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.
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate so much your intuition with teachers and your identity as a practicioner based leader. You don't forget about what it is like to be a classroom teacher and continue to grow and learn with teachers so when you work with teachers as an instructional leader, you are providing suggestions and feedback that are based on sound pedagogical knowledge and theory but also grounded in your own experiences. This allows you to coach in a way that supports teacher's growth in the current realities of the profession. This is why I believe you are an effective leader and a leader that your teachers connect and relate to and also respect.
I know because of the time and thought you took to go over the pbl unit plan with the first grade teacher and also the wait time and the choice to implement you gave as well will lead to positive results with this teacher. Growth over time right?!
I have really enjoyed working with you this year!
Sincerely,
Dawn