I’m in that familiar place, where many students have finished and turned in their work but not all. There has been plenty of time.

Instead of giving a bit more time and just moving on, I am developing a reflection to try that will be completed with myself and the students who are not done with the work. It looks at their project journals, what was expected, and what actually happened. Here it is below, final thoughts below that.

Incomplete Project Reflection                 

Why?    This is to help us understand why the project isn’t completed 

and what we can do to improve for next time.

What words are bold above? Re-read that statement and say the bold words louder.

Part 1 – Looking at the Nametag Journal

Circle a description of your nametag:

Totally filled out with detailed plans for each day: The project journal is complete and includes detailed plans for each day of the project.

Partial plans for each day: The project journal has some planning and organization but is not fully complete. The student has made some effort to plan their work, but there are gaps or missing details in the planning.

Incomplete: The project journal is incomplete and has very little planning or organization. The student may have started the journal but did not fully complete it or may have neglected to use it as a tool for planning their work.

Very low effort: The project journal is largely blank or contains only a few notes or ideas. The student did not make a significant effort to use the journal as a tool for planning and organizing their work.

Part 1 Reflection: Do you wish your nametag was a journal for a completed project at this point? If you had a plan each day, would you have gotten the project done? Explain.

Part 2 –  What I was supposed to do

What were you supposed to be doing on these work days? 

Part 3 – What happened instead

What stood in your way of getting it done? Check all that apply:

• Thinking the project would be not be good, not trying
• Not being interested in the chosen project 
• Friends distracting them
• Having trouble staying focused
• Waiting until the last minute to start working
• Feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the project 
• Finding it difficult to understand the project instructions or goals
• Problems with equipment or computer programs needed for the project

Part 4 –  How to improve

Look at this list of possible things to help in the future. Choose as many as will help. 

• Avoid distractions and stay on task when working on the project.
• Make a plan each day to help stay organized and focused.
• Ask questions if you are not sure what to do or need help.
• Stay focused on the project and try to complete one task at a time.
• Start working on the project earlier to avoid feeling rushed.
• Break the project down into smaller tasks to make it more manageable.
• Make the project more fun and interesting by choosing a topic you like.
• Talk to a teacher or counselor if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

Would it be helpful to have your parents, homeroom teacher or anyone else helping you keep on track? If so, who? If not, what do you plan to do starting now?

End of document

It’ll be a trick to make this feel formative and not a punishment. We will be doing it as a small group and I’ll take the role as a coach/mentor/person on your team. It’s all about moving forward productively!