Group+5+Question+2

If students are in charge of their own learning, how will we be sure they learn what is important?
 * Concerns || Solutions ||
 * The best way to realize that a student has learned a particular concept to mastery, is to see the child apply the concept in a meaningful way. I am big Bloom's Taxonomy believer, if a concept is taught to at least the 'Analysis' level of Bloom's (able to compare/contrast, draw conclusions, see cause/effect), then he/she should be able to 'use' the knowledge in real world settings. With technology its easy, i.e. if they learned how to create a PowerPoint, then they can create one...if they learn how to read a map in WV History, then they should be able to plan a trip with accuracy, or a weather map and interpret weather for the week by interpreting the local weather newspage. This is where problem-based learning and community service projects become meaningful. || Teach using the systematic approaches of Bloom's Taxonomy, use real world problems/situations as a means of measuring learning. ||
 *  It is often difficult to determine if students are learning what they need to learn **. **Through projects that access multiple questioning levels (blooms taxonomy) and allow students to apply knowledge in a meaningful way, students are able to integrate new knowledge into their repertoire of skills. Using higher order thinking skills and then applying them to real life situations show students the relevancy of the information that they are learning. Technology has made this more relevant through digital video and virtual applications that allow students the ability to see and participate in things that they would not have had the ability to see prior to the internet. || By using both formal assessments to determine that students are learning the basic skills necessary and then using rubrics, informal assessments, and peer evaluation to assess progress of students through content areas, student growth can be measured. The combination of assessments and project based components provide meaning and direction for students. ||