Reflections on the creation of The Phoenix Project

I had the daunting task of trying to create a project while in the midst of teaching it. It was helpful in that I continually got feedback from the students about what they liked and didn't like about the project. This allowed me to go back to the project and revise and edit as needed.

It was difficult because I wasn't always that proverbial one step ahead of the class all the time.

The ability to create my own rubrics was fantastic. It made marking a lot easier. I was able to give a copy to the students ahead of time so they knew exactly how they were going to be graded.

The planning process took a huge amount of time as I had to really think about what it was you were trying to accomplish with the project. I found some of the steps to be very repetitive, which was frustrating, but the support I received from online mentors was amazing. I would often e-mail questions or ask for feedback in the morning, and by that evening I would have a reply waiting for me. The feedback I received was always positive and constructive and full of great advice.

The majority of the kids got right into this project and were looking forward to the next class so they could continue working. Most of the kids like working on computers, so that was a real draw for many students. As the kids often knew more about the technology than I did, they felt a sense of power over the teacher as they taught me how to do different things.

They will never pass up the opportunity to show you up!! The finished project looked very polished and professional and the students were very proud of their creations. They wanted to show off their work to everyone who walked by!

Would I do another Galileo project in the future? Definitely. Although the initial time invested in the planning stages seems overwhelming, I now know that the end result is worth it. You feel good knowing that the project is not only fun for students, but is also directly connected to the curriculum.