I started my second PBL this week. When I started planning this unit back in December, one of my main goals was to improve how I grade students individually. With my first PBL, I did not do a good job assessing the students individually. Sure, I infused some formative assessments along the way, but I never took the time to assess each student's true understanding of the material. I assumed that they must understand the content in order to complete the final group product. When I gave my unit test, which included questions from our PBL, I was shocked at how many students missed those questions.
With this PBL, I wanted each student to show mastery of the content separate from the final group product. I started out my PBL by discussing the "need-to-knows" with my students. They will spend the first week working through assignments (some individual and some collaborative) to help them gather information on these "need-to-knows". I also took care to make sure that my typical quizzes and tests are an integral part of the unit. I want to make sure that each student shows mastery of the circulatory system before moving on the more exciting aspects of the project - building a mechanism to unblock an artery.
I hope this method will keep students more engaged, more accountable, and show more growth at the unit's conclusion.
With this PBL, I wanted each student to show mastery of the content separate from the final group product. I started out my PBL by discussing the "need-to-knows" with my students. They will spend the first week working through assignments (some individual and some collaborative) to help them gather information on these "need-to-knows". I also took care to make sure that my typical quizzes and tests are an integral part of the unit. I want to make sure that each student shows mastery of the circulatory system before moving on the more exciting aspects of the project - building a mechanism to unblock an artery.
I hope this method will keep students more engaged, more accountable, and show more growth at the unit's conclusion.
Hi Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteWhat I appreciate most about this post and about you as an educator is how you intentionally reflect on your student outcomes and then on your instructional practices to determine what student needs are and where you can adjust your instruction to meet them. In this blog post you shared how you realized in reflecting upon student data from your first pbl back in the fall, that your students needed more ongoing formative assessments to determine what concepts they truly understood and could apply in addition to the culminating product before they had their final summative test. You explained how you intentionally adjusted your assessment plan for your current pbl unit ot include opportunities for students to show individual content mastery separate from the group project. You also shared that you've provided students opportunities to work through individual and collaborative assignments in order to meet their "need to knows" as part of their sustained inquiry that drives them to their final product creation. You are right - our overarching goal is for students to understand and apply the key understandings. Your embedded quizzes and tests are valuable formative assessments that can help us keep students engaged in the project but also ensure that the project is meaningful. I am interested in seeing what the results are for your student outcomes in this unit.
Sincerely,
Dawn
I am having the same concerns about my upcoming spring PBL unit as far as grading goes. I like that you were honest with yourself about areas from your fall project that needed "tweaking" before spring. Your spring unit plan shows that ALL PBL or ALL formal/traditional assessments may not be the best thing, but by blending the two together, you truly ensured that your students learned the content and could apply their knowledge as well. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteThis is an area of concern for me as well. In the unit I just completed, students were building real-world skills and researching current world issues to become more informed global citizens. However, their actual products did not help them learn the social studies standards directly. I constantly helped them make connections, reviewed, and reinforced progressives from history to their projects of being "21st century progressives," but I also had to teach mini-lessons on the specific social studies standards and assess them on those through quizzes, tests, Lego builds, etc. Their projects used more language arts/research skills that I was able to help them grow in, depending on their project. But like Jeneane said, there needs to be a balance of what you want for your PBL and what the kids need to know to be prepared for those dreaded state assessments.
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