adult all that they had learned during the lessons. This proved to me that having the students create the podcast would be much more meaningful than the teacher creating it. Another indicator of success is how the students are learning reflection skills. When I first started working with these students their comments about their learning were very general and obvious. After working with them to them think deeper about their learning, they are producing more thoughtful comments that will help other students learn the content of the lesson. They are learning to express detailed thoughts about their learning. Also since we have decided that they would create a videocast rather than just using audio, they are also relating their thinking to visuals that were used during the lesson. Also they are being creative and thinking of other visuals to use to help them explain their thinking.

How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here? What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?

From my experience work on this project so far, I have learned a few things that I would change in the future to have a more successful implementation. First, I would have podcast examples prepared to show the students what the final project would look and sound like. I think that this would give them a clear idea of what the expectation is. Another thing I would change is that I would offer my students graphic organizers with prompts to help them start thinking of important information from the lesson rather than just asking them to share their thoughts. I realize now that my students need more direction in reflecting upon their learning. I think that having a graphic organizer with prompts will help them to know what details of the lesson are important to include in their presentation. Finally I would do a lot more modeling of this project. I would do more whole group work on recording reflections after a lesson and organizing these into a meaningful format. I think that his is such a powerful skill for students to develop. I truly believe that student learning is positively affected when students become aware of their learning. By working on this with all of my students after lessons, they will develop these skills which will help their learning and also help with the creation of their podcast projects.

In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do

I definitely plan to continue work on this project. As mentioned above the skills that students will learn by creating this project will be constructive to their learning. After seeing this project progress, there are two learning needs being met. The original purpose of this project was to provide a resource for students who were out of the classroom to have access to instructional content that was delivered in their absence. This goal is still being met. The students that I am working with are successfully creating a script and visual materials to record in a videocast. However an additional learning need is being met by this project. Students are developing strong skills in metacognition. As the students create their presentation, they are learning to be responsible for their own learning. They are starting to be aware of what they learned during a lesson. I believe that my students will have a better understanding of the content as they learn to reflect upon their learning in order to create the presentation for the podcasts. I am convinced that this project creates a meaningful learning opportunity for all of my students.