Critical reflection 4
Lauren Glasser
30049003
Last week I ran an activity in class to kick off the group projects! I provided them with a
broad research topic and in their teams they had to research what the current solutions to the
question were. The next step was to see if there were any implications for the local community
regarding the answers they had found. Finally based off of those implications they had to
propose a possible solution that would both solve the original problem as well as decrease
negative consequences for local communities. We then came back together as a class and shared
what each group had found in that 20-minute period. I have never seen so much excitement and
overall participation in the class as I did during this activity! There were students in the class
who never speak up, proposing solutions and presenting ideas to the class! It was very rewarding
to see the students to engaged with the material and excited to provide ideas! The point of my
activity was to give them a quick idea of how to take a large topic such as the topic of this class
(how to sustain local and global water resources) and break it down into smaller ideas, find the
gaps and problems and then propose a solution to one problem. In a nutshell that is what they
will be doing with their own topics except theirs will be on a much larger scale. It was clear
students gained a good understanding of how they must approach choosing and researching a
topic for their project. I could feel a sense of relief in the class when they understood that this
project was not going to be as daunting as they thought once they could see how much
information was available to them.
This activity perfectly encapsulated what I believe the zone of proximal development
ZPD aims to achieve. Lake (2012), suggests that learning through ZPD happens when students
are given a task they cannot yet do on their own, but with teacher assistance they are able to
complete the task, and with practice, they can then do on their own. With a general guideline
from me, students were able to form a research proposal all on their own. Similar to ZPD, are the
ideas of active learning established by Amy Mulnix (2016). Mulnix (2016), believes that you
must “give them a foundational base and then let them do the work”, this is the only way they
will participate in deeper learning and thinking. During this activity it was hard for me to step
back and let them do the work but as I said in my previous reflection I wanted to see if stepping
back would be better. So, with only words of encouragement to continue digging deeper and
finding as many solutions as possible I was surprised to see students complete this activity so
successfully. Before, I would give them answers or provide too much help, so they didn’t feel as
if they really needed to try or that their answers were right, meaning I was actually hindering
their learning by trying to help.
As the semester continues on, I know I will be asked to prepare more activities for
the class to help them progress on their group projects. Considering how successful this project
was due to its horizontal connection to their group projects, I will plan my activities in a way that
directly connects to their project and builds a strong research foundation. This is important
because it connects with all different forms of research they’ll do throughout the rest of their
lives and if I can help them build a strong base now, they will be successful later! It will be easy
to tell if this is working when I see the progress of the research they conduct throughout the
semester and how deep they dig/ the connections they make. Along with that I think I learned a
lot about my role as a mentor just like Amy did, I need to step back and not try to intervene right
away. The rest of the semester I will focus on encouraging students to keep them positive,
motivated and focused on their projects as the Nature of Learning (2012) stresses these as key
components of deeper learning. I will also continue to ask inquiring questions, 3so I can gage
their understanding and allow for them to answer the question on their own. I have seen how
successful this tactic is as it increases students self-confidence, so I am excited to continue to see
them dig deeper on their own.
Word count 820
References
Groff, J. (2012). The Nature of Learning: Using research to inspire practice – for the Practitioner
Guide., 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/50300814.pdf
Lake, R. 2012. Vygotsky on Education. New York: Peter Lang.
Mulnix, Amy B. (2016). What My Cadaver Dog Taught Me About Teaching and
Learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 27(1), 5-21.
