#6: PBL Unit--Orchestra

I did a short workshop with the orchestra teachers about how to use PBL in the orchestra classroom.  I presented the two units that I have completed and demonstrated how easily it can be used to cover the non-performance standards.  We brainstormed about ways to may shareable units for the district orchestra curriculum and came up with some really fun ideas that incorporate improvisation, composition, history, theory, and performance.  I look forward to implementing more of these throughout our district starting next school year.

#5 What I Knew Then/What I Know Now

I knew that...
I wanted to do this PBL with my 6th graders.
the structure and time frame would be modified from last time.
composition would be involved to cover one of our state standards.
there would be a performance component as well.
I would be pairing with the Social Studies teachers for background information.
I could use this as a bridge to music theory.

I know now that...
condensing my PBL time frame in to a more compact period made continuity so much easier.
students need WAAAAAY more assistance with composition than I realized.
getting them to be creative and work on their own is challenging.
they really enjoyed the background knowledge.
it gave them a more real investment in to their social studies unit.
I can set high expectations for them and they will rise to meet them.

Tieraney G. Rice Post #7: What I Used To Think.....But Now I Know.

Wow!  I really can't believe that this cohort experience is coming to an end.  I have thoroughly enjoyed working with this great group of educators.  This experience was very beneficial for me as a professional, and is one I'll always remember.

WHAT I USED TO THINK........
After learning about the various phases of PBL last summer when the cohort started, I thought "maybe the PBL approach would be a little much for preschoolers to handle."  I thought, "maybe my little people are not ready to handle working collaboratively or even making decisions about their learning."  Because of these thoughts, I approached the project in the fall with a lot of nervousness!  But, to my surprise, I was very wrong!

NOW I KNOW........
Not only were my little people ready, but they exceeded my expectations with their questions and discoveries throughout the fall and spring projects!  Now I know they can totally do it!  Now I know that unlike older students, little people need a little more teacher direction throughout a project.  Preschool teachers have to work hard to allow as much student-led instruction as possible, but keep in mind that the students will still need some teacher direction.  Now I know that I'm ready to go full force with PBL next school year!

#4 Monarch Visit

Monarch Elementary is the quintessential example of what can be achieved with both full support of the administration and parents.  I have never been through a school with more parental involvement.  The projects were amazing, the hallways were filled with artwork, and every time you turned a corner, you saw another parent volunteer.  The arctic display was most impressive.  It had interactive qualities and adorable animals created by kindergarten classes.  This school is an excellent example of the PBL curriculum in practice over a long period of time.  It showed longevity and the teachers all seemed comfortable with the process.  I can see how much work goes in to creating this type of environment, and the students really seem to thrive. 

Tieraney G. Rice Post #6: PBL Workshop

I had the pleasure of presenting my PBL project "Shapes Are Everywhere" to one of the program directors with Greenville County First Steps.  Greenville First Steps is an organization that partners to promote school readiness initiatives by enhancing the work that local preschools are already doing in the community.  Their mission is to help get children ready for school.  I wanted to present my project and talk about the benefits of PBL to this organization to raise awareness about the approach and to demonstrate how it is effective as early as preschool.  First, I explained what PBL is and I gave an overview of what takes place for the students and teachers during the different phases of the approach.  I talked about the project I implemented in the fall. Then, I talked about and showed my shapes project.  I had all of our documentation from the project displayed on the wall starting with the driving question all the way to pictures showing the final presentation we had for the families and members of the community.  She was very impressed by the inquiry based activities the students were engaged in throughout the project.
Prior to my presentation, the program director had not heard of PBL.  So, that made me that much more excited to share the information.  She was enlightened and eager to go back and share what she learned with her colleagues.  I certainly enjoyed sharing the information with her, and my hope is that she will share it with other preschools she visits.  I'm also hoping that I will be able to share my projects and the PBL approach by doing workshops at other preschools.    

#3: JL Mann visit

I enjoyed seeing PBL in action at a high school.  The classes I observed were all very different, but the thing they had in common was a sense of ease.  The students knew what they needed to do, the expectations were clearly outlined, and the teacher acted as a facilitator.  We saw a project that involved science and comic strips/graphic novels.  We saw Spanish videos explaining dress code.  We saw the very beginnings of a new project in Language Arts, and the completed version of an etiquette book.  The students I spoke with seemed genuinely interested in what they were doing.  My favorite thing to see in PBL learning styles is the interaction and problem solving.  It's much more conducive to real-life situations.

Kathy's Blog 6

Kathy Feigenbaum

Blog #6

What I thought I knew about PBL but now I know:

Less than a year ago^h I received a forwarded email through my principal with a PBL flyer from Furman. I looked at it. I didn’t know anything about PBL. I asked some of the teachers at my lunch table what they knew about it. Nothing.In my defense, I look back at the email and there is no explanation as to what PBL even stands for! I started to investigate. I had a sense of projects, which, as we learned later are called “desserts.” That is the way I had been using projects in my classes. I decided to go to the June 8 PBL Convocation at Furman. I was intrigued enough that day to enroll in the 2018-19 PBL Consortium, and I’m so glad I did! My concerns at first were about how I might be able to make this method work whilst pushing students to speak in Spanish.

Now I know that it IS hard to incorporate PBL in a foreign language class. It IS difficult to work and communicate about something authentically in the language when students have no knowledge of the language. Yet I can imagine that there are hurdles in any subject and at every level.

I know what it takes to create a true PBL, both instructionally and motivationally. (I know the parts that make up one, as well as the effort involved.) I believe that the group we had in our cohort, with Dawn as our leader was incredibly helpful and supportive. One of my concerns is managing all of this without the support of other teachers. I am hopeful that the PBL pitch I gave to our faculty might bring some colleagues on board! Teaching itself really is a PBL by nature, and therefore collaboration should be a requirement.

Many thanks to you all for helping me through this challenging and rewarding experience.

Tieraney G. Rice Post #5: Revisions made to my PBL plan

My PBL project was called "Shapes Are Everywhere."  I was much more comfortable implementing this project after having the experience of implementing a project in the fall.  When we started the project, my plan was to focus only on 2D shapes and their attributes throughout the project.  However, I quickly discovered through observations and various activities that I could also introduce and focus on the names and attributes of some 3D shapes.  I came to this decision because the students quickly demonstrated that they were very good at identifying 2D shapes and could explain their attributes.  So, adding the exploration and discussion of 3D shapes added a challenge to the project.

Tieraney G. Rice Post #4: Visit to Monarch Elementary

     Our visit to Monarch Elementary was amazing!  All schools have a hand-full of teachers who use "outside of the box" teaching approaches.  However, to be in a school where the ENTIRE STAFF uses the same approach was very refreshing.  If I were to apply to teach in a district, this is the type of environment I believe I would love and thrive in.  I'm so glad we had the opportunity to hear from a teacher from each grade level and the music teacher about the projects they've done or are in the process of doing with their students.  After hearing from the staff members about the projects, it was great to have a chance to walk the halls and visit classrooms where the PBL approach was in action.  The students were engaged and willing to talk about and answer questions about what they were doing.  I was truly inspired by this visit!    

Tieraney G. Rice Blog Post #3: Visit to JL Mann High School

     The visit to JL Mann High School was very enlightening for me.  Being that I teach preschool and my own children have not yet reached high school yet (until next school year), I have not known or been in tune with anything pertaining to the high schools.  In fact, I had not set foot in a high school since my 10 year high school reunion (which was a long time ago) until this day.  First of all, I didn't realize that JL Mann had a separate building that houses the PBL classes.  The students have the option of PBL classes or regular traditional classes which I think is awesome to have those choices.
The way the PBL building is designed is amazing!  I really like how you can look into the classrooms as you walk by,  and I like the common sitting areas outside the classrooms. I enjoyed watching two teachers co-teach a math class.  I was impressed by how they worked together and facilitated while the students worked collaboratively.  Being able to talk with the students in three classes about current and past projects was also a treat!  What a wonderful learning environment! Although it has been very challenging over the years to create this environment, it is evident that the staff at JL Mann is committed to working hard everyday to effectively implement the PBL approach.    

Kathy's Blog Post 5

Kathy Feigenbaum

Blog #5

PBL Workshop/Brochure

For the PBLworkshop, I ended up creating a brochure about my PBL experience to share with other teachers at my school. We are crunched for time with meetings about testing, so I didn’t want to add to the overall stress level. I sent out an email with a link to the Power Point launch I used for my recent PBL about fashion. Since the teachers had helped by posing for pictures for the presentation, I wanted them to get a look at that. I also put a copy of my brochure in their mailboxes and encouraged them to ask questions. A science teacher indicated that she really likes the idea but has concerns about meeting all the standard. Another Spanish teacher says she wants to talk in-depth this summer about plans for next year. Another 6^th grade teacher said, “ Thank you for sharing your ideas from the PBL workshop.  I like the ideas you presented about making the project personal so it is more meaningful for students.  Also, I agree with your ideas about learning how to properly collaborate in middle school benefits students in later years.  PBL is a great way to get students excited about taking ownership of their learning.

Thank you for sharing,”

 Then several teachers said, “I liked your brochure!” (Thanks.)

I’m glad to get a little publicity out there, since this time last year no one I spoke with knew what PBL is! I was considering the convocation at Furman (last June) before deciding to participate in this consortium. I am glad I did! And hopefully I’ll inspire other teachers at my school.

Kathy's Blog Post 4

Kathy Feigenbaum

Blog #4 April 30, 2019

Wow! What a School!

Our Field Trip day to visit other schools was a great experience. I wasn’t far from my own school when we visited Monarch, yet I had now idea about the program there! I even have several 6^th graders in my class who were there at Monarch last year. It was so exciting to see how well organized the program is there, and how well the teachers and staff seem to coordinate PBL! I thought, “wow! It would be cool to work here.”

Then we had a delightful lunch together at Uncle Berto’s. So nice!

After a bit of a car ride we arrived at a maze of a school parking lot. Finally having parked, I walked in. It was so impressive! So much thought was put into the set-up. It’s so well equipped for PBL. The hubs are so nice, and the window walls make classes very open. I spoke with a Spanish teacher there, and we shared some ideas. I thought, “wow! What a school!” In a few years it might be great to work there. 😉 I mazed my way back out of the parking lot (following Dawn – lol) and thought about the schools.

There are take-aways from both schools. Some hacks and ideas and connections I can use. Maybe I can get some colleagues to buy in to PBL. But I sure wouldn’t trade places with anyone.