This week, Helen and I had the opportunity to discuss PBL
with our coworkers at our school’s literacy staff development meeting. Our
meeting was structured in such a way that allowed our fellow teachers to choose
a session to attend during the middle of the meeting. Helen and I created a
session about PBL.
When thinking about what we wanted to present to our
coworkers, we thought it might be helpful to share some of the resources that
we were given during our summer course. We also knew that we wanted to provide
our coworkers with resources and examples that they could use in creating their
own PBL units. We decided to create a blendspace that identified the eight
essentials of PBL. We included the checklist from BIE, and we embedded examples
from our own instruction that matched each essential. We included rubrics,
student-generated questions, examples of reflection/ critique and revision, and
examples of student-created products. We used this blendspace to guide our
discussion, but it is also a resource that our coworkers can continue reference
if they want to know more about project based learning.
The teachers who attended our session seemed to be excited
to learn more about PBL. They all already include many components of PBL in
their instruction, so I think they will be likely to take the resources we have
given them to modify and recreate some of their units. We told them that we are
available if they ever want to learn more or talk through a possible unit with
us. After our meeting, one 4th grade teacher told me that she was
thankful that I shared my benchmark checklist and examples of rubrics. She said
that one of her concerns was that she wouldn’t be able to get enough grades
from a project based unit. Now, she is more encouraged.
Getting enough grades is one issue that many teachers have at our school as well. Our principal makes sure that each one of our assignments cannot be more than 7% of the final average which means we have to enough assignments per category to meet that requirement. I liked how you shared your benchmark checklist that was beneficial to more students in the school than just your own.
ReplyDeleteThinking through all of your assessments and benchmarks is important to a successful PBL. Too many teachers shy away from projects in general, especially in-class projects, because they feel that it is too easy. PBL should be rigorous, while also showing student mastery of the concepts presented.
ReplyDeleteHi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that you and Helen had this opportunity to share what you've been learning and implementing with pbl in a regularly scheduled afterschool pd with Mrs. Register. I appreciate the time and thought you both put into your blendspace and in the feedback teachers provided you with today's meet. I know that it was validating to have a fourth grade teacher share that you alleviated some of her concerns with pbl by sharing your benchmarks and assessments. This helps clarify any misconceptions teachers have about pbl being totally open ended without being grounded in standards. I am glad that it was well received and that you have support for your work at FES. Sincerely, Dawn
Wow! I love that you gave teachers many of the "tools" that they will need to successfully try PBL. A lot of time, you are presented with a great idea, but unless you have the tools to actually carry it out, the excitement often fizzles and fades. You put a lot of time and energy into giving a really clear picture of what PBL is up front, and I am sure that your colleagues appreciated it. It also gives me an idea for what I might like to include when I present to my peers in April.
ReplyDelete