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.
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.
I agree whole-heartedly with everything that you said. Like you, I thought that PBL meant "all group work all the time" and I now know that's not the case. I have also been surprised at the high-level of engagement that my students have shown with this plant unit. They are really into it and truly want their plants to germinate and grow. I (like you) didn't really think that was possible. Even in the class last summer, I thought that PBL was just going to be a fancier way of doing the same old projects, but it's really not---it's completely different.
ReplyDeleteYou are really doing great things to promote PBL at your school! It really speaks to what you are doing that student are talking about it outside the classroom and teachers are wanting to know more. Keep up the good work! It's been a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteHi Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed learning alongside of you throughout this cohort and I can't tell you how much respect I have for your work. You are a thoughtful and thorough planner, creating standards-based units of study that allow for students to implement the soft and hard skills of pbl with support and with flexibility. Your students have been successful because you implemented project based learning based on their needs and also your knowledge of the content and your growing knowledge of project based learning. Each unit has improved student engagement and performance and your confidence. I know exactly why your colleagues are coming to you with their pbl questions and units, seeking your feedback...because you've earned their respect through your experience. Thank you! Please let me know how I can continue to support your work.
Sincerely,
Dawn
I enjoyed reading your final post and agree with everything you've said! I think the three things you highlighted on are some of the biggest worries teachers would have about implementing PBL in the beginning (as I know they were for me, especially, number 3). When teachers come to you to ask you about PBL, I hope that you can share these with them, because I know they would find them helpful, just as I have. Best of luck with your PBL future; I've enjoyed hearing about all the great things in your classroom.
ReplyDeleteOn point two, one of the issues that I've run into with student choice is that at first, I gave them too much choice. I found that overwhelmed a lot of the kids. I had to narrow things back down because they would wind up spinning their wheels otherwise. It's been my experience that the kids who aren't fans of PBL are also usually the kids who like a lot of structure. The difficulty of PBL for me often lies in striking the right balance between freedom and structure.
ReplyDelete