As I have stated many times, I am passionate about Authentic Learning. It is the reason I started my blog after I retired. I was ready to stop teaching, but not ready to leave education and something I believe in with all my heart and soul.
I also love photography, and realized that my photos were giving me lots of project ideas. If you stop, look around, and smell the roses, you will be amazed and what you see.
But for a project to be authentic you need to listen, really listen, to your students. What are they thinking about, what do they want to know, what are they interested in. Then you create your driving question, and start to frame your authentic project with experiences that require that your content covers your curriculum objectives.
Authentic teaching requires planning, but that planning needs to revolve and change based on what your students are interested in. Plan a lesson, watch your student engagement, listen to their interests and questions, and change course if necessary.
Teaching authentically involves giving yourself that time to reflect and smell those roses. It is so important to good teaching and much more pleasant way to go through life!
The Educational Journey 