Questions to Ask

Before your embark on a project with your students ask yourself some questions:

• Is the project relevant? Does it have meaning to the student?
• Is it interesting to the student?
• Does it validate the time they are asked to invest?
• Do you provide sufficient, but not excessive time?
  • Time to plan, complete, problem solve, redirect, grow, and change their work?
• Do you have an understanding and do the students understand that projects often require knowledge from several content areas? Can they access that knowledge? Can they make the appropriate connections?
• Have you consider what elements of the project will provide excitement and engaging learning opportunities for the students? What will keep them involved and curious?
• How are you and the students capitalizing on connections with each other, with experts, with information? How are they collaborating?
• Do the students have access to what they need to make this project work? Appropriate technology, research tools, experts in the field?
• Is the project shareable with others to increase the learning process for both the team and others? How and with whom will the sharing take place?
• Is it time to refresh your ideas?