Plan Your Project

In this course, you will have two projects options from which to choose. The classroom activities project provides you with an opportunity to apply what you learn during this course to try activities, analyze students’ thinking and plan lessons for your students, while receiving feedback from other participants.  

Those of you who are not currently teaching can select an alternative project relevant to your professional needs.   For example, you might design a professional development activity, create a rubric for observing classrooms during fraction instruction, develop materials for special needs students, or create any other project that meets your professional needs.

Work on the project will be spread across the first four units of the course. During the fourth and fifth units, you will post your project in the discussion forum and provide each other constructive feedback. You are welcome to complete the project either individually or in small teams. If you choose to complete the project as a team, you need to submit only one project. However, in order to receive credit for a certificate of completion all team members must be listed on the project submission.

In addition to submitting a project, those who plan to obtain a certificate of completion for CEUs are required to provide constructive feedback to at least three other participants' projects.  Everyone is encouraged to complete a project and provide feedback to others in order to deepen their own learning during the course.   Drawing on the knowledge of the MOOC-Ed community: Take advantage of access to the MOOC-Ed community of educators in this course and enjoy The Benefits of Collaboration. If you are interested in working in collaboration with a course colleague to complete one of the project options, instructions and support for doing so are available in the "How do I find a Partner?” document. Project submissions of collaborative efforts must indicate the full names of all members of the group, but only need to be submitted by one member.

  In this unit, begin by reviewing the project options below.  Review the project ideas posted by colleagues or create a new discussion to post a new project idea or suggest a favorite task to try with students.  In this discussion you can establish a collaborative partnership with a colleague, make a connection to bounce ideas off of throughout the project development, or simply contribute to the brainstorming process.  Note that during Unit 2 you will either a) share insights from your student interviews (Classroom Activities Project) or b) submit your proposed Alternative Project. The schedules of tasks to be completed for the projects are as follows:
ScheduleClassroom Activities ProjectAlternative Project
Unit 21) Select at least one fair-sharing fractions problem and plan when you will attempt it with your class or small groups of students.

2) Conduct interviews with several students to observe their strategies for the problem. For more information on interviews with students, watch examples of interviews with students [transcript] and/or read a summary about clinical interviews.

3) Share your reflection in the discussion forum. 

4) Provide feedback to your colleagues.

1) Download and save with a new name the Alternative Project Proposal Form.  Complete the form by describing your project's rationale, goals, planned content, and development schedule.  
 
2) Share your proposal in the discussion forum either by pasting the information directly into the text box or uploading it. (We recommend pasting the content, as it allows your colleagues to review the content without downloading your form.)

3) Provide feedback on one or more of your colleagues' project ideas. 


Unit 31) Select at least one measurement or number line fractions problem and plan when you will do it with your class or small groups of students.

2) Conduct interviews with several students to observe their strategies for the problem. 

3) Share your reflection in the discussion forum.

4) Provide feedback to your colleagues.

1) Based on the feedback that you received in the previous unit's discussion, begin development of your project. Prepare to post it for feedback over the course of Unit 4.   

2) Share your progress in the discussion forum. 

3) Post any new questions that have arisen in your development process. 

4) Provide feedback to your colleagues.
Unit 41) Create your project consisting of:
  1. What you have learned in your student interviews that you will apply in teaching fractions in the future.
  2. A lesson plan based on one or both of the problems that you have implemented and what you have learned from your interviews with students.
2) Share your project in the discussion forum either by uploading it or pasting the information directly into the text box. 

3) Provide feedback on at least three of your colleagues' projects. (Note: Project review will continue throughout units 4 and 5).
1) Finalize your project consisting of:
  1.  Your project's rationale and goals. 
  2. Your product to address those goals. It can be a draft version.
  3. What you plan to do next to complete or use the product.
  4. Questions on which you would like to have input from other participants.
2) Share your project in the discussion forum either by uploading it or pasting the information directly into the text box. 

3) Provide feedback on at least three of your colleagues' projects. (Note: Project review will continue throughout units 4 and 5).
Unit 4/5Review and provide constructive feedback about the projects submitted by at least 3 other participants, and review the feedback you receive.Review and provide constructive feedback about the projects submitted by at least 3 other participants, and review the feedback you receive.