Austin Baker
- How does a “main course” project compare with the PBL Essential Elements?
The only real difference I noticed between this article and the essentials was there wasn't much talk about critique, revision, and reflection. All of the other points are covered (key knowledge, challenging problems, sustain inquiry, authenticity, student voice, and public product). All of the things the article stresses about why PBL needs to be the "main course" are the same things stressed by bie.org and the other sites we looked, and backed up by the research/examples in the article.
- How will you respond to colleagues and school leadership when they ask about your PBL intentions?
I think my response to colleagues about PBL would be that in a lot of ways, it's common sense teaching. It reminds me in a lot of ways of the much maligned Common Core standards in that it's more difficult but with a better payoff. It definitely requires a different mode of thinking, because I know, at least for me, I'm used to the way of teaching the article calls "dessert." I think it's a pretty standard model of teaching; I know it's what I'm used to, and I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with it, but I see the benefits of it being the main course. I can see it in how our class is designed, with the idea of the finished product being the launching point for the class. The paradigm shift is what I think will be hard, because it definitely requires you to basically flip your lessons, and I can see why some people would resist.
I did not even catch that about the critique and revision. The more and more I dive into this PBL I am realizing that critique and revision are definitely a necessary component in or for a PBL unit to be successful.
ReplyDeleteThe better payoff should be enticing to teachers. Yes more work on the front end in preparation but the results are so spectacular every teacher should be wanting to switch over.
Hi Austin,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your close reading of the article and your comparison of how important critique and revision are to authentic, effective pbl instruction. When we save the project for the end in a "dessert" model there isn't time for much revision or reflection because students haven't been given the time to work on it throughout the course of the unit and haven't had sustained opportunities to apply which increases not only understanding but the overall effectiveness of the final project. I am glad that you not only understand the main course pbl model but see the benefits to flipping your photography units and possibly other units to provide students with sustained inquiry.