Fostering Motivation and Engagement in Learning English: Shaping of Mindset and Toolkits Week 14 Discussion of the theory: Digital Immigrants Strangers Warm-up discussion

Incorporate best practices for assessment for learning.

Another important consideration regarding projects is how they will be assessed. For the overall project grade, it is important that students receive the assessment tool with clearly articulated grading criteria at the beginning of the project. Often with projects, teachers create a rubric describing the specific elements students or groups need to include in the project to be successful. Students should be given the rubric before they begin the project so they know how to successfully
complete the project. This gives them a clear path forward for fulfilling the expectations. Projects also present an excellent opportunity for students to receive different kinds of feedback in various ways. Teachers can assign points and give feedback on the various steps and interim deadlines of the project so not all of the weight of the project grade falls on the final product. Students should also be given the chance to get formative (not graded) feedback from the teacher and/or other students about suggestions for improvement so each group can make modifications and adjustments to their products or outcomes before the final product is due.

There is no doubt that projects, if planned and designed well, can be motivating and engaging and contribute to the fulfillment of course goals and objectives and educational standards. They can also help students develop life and workplace readiness and skills. Hence, teachers should consider ways to incorporate projects and project-based learning in their classrooms.

The current state of the portfolios (6 activities in total).

Your portfolio activities should have the following information:

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  The name of the activity (you can make this up!)
  
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  where have you learned about it
  
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  The specific purpose of the activity
  
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  The amount of time needed for the activity
  
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  Any materials that are needed
  
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  A description of the activity: What do teachers and students do?