We attended a week long Project GLAD training, several of UCLA LAB School's Critical Thinking Institute Professional Developments for Project-based Learning. We also had a Google Workshop for Educators from CUE at our school site, Vista del Valle DLA.The training we received was taken back to our school and disseminated to the rest of our staff. The mission of our school is to incorporate good teaching practices such as Project GLAD Strategies, develop critical thinking through Project-based Learning and to incorporate technology in the classroom.

Project-based Learning

Through Project-based Learning our students were able to explore and discover for themselves the answers to questions regarding a scientific or historical concept. Project-based Learning taps into students' interest and motivation. The activities were designed to answer a question or solve a problem in science or social studies. and reflect the types of learning and work people do outside the classroom. The learning that takes place is a deeper learning and understanding because it provokes students to struggle with the central concept at hand. It also teaches 21st century skills through content understanding. Students are able to develop communication, presentation, group participation and leadership skills. Project-based Learning also develops students' sense of organization and time management, and it enhances students' research and inquiry skills, as well as self-assessment and reflection skills.    

In Project-based Learning, students are placed in groups that work collaboratively toward a common goal. However, performance is assessed on an individual basis. The assessment takes into account several aspects such as the quality of the work produced, the demonstrated depth of content understanding, and the student's contributions made to the ongoing process of the project's realization.

Project GLAD

Project GLAD is a model for teaching practices in the areas of language acquisition and literacy. The GLAD  strategies model is used to promote English language acquisition, academic achievement, as well as, cross-cultural skills. These strategies are tied to the Common Core State Standards and can be weaved to provide access to core curriculum by providing clear, practical strategies that promote positive and effective interactions among students and between teachers and students. Also, Project GLAD develops students' metacognitive use of higher level thinking through academic language and literacy.

Technology in the Classroom

Today technology touches every aspect of our lives. It is everywhere in our communities, our homes and our classrooms. Properly integrating technology into classroom will help students acquire the skills and strategies to navigate in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based society. This means that students will need more than just basic computer skills and software programs found in their computer class. Effective technology integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that deepen and enhance the learning process and supports curricular goals through active engagement, group participation, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experiences.

At present, technology-enabled project learning is considered a highpoint in classroom instruction. Knowledge through projects while outfitted with technology tools provides students to be intellectually challenged while creating a realistic snapshot of today’s world. Via projects, students obtain and improve their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in groups to find, process, and synthesize information. Also, with tech tools and a project-learning approach, students are much more likely to stay focused and on task in the classroom.

Our students have had the opportunity to use technology and tech tools outside of the computer lab. They used ipads, mini ipads and digital cameras to produce stop-motion short film projects for social studies and for their life science, research based power point reports. They were also introduced to soft programs, such Final Cut, to edit their films and learned to produce and edit their audio recordings for their film projects. Student film projects were posted on line to share with classmates and family for easier access.

To aid students with their research, students visited online their teacher's research resource site to collect information for their power point reports.

Student Science Power Point

 To view other student power points click here  teachroom207.