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!
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your final reflection and your journey through learning and implementing project based learning in your classroom. You shared how sustained inquiry really stuck with you with the analogy of the project being the main course and not the dessert. You also shared how there is a prevalent misconception with project based learning that it is completely student driven but you've learned that it is standards-based and aligned with driving questions , supported with mini-lessons, and informed with ongoing assessments. Like you, I know how flexible pbl is and how important it is to understand as practitioners that it does look different in various classrooms based on unit design/topic, teaching styles, and certainly , student needs. Please keep me posted on how I can continue to support your work with pbl in the future.
Sincerely,
Dawn
I enjoyed reading your final post, Jessica. I especially related to where you talked about how PBL will look different in every classroom. I thought going in that there would be a "correct" PBL way, but like you said, while there are certain elements, it will look different in different classrooms, yet still be PBL. I have found knowing this takes some pressure off so my PBL doesn't have to look the same as someone's down the hall. Best of luck with your PBL future!
ReplyDeleteA lot of your thoughts echo mine. PBL is definitely harder on the teacher than more traditional methods, and, it's also pretty difficult to give up control. One of the things I found helpful when designing PBL-style content is thinking about the everything through the backward by design concept that we talked about in class. I've started designing all of my lessons with the end product in mind, as opposed to finishing my design process with the end product.
ReplyDeletePBL is exhausting, because I find I'm never done with it. It's a blessing and a curse. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯