D6PBL (on Slack)

So I was struggling to come up with the 12th reply to a post (that wasn't repetitive at this point) and one of the things I saw that kept coming up in other people's posts was the desire to have some type of continuation of PBL discussion with the members of our cohort. So, I made a Slack team for us:

Click here to sign up

I set it up so that anyone with a spart6.org or d6du.org email address could sign up. 

If you've never used Slack before, it's pretty much one of the best messaging apps I've ever seen. I've included some information for you below:

Getting started for new users

And here's a more detailed overview for those of you who have never heard of it:

What is Slack and how does it work? - Pocket-lint

Let me digress for a moment. I use Slack as a backchannel chat option for my own classes. I've learned there are 3 kinds of people who slack: those who use it as intended, those who use it to post memes and/or other distracting stuff, and those who don't use it. So, just be aware of that if you think about using it with students. I had to basically make a "Memeteam" channel for some of my kids so that they wouldn't clutter up the general channels where we actually got work done. Before I did that, a lot of productivity was lost to spam.

Anyway, back on topic, Slack is cool because it's a group discussion, and you can also very easily post links/share files through it. It's a simple drag-and-drop for files (my kids use it for collaboration a lot) as long as you're not dropping massive files in there (think long videos).

Slack has a pretty slick mobile app, but be warned if there's a lot of activity going on in a slack channel, you may want to turn push notifications off for it on your phone.

I think Slack is really cool, and I think it has a lot of potentials; I hope people sign up/actually use it if they're serious about keeping the discussion going.

Thanks, everyone, it's been a great series of classes.

Blog Post 6: I used to think, but now I know...

At the beginning of this year, we were informed that we would have to add 2 additional PBL units to our curriculum at RES.  Last year, we were required to complete 4 PBL science units with Project Lead the Way being one of the units.  This year the additional PBL units needed to be in other subject areas. I used to think that PBL was a way to plan a science unit.  All I can think about was how can I use the Engineering Design Process in other subject areas.  I remember sitting in class looking at Mrs. Harris and saying, “we have to get away from thinking about PBL with science.  This isn’t about science.”  I realize PBL is a much bigger picture.  It is a way of planning instruction that integrations multiple subjects while teaching students several skills needed for the 21^st century jobs.  After this class, I think about how can I incorporate PBL across the board.  Now, at the end of the school year,  I have began to think about my planning for next year.  My brain is overflowing with great ideas to provide my students with a learning experience that will keep them engaged and prepare them for life.  I used to think that PBL unit planning was a long drawn out process, but now I realize that it can be done fairly quickly especially if the teachers collaborate.  This method of teaching, not only requires to students to work collaboratively, but the teachers learn to work together in planning. I now know that PBL is the way to create 21^st century learners. 

Blog Post 5- Growing Soft Skills

This PBL class has been really beneficial to me as a teacher.  Each year is always different then the year before.  This group of fifth graders seems to be “that” group.   In years past, I have enjoyed allowing my students to work in groups or partners.  My students, this year, have had a hard time working with a partner or in a collaborative groups.   This year our school has focused on guided math, reading, and writing groups.  The students have to be in groups for each of these things. Through this class, I feel like soft skills in my classroom has evolved.  Class 1 gave me some strategies that I could implement into my classroom.  At the beginning of the year, the strategies that I learned were at the back of my mind.  Thankfully, class 2 rolled around and I was reminded of the strategies.  I was able to use things like the Gallery Walk and critical friends with my students and help them to realize the importance of communication and collaboration amongst their peers.  Through this year my students have evolved to better communication skills.  The students learned how to talk to each other instead of at each other.  Some of the students quickly picked up on the correct way to communicate very fast, while others are still working.  I think as my students learned the appropriate way to communicate, their collaboration skills improved.  The students were able to collaborate in partnerships and larger groups.  At this point of the school year, I can ask my students to get with a responsible partner to complete an assignment and they will choose partners that they can work with productively.  Now, that I am in class 3, I am truly thankful for the trip to JL Mann.  The group contracts have been a lifesaver for this PBL unit.  My students worked so hard to assign their jobs and then they held each other accountable.  I did not have to follow up behind my students.  They were able to do it all by themselves. Not only did my students “grow,” but they surely made me “glow.”

Blog Post 4- Peer Project

                Naturally, when we were assigned the peer project, Mrs. Harris and I looked at each other knowing we would partner up to do this, but unsure of what we would do.  Since RES is a STEAM school and we focus heavily on STEM and PBL staff development, we were not convinced that our peers at school would receive us so graciously.  We knew we had to think outside of the box.  We had to dig deeper than the surface area. Afterschool one day, I was talking with a first year teacher about how her year was going.  She mentioned that she had an upcoming meeting with all of the other first year teachers.  After giving her session of 21 questions, I knew that Lindsey and I would have to help our first year teachers. 

                STEM has been a transition for all the teachers at RES.  Some have had to completely alter their way of teaching, while  others have been moldable to make STEM work in their classrooms. Most teachers, like myself, had never even discussed a STEM education in my college practices.  Lindsey and I spoke with several first year teachers and many of them said some of the same things, “They had never heard of it, They was not sure if they were doing it right,  They were handed the lesson plans and never explained anything, etc.”   So, Lindsey and I decided to create a general powerpoint to help the first year teachers understand what they should be doing in their PBL unit because we are required to complete 4 per year at RES.  Also, we created a google form for the teachers to fill out and provide us with feedback so we could know how to specifically help them.  Next year, there will be several new teachers in our building.  Hopefully, the Harris sisters will be supportive to all of those who need our help!

Brittany Daly - Blog Post 6 – I used to think, but now I know….

 I have really enjoyed my experiences throughout our three PBL courses. When I was asked at the end of last school year if I would like to participate in these courses, I thought it sounded like a good opportunity. I figured it would help me meet my school’s STEM goals. I honestly thought that some of my instruction was already pretty similar to PBL, but I had a lot to learn. Our first course was so helpful in outlining exactly what PBL is. I realized that it requires much more planning and organization than I originally thought. I remember being so optimistic this summer, as I often am. I thought about all of the possibilities that awaited me in regard to PBL instruction this year. When it came time to actually implement my first project, it didn’t go quite how I planned it. I struggled with time management, and my students struggled with collaboration. It made me realize that I need to do a better job of pre-planning the need-to-knows of my project and how my students would learn that information. What would I need to teach directly? What resources would my students need to read? How would I direct my students in their research? I also had to reflect on how I could improve collaboration.

Throughout the course of the second and third PBL courses, I had opportunities to implement more PBL units and make improvements in these areas. With my 1920s and Ecosystems units, I think I did a much better job of identifying (along with my students) the need-to-knows. My students were much more aware of the knowledge they needed to gain through their research and product creation. I know that any new units I implement next year will require more planning in that area.

I know I will need to work with my students next year on collaboration. During our visit to J.L. Mann, we learned that they begin the year by creating community and establishing collaboration norms. I plan to begin the next school year in the same way. I also hope to improve collaboration by implementing group contracts. This is something that I saw but did not really take the time to try this year. I am hoping that this gives students more ownership over their behavior and effort during group work.

I am really excited to continue to grow in my PBL instruction next year, and I hope to participate in some way with the next cohort so I can get feedback on new units I am planning. Our school’s goal next year is for each grade level to plan and implement at least one PBL unit during the school year, and I am excited about the positive impact PBL instruction will have on all of our students next year! 

Brittany Daly - Blog Post 5 – PBL Planning

This week, I was able to meet with Dawn to discuss a future PBL unit. Our 1920s unit was such a success, and we want to do something similar with a new unit next year. My team decided to focus on WWII. It is one of our favorite units to teach, and it will work better with the timeline of our program. When I met with Dawn, I didn’t have any set plans yet. I wanted to focus on determining a driving question that would give our project purpose. Together, Dawn and I talked about how we could focus on the heroes of WWII, both hidden and historical. I have drafted a driving question and problem statement that are sure to change as the planning for this unit continues.

Driving Question: What are the qualities of a hero? How did your chosen hero exemplify those qualities during the time of World War II?

Problem Statement:

The Smithsonian is adding a WWII Heroes exhibit to the WWII wing of their museum. You will act as museum curators as you research and showcase the hidden and historical heroes who made a difference during WWII.  Your job is to define what makes a hero and report on a WWII hero that exemplifies those qualities. Your research and artifacts will be added to the new Hero Exhibit of the WWII wing.

As I mentioned, this is a rough draft. I am hoping to develop the unit framework and present it to the next PBL cohort to get some feedback! 

Blog Post 6 - What I Used to Know / What I Know Now

So after 3 grad classes on PBL, I definitely feel like I learned a lot. I started doing PBL before I even knew it was a thing; it just seemed like the right way to teach my subjects. However, after nearly a year of focused study on the topic, I realize A) I was on the right track and B) I have a long way to go. PBL fits me; I can stand up and lecture, but that's not engaging for the students, and it's definitely tiring for the teacher. PBL is a lot of work...like a lot of work. But, it's not exhausting in that it leads to some really great progress in the classroom. 
I'm not much of an educational buzz word kind of person, so I didn't really have any expectations going into the class about what PBL was. I saw the email announcing it and thought, "Huh, that sounds like what I already do," and "Oh! Dawn is teaching it. I'm in!" After the first course, I decided to go all-in on PBL and redesign my entire program around a PBL model. I think it's been a good thing. It's been a lot of work (so, so much work), and I'm pretty sure I haven't done this much lesson planning in a long time (and I typically do a lot of lesson planning), but I've felt energized, and I've felt excited to see what the kids can do with the projects.

Here's a quick breakdown (in no particular order) of things I've learned during my time spent going all-in with PBL (in which I include  the digital curriculum as a part of it, since they're fully integrated in my classroom). 

My experience with a digital curriculum

-There's a tremendous amount of front-loading. This is unavoidable. 

-Students fall into 3 groups, the ones that get really into it, the ones that realize they actually have to work and get on the ball, and the kind that have no intrinsic motivation (and were incorrectly placed into a class like this). One and two are easy; grades and their own personalities motivate them. I haven't quite figured out the third group yet. 

-Produces content/skill masters

-Very flexible/adaptable for differentiation. It scales well (e.g. I can make it easy for those who need it easy, and very complex for those who need it to be complex).

-Dead links are the worst

-Internet outages are also the worst

-No more scrambling to assemble makeup work; "Everything is on the website...and has been since the beginning of the semester. Along with dates!" 

-Once you build the curriculum, you can focus on tweaking, augmenting, and streamlining your content. It’s a big trade-off; you spend a ton of time building stuff, but if you do it well, you don’t spend a lot of time maintaining, freeing you up to actually teach/grade/etc.

-It’s easy to show your kids’ progress off

-It’s very authentic.

-You have to teach a lot of computer skills.

-Kids will lose files/break computers constantly. They will also install a lot of crap on your computers.

-It’s amazing how bad students are at internet research and/or using computers in general

-Kids do not understand the concept of backing their files up. This is bad and must be fixed because sooner or later, one of them is going to lose all of their work for the year. 

My experience with PBL

-Authentic, real-world projects make the best PBL Projects

-Good PBL development takes times/revision

-Good PBL has lots of student choice, but it's not completely nebulous

-Your first implementation of PBL will probably suck

-Your second implementation of PBL will also probably suck

-Repeated implementations of PBL will suck less as you get a better idea of just how much guidance/oversight your kids need. 

-PBL is a commitment; you have to really throw down to make a good PBL project

-PBL starts with a question and end goal in mind…you build it backwards

-PBL is very much like real-world learning/on-the-job training

-It teaches responsibility; it’s a lot like college and a it frustrates some students, but it excites and inspires others

-PBL is a lot of work; it’s very rewarding, but you absolutely will spend a ton of time building/tweaking/thinking about your projects/classes/curriculum. You think about your lessons more, and you get more excited to build, implement, and tweak them. 

-PBL projects that build on themselves lead to better results (e.g. building a portfolio/website/etc.)

-PBL that puts kids in a little over their heads is great for learning.

-Formal, constructive, but public critiques work wonders

-Kids need to present more

-Kids need more practice collaborating

-You wind up with lots of opportunities to teach soft skills

-PBL rocks

I hope some of you found this useful and/or interesting. It's been a great journey diving into this educational model, and I feel this is only the beginning for a lot of us!

Post 5 - Professional Development

For my professional development, I hosted an afterschool discussion covering an overview of PBL (and what it looks like in a real classroom) and my transition to an all-digital curriculum. I created the following infographic to use during my presentation.

PBL/Digital Curriculum Presentation

I tried to create an infographic that covered the basics of what PBL is, what an inverted classroom is and isn't, and I included a link to my previous infographic I used during our final class presentations. That can be found below.

Fully Integrating PBL into Digital Art & Design

These are my notes for the presentation. This is the information I covered from the links in the first infographic.

I originally had 6 teachers sign up, but only two made it down for the talk, which lasted about an hour.

I would definitely be interested in talking about PBL more on the high school level, as I don't think it's a topic that's discussed nearly as much at this level as it is at the middle and elementary school levels.

Helen Reed - Blog Post 6 - What I Used to Think, But Now I Know

Blog Post 6: What I Used to Think, But Now I Know

I can’t believe my PBL journey has come to an end. But in reality, I feel it is actually the beginning. I have learned so much throughout these three courses and cannot wait to continue to learn and grow in the ways of project based learning.

Beginning this journey in the summer, I was excited about incorporating PBL in my classroom. I thought that I already did PBL do an extent, but was ready to do it the ‘correct’ way. But I’ve learned that while there are critical components, there is no ‘correct’ way. From summer to fall, I quickly learned that PBL did indeed involve a lot of work and planning. Oh, the planning. That is one area which I am still working on, and will hopefully get to devote some time to this summer. For my fall project, I was too optimistic. Since I’m not to the point where I can integrate every subject into a single project yet, I tried to do too much. I had to make some revisions and didn’t stick to my exact plans. The best part of all the revisions though was that I was better prepared for my next project. For the spring PBL, I thought I was more realistic in regards to what my students would be able to do. That realism came from some setbacks in the fall project, learning more about PBL, and our visit to JL Mann. All of those things really helped me grow in my PBL mindset.

Another area in PBL which I have grown in is how engaged the students can, and should be, in the project. Before I thought that the teacher should drive the project, but now I know that the students should drive the project. They are capable of every component of PBL. One area which I have grown in a lot is students having a say in the rubric creation. My students have enjoyed co-creating rubrics with me for a project. When they are involved, they are more likely to understand what is expected of them in the project and to follow through with it. After we’ve created a rubric, I will type up a copy to give each of them. This paper copy allows them to physically check the boxes with what they have and have yet to complete. I have found that the students will also hold each other more accountable. Even this makes the students more responsible and causes me to have less to worry about. When the students take that responsibility, they are growing in those soft skills, which are also essential. When the students drive the project, it really shows how much the students are learning. Just like how you can’t learn how to drive a car without actually getting behind the wheel, students learn through the project. I now know, as the teacher, you are sitting in the passenger seat. Your role shifts to be a watcher, and to let the students make mistakes. When they do, you are there ready to offer guidance and suggestions. You may have your feet and hands ready to grab the wheel and slam on the brakes at a moment's notice, yet you let the kids do it, because they are the ones that need to practice and learn the most.

I have loved being on this PBL journey and can’t wait to hear of all the fantastic things everyone continues to do in their classrooms and throughout our district. I used to think you all were great teachers, but now I know for a fact that you all are!

Helen Reed - Blog Post 5 - Second Observed Visit

Blog Post 5: Second Observed Visit

Last week, Dawn came to observe my class doing Critical Friends for my second visit. In my last blog post I talked about how I used Critical Friends as part of a writing unit to help with editing and revision. Since that was successful, I knew my students would be ready to try Critical Friends again, only this time as part of our project critique. My students started a Genius Hour project back in the fall, yet due to everything that happens at school, it got pushed to the back burner. I knew that I wanted to bring it back before the end of the school year, so I knew if Dawn came for my Genius Hour, it would give me an excuse to pull it back out. So, we have restarted Genius Hour! My students were very excited when we began working on our projects again. The first day we pulled it back out we had to spend some time finding our notes again in our notebooks and just remembering what our projects were. I also gave each child a sticky note and asked them to tell me what their next steps were for their project.

For the visit, my students spent the first part of Genius Hour participating in Critical Friends. We reviewed the protocol and then M. got up and shared his PowerPoint he had finished on his project, Nerf Gun Modifications. He did a nice job sharing and then my students gave him feedback. Most students did a good job of staying on topic and mentioning things they liked about his project. I did have to model an example after one student said that he liked his haircut… My students also gave good wonderings. One student was a little confused about one type of nerf gun, so he asked if M. could add a picture of it. M. said that was a good idea and is going to search and try to find one to add to that slide. After M.’s presentation, I reviewed with the student’s their need to knows for the work time. Students still completing research would look for good sources to take notes from and record them in their notebooks. Students that said they needed help with Powtoon or Animoto, based on their sticky note from the other day, would come to the back to workshop Powtoon/Animoto with me. Students that had finished their research would begin working or continue working on their project.

Overall, I thought the lesson went well. Also, I am so glad that I’ve brought Genius Hour back. I think it is a great thing to end the year with. With testing coming up, I know that I can give students time after testing to work on their projects. I know they will be excited about it and probably won’t consider it to be work. My plan for their projects is to hold a Gallery Walk at the end of the year when I do my classroom awards day/party. I plan to invite their parents which will allow the students to share their projects with an audience, give us closure, and help us to celebrate the end of the school year.

Blog Post #6 (Barwick

What I Used to Think, But Now I Know...

Before I took these endorsement courses, I only had a vague idea of what PBL was.  I knew it was a fairly "new" concept, and that if I wanted to advance in my career (with one of my goals as a gifted/talented teacher), I needed to learn about it and implement it in my classroom.  In my mind, PBL was more of a full-time genius hour in the classroom, and there was little teacher instruction, only facilitating.  I mistakenly was under the impression that only advanced students would be able to learn through PBL because they could teach themselves, but the majority of my students are below grade level, so I thought it would be near impossible to try.  I thought PBL was inquiry based (which it is), but so much so that standards would take a backseat.  I also thought that the "project" component occurred at the end of a unit, like other typical projects.

My thinking of PBL has completely changed.  I've learned, first of all, that PBL is the "main entree," not the "dessert."  This seems to be the analogy that helps me the most.  Students are learning while creating their projects, rather than completing something at the end just to regurgitate information already learned.  In reality, this process of authentic inquiry while creating is more important than the actual product itself because students are learning so many skills, such as autonomy, collaboration, critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, new technology skills, etc.  The driving question is essential and must not be something that students can easily find the answer to, but rather a question with many possibilities for answers and one that requires constant research, experimenting, etc.  So, while PBL is not simply a genius hour, it includes components of one.  I also learned that PBL is actually harder on the teacher!  I have to structure my units carefully, with the standards in mind, while allowing for student voice and choice.  I need to be able to let go of some control, which is difficult for me, and guide my students when they  need it.  I also found that while I initially thought PBL was strictly student-led, I will still need to teach focused mini-lessons on topics that the entire class may need.  The difference is that the lessons may be derived from need, rather than planned ahead of time.  However, there are some instances where some traditional teaching can be infused into the projects to help them along.  Finally, I now know that any student can be successful in a PBL unit, not just the advanced ones.  Final products will appear at all levels, but the process of PBL works for all levels of students.

What I learned most of all from working with so many different teachers in our courses is that PBL looks different in every classroom, every grade level, every school, etc.  There is no prescription or formula to follow, and each teacher will implement PBL the way he or she sees fit.  I do like the idea of using the essential elements checklist, and I will certainly use it in planning future units, but even with all of us using the checklist, our units looked completely different.  Moving forward, I'm glad to know I have this flexibility.

I have enjoyed these courses with everyone, and I'm excited to continue PBL in the future!  Thank you to everyone (colleagues, Dawn, Whitney) for your support and guidance this year, and I look forward to keeping in touch!

Thanks!

To my PBL Cohort, Dawn, and Whitney,

Thanks for.....

- sharing your expertise

- embracing your passions

- owning your weaknesses

- caring so deeply for your students

- 'wondering' so compassionately

- 'loving' so authentically

and

-allowing me to do the same.

You have been an inspirational group to work with.

Most sincerely,

Marie 

Passing the Baton

This week I had the opportunity to conduct my Peer Presentation.  My principal, Jay Seegars, made arrangements so that I could be out of my classroom during three planning periods, one for each grade level.
The goal of these presentations were to present the essential of PBL to the entire Dawkins faculty and guide them to tip their toes in the PBL pool with a Mini-May PBL.   I was very fortunate that Dawn was able to join me for most of the day.
I understand that many teachers find it intimidating to talk in front of their peers, but I was nothing but excited to share just a little bit about what I had learned over the past three semesters.
I did not know that Dawn's middle school science teacher was one of my peers.   It was quickly clear to me that I was working with the fourth generation PBL....Mrs. Edge had inspired Dawn, Dawn had inspire me, I was trying to inspire my peers.   I was part of a legacy. I was starting something, I was another link in the chain.
Using the "8 Essential of PBL" I was able to talk about some of the biggest changes PBL had made to my teaching, some of the biggest changes in my students using PBL, and some of the great PBL units you all had created.  
The eighth grade teachers came up with some great ideas that they will be working to firm up before May 12th.  The seventh grade teachers were already doing some great projects that they were hoping to tweek to PBL units.   The sixth grade teachers immediately picked the August Eclipse.   They realized that they will not have time in August to teach about the eclipse so they were hoping to use the Mini-May PBL to cover that topic.   They are well on their way to a great unit of study.
My hope with the Mini-May units is that teachers see the benefits of PBL for their students and are more willing to continue on the path to PBL next year.
Thank you for all each of you have done over the past year.  Your willingness to try and share has been inspirational.  I hope your students all know how lucky they are to have you for teachers.
Can't wait to hear what happens next!  See you in the District Newsletter!!!!
Most Sincerely,
Marie

Blog Post 6 - Shanna Pittman

What I Used to Think but Now I Know!

Shanna Pittman - Blog Post 6

What I used to think:      

     When I signed up for this class last Spring, I was excited to find out what all the PBL talk was about. I thought it would be a great extension of what I already do in kindergarten, which is teach integrated units. Honestly, I thought I was already teaching using the Project-Based Learning model. When we began the class I thought there would be lots of early childhood teachers and we could share ideas about what we are doing and share ideas for units and help each other develop those into pbl units. I was wrong about most of what I initially thought project based learning and our class would be. I was definitely not disappointed though! 

Now I know:

     After the class began last summer, the first observation I made was that there weren't any early childhood teachers. As a matter of fact, most of my fellow students were almost exclusively middle and high school teachers. The second observation I made was that PBL units were more complicated than I expected. I began to worry that if I planned a unit using all of the key elements, it may be too advanced and beyond the scope of what a five-year old could comprehend. However, my worries were unfounded. Dawn was a wonderful resource and excellent support for me. I thoroughly enjoyed our coaching experience.

Although PBL turned out to be more than I initially expected, it was even more effective than I anticipated in helping my students understand and remember the ideas and information I was presenting. My students were fully engaged in each unit, they remember them and still talk about them. I am hoping to plan more units next year and build on the units I planned this year. I would like to add new units each year. I would love to stay connected to the class and any kindergarten teachers who may decide to take the class in the future!

Jeneane Allgood---What I used to think but now I know

I've said this before, but anyone who knows me knows how much I usually dislike education classes. It seems like whatever the latest "craze" is in education is pushed really hard for a couple of years and then fizzles out. I figured that Project-Based Learning would be the same way, but it's not. This is a totally different way to go about teaching students, and even if I'm not teaching through projects all of the time, I definitely find myself approaching lessons that I want to teach my kids with a project-based learning philosophy. I have realized that it's not so much about the end product as it is about the learning process that it takes to get there. I used to think that Project-Based Learning meant that the kids had to learn everything on their own, and that's simply not the case (nor should it be). The teacher is typically responsible for teaching some content traditionally, but students typically research ways to apply that content. The teacher has to walk around and facilitate the learning. It is not simply just giving a computer to a student and hoping for the best (as some people perceive it to be). I have become a believer in Project-Based Learning and I know that I will be using it in my classroom for a long time to come. I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone in the class and I am constantly amazed by how creative everyone is. It really inspires me!

Jonathan Terry Blog Post 6 - What I Used To Think, But Now I Know...

As I sit here and reflect back on the journey we've taken together over the last several months, I realize how my ideas about PBL and my skills as an educator have grown tremendously.  I now have teachers stopping by my room to ask my opinion about PBL and the projects they are thinking about doing in their classrooms.  I am not expert by any means, but it gives me some confidence when other teachers trust your judgement and experience about a new way to engage and teach our children.

Below I've outlined a few "what I used to think" statements about PBL that have been completely transformed by this class.

1. I used to think that PBL meant all group work all the time.

Before I took these classes, project based learning was just a serious of buzz words that I felt didn't have much merit.  When I would hear things about "student choice" or "collaboration", I figured that this was someone's idea of a perfect world and a perfect classroom.  I also assumed that collaboration meant that I had to have my students in groups every single day.  I now know that collaboration is an important part of project based learning, but students also need activities and assessments to show their individual growth.

2. I used to think that student choice meant that students picked what topics they cared about and ignored the rest.

This was a big one for me.  I remember that first week of our summer class asking myself, "How do you cover all of the standards?"  My perception of PBL was that of a genius hour style classroom.  Students pick the topic, the method of presenting their information on that topic, and the teacher just facilitates as needed.  In a real classroom, there are still standards I have to cover and I can create project opportunities around these projects.  I now know that I can infuse student choice in the project while still having a definitive goal that students must reach.

3. I used to think that prolonged student engagement was a myth.

OK, I know this is terrible to say.  I truly believe that there was no way I could engage students for several weeks as they worked on a project.  Maybe I could excite them for a day or two, but not for the entire length of a project.  I was shocked when I did my first density ships PBL in the fall.  Not only were students engaged while they were in class, but they were excited about the project out of class.  Kids would get together at lunch and discuss ship designs.  My principal would overhear students discussing their testing in the hallways.  Students would show up at my door after school asking if they could continue working on their ships.  I now know that student engagement will be at an all-time high if you create a project that solves a real-world problem and is authentic to the lives of the students.

Blog #6-What I used to think but now I know

While reflecting on this experience, I was reminded of the Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  In the middle of the first class there were moments where I was over whelmed, had no idea where I wanted my project to go, and eventually in the middle of the week decided  to change my topic and completely start over.  My head was spinning and I felt lost--

But, once I figured out what I was doing I was ready to fly.  At the end of the week I felt like I had a new perspective on teaching, ideas to enrichment my current unit of studies, and had a tool belt full of new tools to help me succeed. 

As I worked to implement the first PBL I thought through every detail of every lesson.  I made sure to incorporate collaboration opportunities, hands on science lessons,sustained inquiry, real world examples and experiences, reflection time, and integration.  While doing all of this, I felt like I had so many options and I needed to figure out what works for my students and myself.  There were ideas shared in our class that I wanted to try but after reflecting on my students at that point in the year I knew these were "not-so-good streets" for me at the moment.    

After the second class I set three goals for my next PBL-improve presentations (audience and variety of presentation tools), co-created rubric, and community involvement.  I feel I conquered rubrics, made significant improvement in presentations, but community involvement is still a work in process.  My presentations have consisted of peer groups, younger students, and adults through digital feedback.  I also feel more comfortable using new digital tools and I am glad my students were exposed to multiple ways you can present content. While I had speakers come in to discuss our topic and parents will be coming for our Genius Hour presentations this will be a focus for me next year.  

  

                 There are two words that would sum up my PBL experience in my classroom this year...VOICE and CHOICE!!  I can honestly say my students have been in the driver seat of this process, and I have been the navigation system.  By me navigating, I have directed them down the right roads, as bumpy as they were at times, to finally make it to our final destination.  I have learned there is great power in choice.  I have seen students who couldn't read, find information from various sources. I have seen students who were never engaged, come alive and flourish.  And I have seen some of my brightest students challenge themselves.  My second graders have proven to me that when you build firm relationships, learn how to work together, and provide opportunities for students to take control of their learning you are setting students up to succeed and move mountains!  

    I am looking forward to continuing my PBL journey next year and making new units and revising old units to make them better.  I am ready for my next mountain! 

Final Post

For my final visit, Dawn stopped by DFC and we talked through the proposed implementation of the school within a school here at DFC.  She loved the idea and offered many suggestions and ideas on how to implement the program more smoothly.  I am really excited about this opportunity here at DFC.

I have been doing a version of PBL through PLTW classes here at DFC for five years.  For the most part, students love PBL and what they are capable of doing with this process.  After doing PBL in Biomed and Engineering, I was making some changes to my Physical Science classes as well - but without formal training. Now that this training is complete, I can already see an increase in my ability to plan and implement PBL units.  I am looking forward to PBL next year in all of my classes.

The one issue that I continue to battle with is student autonomy.  Some students are not liking the idea of having to do the work on their own and want me to stand in front of the class and "teach."  This is especially true the further I get into my classes.  It's almost as if they are tired of the PBL and just want to be told what to do. I will continue to work on this when I enter the classroom next year.

Jonathan Terry Blog Post 5 - PBL Peer Presentation

For my presentation, I took a different route.  Dawn came to my school several times to talk with the science and social studies teachers about PBL, so most of the teachers in my school already have a basis of what makes project based learning.  I decided to make my peer presentation more of an open discussion where I could provide support and help to those teachers unsure of using PBL in their classrooms.

At the beginning of my discussion, it became apparent which teachers have already worked with PBL and which were still nervous about undertaking a project.  After quickly covering how to make a past project more into a PBL, I gave teachers some time to share their thoughts and questions.  I have shared a few of those questions and my thoughts/feelings below.

1) Does PBL have to be in partners?

Because of the huge collaboration component, SOME of the PBL has to be in partners or group-based.  In my experience, however, I do not think it is necessarily beneficial or required that the entire project be group-based.  One social studies teacher, who had already tried their first PBL, said that their project consisted of 3 "tasks" the students had to complete.  Task 1 and 2 were more individual based, where as task 3 was taking the individual work and transforming it into one cohesive project.  I personally believe that middle schoolers can only handle 3 or 4 days sitting in the same group.  There is a lot of benefit to breaking up a long project, or even adding "tasks" to vary the amount of work.

2) How do I grade each student individually?

This is a question that many teachers had when starting our PBL class in the summer.  Through our class time, I've learned that PBL does not mean you do away with those individualized assessments.  PBL also doesn't mean that your culminating grade necessarily has to be all group-based.  There are a lot of different ways you can grade students to make sure each receives that individualized feedback.

My encouragement at the end of the discussion was for teachers to just try PBL.  Most teachers admitted to planning some type of project after our standardized testing.  I hope they will take that project and infuse some PBL attributes to that project to make it more real-world and authentic.

Blog Post #5-Reflecting on Students Reflections

Through this process I have stretched myself as an educator, and in return I have had the privilege to watch my second graders critically think, problem solve, collaborate, and communicate in a positive, productive learning environment.  With my guidance, they have been able to apply their new learning in other areas of everyday classroom life.  However, I wondered what their thoughts and feeling were about project-based learning.  So I asked them! J 

Using a Padlet I posed the question-

How do you feel about Project Based Learning? Like it? Don't like it? Why or Why not?

( **Think about our playground unit, Native Americans, Bee Unit, Genius Hour)

I started by sharing my own reflection that I wrote on the Padlet.  I explained my thoughts and feelings and asked them to do the same.  I had two rules:  they had to be honest, and to be specific.  I was overjoyed to see that they ALL had something positive to say.  Their reflections showed me there is power in choice, creating, and enjoying when I make silly videos to introduce topics!  These reflections validated some aspects I already knew and allowed me to see what matters most to my students.   

Padlet Link: https://padlet.com/harrislr/bu0d03pvxi6y

Blog Post #5 (Barwick)

Our peer presentation at Jesse Bobo is this week at our faculty meeting, so Shanna and I will be presenting about our experiences with PBL.  The blendspace we are using is modeled after Helen’s and Brittany’s (thanks, guys!) and is meant to be used more as a resource for teachers than as an intensive training.  We don’t have a ton of time allotted for our presentation, so we are going to talk about the basics, our experiences, then send out the blendspace with extra websites and resources that will help teachers that want to try PBL next year.

First, we will discuss WHAT PBL is – how it is not a project at the end of a unit regurgitating material, but rather learning through a project with sustained inquiry and an authentic product.  Then, we will discuss the WHY of PBL.  It is more engaging, can help students understand material deeper, develop real world skills, connect to the real world, etc.  The blendspace also has links to the BIE website that explains everything further.

Next, we will move into the essential elements of PBL, since those are what we have used to plan our units to make sure it is authentic.  There is a brief description of each essential element, examples of them in our units, and pictures to show how we used them in our units.  While discussing the elements, we will talk about our experiences with PBL in general and the benefits we have seen in our classrooms.

Finally, since the blendspace is supposed to be used as a resource, at the end I included a few documents that Dawn shared with us in Course 1 that I believe are the most helpful when trying to plan a PBL.  Then, we provided sample documents we used in our classrooms (parent letter, unit plans, rubrics) for the teachers to use as a guide if needed. 

We are excited to share our PBL experiences in the faculty meeting next week!  Here is a link to the (almost finished) blendspace.  We are still in the process of adding pictures and documents.

https://www.tes.com/lessons/dLTNsHrNKfq8tA/edit 

Blog Post 5 - My 6 Revelations of PBL

Almost one year ago, we started on this journey to PBL endorsement.   It has been a year of discovery, successes, and some failures.  Along the way I have come to six revelations about Project-based learning:
1 - You'll never know what's possible unless you try.  
There are not limits with PBL.  Any restrictions you place on yourself or your students are self-imposed.  Until you try and allow your students to try, you will never witness full potential. I did not think middle school students would be able to handle critique and revision but that ended up being some of the most useful process.  I thought I could predict where the process would take my students, but their interests and passion drove our PBL's to new and exciting places.  In our last PBL, I planned on a tasting menu for the outcome but the students quickly wanted to extend that to an entire restaurant design.
2 - Students learn more when they are interested in the topic
Through PBL choices, students owe their learning.  This ownership creates a drive to learn all they can.  They come to class wanting to move on and do the next thing.  It was a constant challenge to keep up with what they needed to know and how to facilitate that learning.
3 - PBL takes the teacher OUT of the driver's seat.
Teachers are often compared to the driver of the bus, taking students on the learning adventure, but with PBL this changes.  The teacher puts in the order for the bus, make sure it's there on time, and gets on for the ride.  It's the experience that drives the bus and you never know where it might take you.   I have to admit it can be a little scary to not be steering but the it's worth it.
4 - PBL is for everyone!
Over the past three semesters, I have seen students from kindergarten to graduate school create and participate in all the elements of PBL: a driving question, 21st century proficiencies, student choice,
need to knows, critique and revisions,  need to knows, significant content.  Next week I will conduct a peer presentation where we will design a PBL for the last weeks of May.  I am excited to see how my fellow teachers design this unit.
5 - The support for PBL is authentic and palpable.
Last summer we learned about elevator pitches.  These pitches have been invaluable over the past year.   Whether 'pitching' to students, administrators, parents, or fellow teachers, the elevator pitch immediately hooked interest and it just grew from there.  I have received so many nice comments this year supporting our PBL projects.
6 - The benefits of PBL don't stop at the end of the project
The academic AND soft skills learned through PBL are skills that can be applied to every aspect of the student's life.  From computer skills to interpersonal skills, the PBL learner is a more well-rounded learner and, in time, employee.  I have seen a change in my middle-school students through the group work they have done.  They are more compassionate and thoughtful classmates.

Jeneane Allgood--Blog post 5--getting outside my comfort zone

When filling out the class evaluation this past Thursday, I realized that a big part of Project-Based Learning (at least from a teacher's perspective) is getting out of my comfort zone.  Part of what made this class so successful (or at least made me successful) was having a teacher that knew how to guide me out of my comfort zone without making me freak out and panic. Dawn's confidence in this type of learning as well as her ability to demonstrate the how to use tools like Kahoot, emaze, consensus protocol, gallery walk, and critical friends protocol made diving into this process a lot less scary. Because SHE believed that I could successfully implement my projects, I could, and I did everything in my power to make it a useful learning experience for my students.

So, isn't this what we do for the kids in our class? If we believe that they can do it and we give them the tools they need to succeed, chances are they will be successful. But it takes us having a masterful command of our content knowledge, establishing connections with our students that show that we are genuinely concerned about their success, and that we believe in them. In addition, we also have to give them the tools they need to succeed and show them how to use it. It might be the difference between pointing them towards quizlet.com and actually showing them how to use it to get them into their comfort zone.

Melissa Terry's What I Used to Think But Now I Know

What I Used to Think But Now I Know

I have truly enjoyed taking these classes for Project Based Learning and also getting to know everyone from Spartanburg!  I have learned so much that it is hard to know where to start.  Last summer when I began I thought I knew what Project Based Learning was.  I thought that I taught like this when I was still teaching and I thought that I had some teachers who were using it.  Now, after implementing this and thinking about it for almost a year, I realize that I had only scratched the surface a year ago.  I realized that when PBL is implemented, it causes the teacher to reflect and evaluate her practice and her students deeply.  It encourages teachers to be intentional in the questions they ask, the lessons they construct, the assessment practices they use in order to move students to new levels of thinking and problem solving.  It is much much more than teaching standards and then asking students to construct a project at the end to show their thinking. 

I also have pondered the Profile of the SC Graduate in a new way.  Before this class, I looked at this graphic and thought “yes, yes, we are doing that”.  I realize now that I didn’t truly really look at it or realize the importance of making sure that ALL students have the opportunities for obtaining this.  Project Based learning provides those opportunities for students.  I think one of my biggest “ah-ha” moments was realizing that third graders were going to need instruction to learn to collaborate and communicate.  I thought if I provided enough practice, they would get better at it.  When I finally began to model the expectations and practice this with them, they did improve.  Sadly, I had to learn this through watching many third grade arguments and pouts before I figured out how to improve it.

Last, I am excited about the implementation of the SC Teaching Standards 4.0 in correlation with PBL.  I think the purpose of this rubric is to improve teaching practices.  Teachers who are using PBL strategies in their classrooms will see the connection between the rubric and PBL teaching practices.  This rubric truly support good teaching practices, as well as all the components of Project Based Learning.  I look forward to the possibilities ahead as we move toward implementing both at my school.

Thanks again for a wonderful learning year!

Melissa Terry's Blog Post 5

Blog #5

Recently I was asked to share with fellow administrators some ways to help with Thinking and Problem Solving in Grades K-2 (handout attached).  I attended a session on this at the TAP conference, but I also am interested in this because of my interest in Early Childhood Education and PBL.  It is hard sometimes to think about ways to encourage thinking and problem solving in the lower grades. However, what I have found, is that when you break it down, teachers do this all the time in the lower grades.  When you ask students to be a frog, or sort, classify, or build, or simulate something from the real world, we are encouraging thinking and problem solving.  Early childhood teachers ask students to problem solve constantly.  They ask questions like – what do you see?  What do you notice?  How could you make this better?  What is the important part of this picture?  They ask students to brainstorm and generate ideas.  They ask students to explain why they created what they created or sorted the way they sorted.  I think as students get older, we feel that we must decide the parameters for thinking and problem solving.  Really, in the early grades, teachers encourage thinking outside the boundaries and encouraging different ideas without as many parameters.  I think it is good for administrators to support our K-2 teachers in this area and continue to encourage their efforts.

Melissa Terry's Blog Post 4

Blog #4

Since coming home from the National TAP conference, I have continued to explore the new SC Teaching Standards 4.0 rubric that will be integrated into ADEPT next year for all teachers.  I cannot help but think about the possibilities for PBL within this rubric, especially in the Thinking and Problem Solving areas.

This is from the rubric:

The teacher thoroughly teaches two types of thinking: · analytical thinking where students analyze, compare and contrast, and evaluate and explain information. · practical thinking where students use, apply, and implement what they learn in real-life scenarios. · creative thinking where students create, design, imagine and suppose. · research-based thinking where students explore and review a variety of ideas, models, and solutions to problems. The teacher regularly provides opportunities where students: · generate a variety of ideas and alternatives. · analyze problems from multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

When I look at the bulleted points from this rubric, I can easily see how a teacher who uses PBL will be able to accomplish this thinking for her students within the lessons.  In one of the sessions I attended, they encouraged the observer to first identify the thinking and then identify the strategy that is used to support the thinking.  As I think about the PBL lessons I have been working on, I realize that I need to look carefully at strategies that I can teach to support the variety of thinking within the lessons.  For example, I need to provide strategies for ways to research ideas, ways to analyze and compare ideas, ways for students to apply that thinking to practical scenarios, and ways for students to explore new ideas based on what they learn.  I think teaching these would encourage and enhance thinking for all projects that students work on.  Excited about looking for these and incorporating those into professional development I provide for teachers!

PBL Implementation Observation

I was scheduled for my PBL implementation observation for Friday afternoon.  At RES, all 5^th grade teachers teach science the last 45 minutes of the day.  Even if we have integrated content throughout the day, this is our time for hands on investigations (if possible).  I was scheduled to have Dawn observe me at 1:20 Friday afternoon.  Not only was this a Friday afternoon, but it was St. Patrick’s Day.  My students were overly excited to see who all had worn green so they could hand out their fair share of pinches. 

                Therefore, I was basically holding my breath all day hoping the students would be on their best behavior and show all they knew.  During the visit, my students were to research the ocean floor in group then move around from group to group to learn about a specific part of the ocean floor.  Prior to the lesson we had spent a few minutes looking at diagrams of the ocean floor.  I even let the students make models using playdoh.  Some were close while others were EPIC FAIL.  The day of the observation, I had the students sketch the ocean floor diagram on their paper in pencil.  As the students travelled from group to group, they were to add to their diagrams.  Each time they learned details of a specific part of the ocean floor, they wer expected to modify their diagram using a color and then label it on their diagram.  Each timie they mae a change, they changed colors.  This not only allowed me to see if the students understood the concept and assess them.  It also allowed the students to self-assess their own work.

                This activity was fun and engaging for my students.  They were able to work in their collaborative groups to learn content that would be beneficial to their PBL product.  The students did well during my observation.  I know that it was because they all were engaged in what they were doing and I was standing in front of them giving information. 

PBL Woes

Roebuck Elementary is a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) school.  Each grade level completes 3 pltw modules.  Originally, 5^th grade was going to complete the Land and Water PBL after Christmas holidays, but we had to start it later due to the pltw schedule for ipads.  We completed our Robotics and Automation pltw modules, which have nothing to do with our science standards, during the month of February.  These modules are very useful for the science and engineering practices.  The kids love the robotics module and are really engaged.  It is a teachers dream, but it does not cover any of the content standards for science at our school.  I personally feel like after taking this class in the summer and the first semester, my momentum for pbl was at an all-time high. After completing the PLTW modules, I lost some of my excitement for my own upcoming PBL.  This was the second half of the year and as a teacher it’s a bittersweet moment. It is closer to the end of the year, but it is “testing time.”  All the buzz around the school is “SC Ready” and “TDA.”    I was hoping that once my PBL started my love for PBL would returned.  Just as I suspected…my love for PBL returned as soon as it was time for me to start my science plans for the Land and Water unit.  I got excited all over again especially when I realized that this PBL had a special hands-on component…Barrier Island. 

Blog Post 5 - Second Implementation Observation

Blog Post 5 - Second Implementation Observation

Shanna Pittman

     For my first implementation observation, I asked Dawn to come visit my classroom and help me with teaching my young students with critique and revision. That visit was a great success and Dawn was able to see my students as they began their final products for the unit. She and I decided that it would be exciting for everyone if she did her second observation on the day my students presented to their classmates and another kindergarten class.

     Dawn did not co-teach on her second classroom visit. She came to observe presentations of their culmination projects and give feedback. She and I both took videos of the presentations, which were done in a variety of media; Play Doh, Lego builds, posters, books, etc. I was extremely pleased with the culmination projects that both my class and my colleague's class presented. Our students were respectful as each small group gave their presentations. They were excited about their own projects and those of their friends. When students talked about their projects, it was clear that they had met the goals of the unit! They had extensively researched Arctic Animals and used all of the information they gathered and applied it to create a new, fictional animal with all of the characteristics an animal needs to survive in extremely cold temperatures. Some of the presentations were quite entertaining! There were a few students who were shy, but overall my students spoke loudly and clearly and conveyed the information concisely and accurately. I was glad Dawn was in my class to see their success. That is a tall order in kindergarten! I have examples for my gallery walk on Thursday.

Class 3 - Blog #6

What I Used to Think, but Now I Know...

Well friends, I have had the spectrum of students this year and they, along with you, have taught me A LOT about PBL. At the end of our summer class, I was sitting on GO, ready to have the best year ever because I had taken a 5 day PBL class (this has been a good year, but I always get a little in over my head with my excitement at the beginning of the year and by October I'm exhausted).

My first semester went well, but I had a lot of questions about assessment(s) and grading. Then, we visited JL Mann, and I learned that they actually give their PBL students the test that traditional classes take for each unit for various reason, but one was to prove to the students that they were actually getting the core information, but also learning so much more at the same time in the PBL classrooms. I believe the heavens opened up and I heard the angels singing the Hallelujah chorus at that moment. I thought, "Why not do PBL and give traditional tests at the same time?" I could not really try this out this year, but plan on doing that next year. Also, having one year and several PBL units under my belt, will help next year.

Finally, collaboration has been a thorn in my side all year. I thought I had problems first semester, but those kids were dream collaborators compared to my second semester crew. So, I've had to monitor and adjust my collaboration expectations due to the dynamics of this group of kids. But, you live and learn. I learned that (and some of you may not agree with me) having collaboration by sacrificing the little bit of peace I have in a class, is not worth it. I wanted them to understand they needed to learn to collaborate and work together because life will ask this of them more often than not. However, my sanity and theirs is more important that "teaching them this lesson." We still enjoyed PBL, but did so in a little more individual nature. And, I believe, that is okay.

I pray, through PBL, I helped my students discover the science concepts, but also their strengths and weaknesses when speaking in front of others, how to create an infographic, useful creative websites, how to create a video using MovieMaker, how to create a brochure using Publisher, how to write a persuasive business letter, how to find and contact their state government representatives, how to remain conscious of a helathy diet using MyPlate, and how to see past this afternoon (hopefully).  Life is hard and complicated, but it can be awesome and rewarding when you look past yourself and current circumstances. This is what I really hope my students learned this year in my class.

Class 3 - Blog #5

This post is simply a THANK YOU to all of you and a LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH post. I'm sad that our class and meeting times are coming to an end. I have so enjoyed getting to know all of you, learning some content through your PBL unit designs, and discovering what great teachers and people I work with here in D6 from elementary to high school. Y'all are awesome and don't ever let anyone make you believe otherwise (if they try, just call me 😉). I pray we all use all we've learned about PBL and from each other to continue rocking our teaching careers and impacting students' lives in positive ways. I hope we can all stay in touch as I'm sure I will need your expert opinions and advice often and would love to just talk. So, don't be a stranger - crosslekc@spart6.org
Peace out girl/boy scouts!

Class 3 - Blog #4

We are trying to develop a school within a school here at DFC. Our projected start date will be the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. I am super excited and have agreed (obviously) to teach science classes in this program. Scott Taylor has been working with Dr. Smith to create the mission, criteria for attendance, courses offered, etc. I have been asked to added to the Google doc of the skeleton outline for this school. Wow! I never would have guessed last summer when I attended the first PBL course that we could do this so soon at DFC - and that I would be a part of it! I have a question for anyone who reads this post - Should there be any requirements to be enrolled in this school-within-a-school at DFC? There were none at Mann, if I remember correctly. They simply did first come, first serve. I thought students could just be presented with how these courses would be different from traditional courses (in the course manual given the previous year) and decide if they wanted to enroll - no teacher recommendations, minimum grades, etc. What do you think?

Blog Post 4 - PBL PD

Blog Post 4 - Project Based Learning Professional Development

   For our Professional Development this year in kindergarten at Jesse Bobo, my colleagues decided to give Project-Based Learning a try. I was excited to share all that I had learned this summer and share my summer-planned unit on voting with them. We began our professional development by meeting weekly. During these first meetings, I began with an overview of the core concepts and the essentials of Project Based Learning. I also e-mailed a link to the Blendspaces from class for my colleagues to use as a resource as they began to implement the first unit.
     We all began the first unit "Voting in Kindergarten" together. I detailed my plan for implementation during our PD and planning meetings, I assisted with any questions (and there were many) and each teacher tailored the unit plan to their teaching styles while keeping with the core PBL concepts.
     We planned the second unit together, as a kindergarten team. The second unit was Arctic Animals, was more collaborative, the product of all of our input. We all had ideas and had to do some compromising. However, I was pleased with the end result and our students all learned everything there is to know about Arctic Animals and how they adapt to extreme cold temperatures!
     Overall, working with my team to share Project Based Learning has been a success and my team members particularly enjoyed the second unit on Arctic Animals. I think that is because they participated in the planning of the unit. We are all invested more in when we are part of the process! The voting unit was my idea and it was more difficult to convey to my team members what I had envisioned. Therefore, they struggled more with implementation and they did not see the value as much in that unit as they did in Arctic Animals.

Jonathan Terry Blog Post #4 - Soft Skills

Two weeks ago, a group of teachers from my school were able to go tour Fisher Middle School in Greenville.  After observing several of their teachers in the middle of a PBL, I was amazed at what they were accomplishing.  Another aspect that really struck me was how accessible their projects were for students.  Even with the amazing facilities and materials, every project I observed was something that I could easily adapt for my classroom.  Just like our J.L. Mann visit, this really gave me insight into the day-to-day workings of a PBL classroom.

One of my biggest areas of growth and also something I noticed a lot at Fisher Middle was the teaching of soft skills within a project.  Every project had some type of presentation component to it.  Some projects were presented inside the classroom.  Other projects were presented to other classes or groups.  One class in particular filmed their presentations and showed them on their morning news report.  This impressed me because it showed students that the "thing" they were creating was not the end of the project.  The final culminating presentation was the end of the project.

I'm already planning a mini-PBL for after testing.  This PBL will still have the same components of a traditional PBL, but more focus will be placed on the presentation and the use of soft skills.  The culminating presentation will be for student groups to stand up and persuade/argue their research to the class.  In previous PBLs, more emphasis was placed on the "product" and not the "presentation".  I want to use this mini-PBL to help me develop my skills teaching and grading soft skills.  I also want the students to take these lessons and apply them to the rest of their academic careers.

Melissa Terry's Blog 3

Blog #3

Last weekend, I attended the National TAP conference in New Orleans.  My district sent 11 administrators to this conference because of the adoption of the new statewide observation rubric that is based on the TAP model. 

I attended many sessions in two days that addressed topics such as academic feedback, questioning, thinking, problem solving, engaging students, visual learning, and others.  I think what struck me most was how well PBL aligns with this rubric.  Many of components for a level 3 or 4 teacher could be seen in a PBL lesson. 

I also attended a session on assessment.  I think this is one area that I have struggled with during our time together learning about PBL.  The session presenter addressed assessment and many different ways students can be assessed.  But he made a comment that has stuck with me – what if we made the assessment as engaging as the learning?  What if the assessment made students want to learn more rather than be the end of learning about a topic?  I have thought about that quite a bit since my conference, and even ordered a suggested book to learn more about creating engaging assessment. (Design in 5 by Nicole Vagle)  I hope as my learning about PBL continues to grow that this will enhance my learning in the area of assessment.

Melissa Terry's Blog 2

Blog #2

My adventures in PBL world continued as I worked with a first grade teacher with the unit I wrote in the Fall.  She was not sure she wanted to use it, so we met so that I could go over the unit with her.

For me, it was a good refresher of PBL to explain the unit to her.  She had many questions and wanted to know why certain things were included in the unit.  I explained the major components of PBL and why components were included.  I found that she had some of the same hesitations that Mrs. T. felt when I began working with her.  The main misunderstanding I have found is teach first, project second.  She did not feel comfortable with beginning the project on the second day of the unit.  She was worried that students would not be able to do some of the things I had included in the unit. 

In the end, she wanted to think about it and we will discuss again to teach after Spring Break.  I think it was a little overwhelming for her.  I tried to assure her that we could rewrite it together so that she would feel more comfortable, but I didn’t feel like that was something she wanted to do.  So, at this time, I am going to wait and see what she wants to do.  I think it is important for me to remember that feeling of being a little overwhelmed last summer and make sure that I go slow with teachers.  I think I get excited about projects and learning, and I forget that some of this is new thinking for them.