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!
I totally agree with your statement in the first paragraph that PBL causes teachers to reflect and evaluate their teaching practices. I remember having some sort of conversation in our class last summer about "What PBL is and what it is NOT". When we were planning our first unit, I remember trying to take existing things that I did and try to fit them under the umbrella of PBL. I am glad that Dawn encouraged us to truly adopt practices that followed PBL guidelines. A lot of teachers who "think" they are doing PBL really aren't...they are just doing regular projects. I think that learning what PBL really IS has been a skill that I will use for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThis cohort has been enhanced by your participation. I have enjoyed learning from you and from your experiences and from the ways you support implementation of pbl with your teachers. You lead through some of the same tenents effective pbl practicioners teach...providing clear expectations and goals, giving teachers choice, and asking thought provoking questions. Thank you for sharing what you learned from the cohort and what you discovered from the third grade application with collaboration and communication. I'd love to continue our collaboration next year.
Sincerely,
Dawn