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Personal Learning Project Assignment:
    One of the long term assignments for the MAC program is the development of a personal learning project.  In addition to all of the learning we hope will take place within our own class and your experience in student teaching, we hope you will use this assignment as an opportunity to learn some additional skills or information you have always wanted to learn, or to demonstrate the skills and knowledge it takes to be a professional in your own field of study.  Over the course of this year in the program, you should encourage yourself to continue pursuing your own interests, in addition to those required by our program and your own teaching. 

    The personal learning project is meant to demonstrate one of two main principles: 

    1. Teachers must also be learners, willing to take the time to develop skills or search out information for their own purposes. 
    2. Teachers of a specific discipline should be informed in the practices of that discipline, and should be able to demonstrate these practices as other professionals in the discipline do. 
    There are two main elements for this assignment.  The first of these is the proposal for your project.  This proposal is intended to provide a sense of purpose and direction for your project, as well as a simplified plan of action in undertaking this endeavor.  The proposal should not be long - about a full page (double-spaced), but should briefly describe your intent for the project, including any objectives you have set for yourself to guide your progress, and should include a plan of action outlining how you plan to complete or achieve the intent of your project.  If you plan to undertake a learning project, describe it and why you wish to do it, and how you intend to do it.  If this is more of a professional project, intended to demonstrate your abilities as a professional in your field of study, briefly describe the intent of your work, how this ties in with other professional’s work in this field, and what you intent to do with this work.  As large as this assignment sounds, be brief and succinct. 

    The other element of this assignment will take place after all of you have (hopefully) completed your learning project.  In May of 1999, we will gather together for a class session or two to present our projects to each other.   We will state our intent at the beginning of the project, what we actually did to achieve our goals (or the barriers we faced which prevented these ends), and perhaps demonstrate our newfound skills or knowledge!  We may also discuss how these learning projects might relate to the learning which is intended to take place within our classrooms, and how better to achieve the goals of both learning environments. 

    I would also encourage you along the way to keep a journal on this experience.  There is a great deal we can learn and understand about the education we are promoting in our classrooms through reflection on our own educational experiences.  In turn, this reflection might help us all become better at what we do - help others learn. 

    By the way, don’t think that your proposal is a set document.  As with all learning and growth, it too must bend and sway to the winds we face in our lives.  All we ask is that you update your proposal if you intend to change your learning project along the way. 

    Good luck, and enjoy. 

This site has been developed primarily for use by the students in the MAC A Program at the University of Michigan's School of Education.  This site is specific to this program, and does not necessarily reflect the views or recommendations of the University of Michigan or the UM School of Education.  Comments, questions, or concerns about this site should be forwarded to Stephen Best, Instructor of the program.