My reflection on visiting the New Tech program at JL Mann:
I chose to do this for my first blog post because I haven't implemented my spring PBL yet, and I found myself thinking about the New Tech program and its pros and cons on many occasions since our February 16th visit.
After being slightly overwhelmed by implementing my first PBL unit in the fall, I was a little intimidated at how these teachers were able to teach (and assess) using this format--day in and day out---and still get the necessary content across. I was impressed at how most students were on task and very few were distracted or using their cell phones. Students seemed very comfortable with the whole process, from explaining how their group contracts worked to explaining (to us) what they were working on at the time. I was glad to hear that the teachers still give paper and pencil tests, which they called "benchmarks".
Pros--All (or at least most) students seemed actively engaged in their learning. Students are able to truly learn about a given topic and experience it instead of just being told about it. Group contracts helped to ensure that students are an active contributor to their group. New Tech teachers have a common planning time to evaluate PBL units and projects that they are working on with their students.
Concerns---As an AP Biology teacher, I found myself wondering how they could possibly "cover" the amount of material needed in this format, and the New Tech director did confirm that they were having a little trouble doing some AP courses in this format. I also wondered how I would feel about teaching an entire class using the PBL format with very little direct instruction. I feel like the longer I teach, the more PBL I will try to add in to my classes, but I'm not sure how I feel about using PBL to teach everything.
So, I'm curious what the rest of you thought about what you saw and what you took away from it? Maybe it works because students CHOOSE to be a part of the program and aren't forced into it? In other words, they are "buying into it" at the front end. Share your thoughts with me!
I agree that there has to be a "buy in" both from the students and teachers. I also think it helps that every class those New Tech students attend are PBL based. Within our classrooms, we are having to train students on the aspects of PBL and how it is different from a traditional class.
ReplyDeleteI still wonder how these teachers can teach all PBL, moving from unit to unit. After finishing my most recent PBL, I was exhausted. It has taken me this week just to gather my bearings, get every student caught up, and finish up the entire experience.
I was both excited and overwhelmed after visiting JL Mann. One, being back in high school was intimidating; I don't know how you do it! Two, the community they have established with their school within a school, I think, is incredible. Like Jonathan mentioned, we have to teach our students PBL norms and how they will be required to work differently compared to other classes. As all the teachers we saw teach PBL, the students know the norms and expectations and transfer them from class to class. In the elementary setting, I feel like it would be a little easier for me to establish those norms, as I see my students everyday for every subject, but it is quite different from traditional teaching. I'm impressed with how easily you incorporate PBL in your AP class. I, too, hope to use more PBL teaching the longer I teach, but know it'll still take me a little while.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post about JL Mann! What they are doing is very impressive, and I commend the teachers and students for their hard work. I think we are all feeling overwhelmed since this is the first year we have done it, and each unit is new and we make mistakes as we try things out. For them, I'm sure they have already begun to recycle some units from previous years, and they have more experience so they know what works, what doesn't, and how they need to modify their units for the next time. We will feel that way, in time, as well! They also do so much co-teaching with the combined classes, which I think would be helpful in implementing PBL on a daily basis. I do understand your feelings of "how can they possibly cover all the standards in enough details!" because I feel that way, even as a fifth grade teacher. To supplement my last PBL unit, I had to teach mini-lessons on the standards because they weren't all being directly addressed through the project. And some other units are being shortened because I spent so much time on PBL projects! And to be honest, I actually really like direct instruction with activities embedded, so I think I would miss that if I were to do PBL with every unit. But, I do see the benefit to the students, and many students are more suited to that learning style so they are more engaged than they would be in a traditional classroom. I think PBL is one tool, but I don't think it's the only one we should use as teachers!
ReplyDeleteHi Jeneane,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you taking time to reflect on your visit to Mann and like how you took time to organize your observations into both pros and cons. Like you I was impressed with the level of engagement by students and how consistent teachers were in using the same pbl terminology and tools such as the group contracts, the need to knows, the pbl rubrics that had soft skills and key content and objectives embedded throughout, and common "benchmark" assessments. I agree with Jessica that the overwhelming feeling is coming because we are in our first year of implementation with one unit behind us, and one we are doing now...the good news is, is we have time to continue growing. If we continue providing ourselves and our students to continue to implement project based learning units of study, revising and refining both our unit plans and our process we will grow in our effectiveness and our confidence and our students will too. Sincerely, Dawn