Marie Darstein - Day 3 - Video #3

1. What changes do you notice when students are called on using Popsicle sticks?
When the Popsicle sticks were used, students wanted to be called on as if they were winning a prize. It also allowed for answers that were incorrect to be shared.

2. What changes do you notice when students work in groups?
When the students worked in groups, Mrs. Jackson was able to let the students rely on one another instead of looking to the teacher for the answer.

3. What difference do you notice in Mrs. Jackson’s questioning?
I was really impressed that Mrs. Jackson went to Bloom's to find new ways of questioning her students.  What a great resource!  She started asking more open-ended questions which really allowed the students to examine their though process.

Consider the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate in terms of world class knowledge, world class skills, and life and career characteristics. After viewing the videos, explain how PBL and collaborative group work fits the criteria identified in the profile. 
"11 Correlations between the Profile of a SC Graduate and PBL" :-)
Project-based learning and collaborative group work fits the criteria in terms of world class skills and life & career characteristics.
World Class Skills
1. Creativity and innovation - supported by student voice and choice as well as critique and revision and creation of a product.
2. Critical thinking and problem solving - supported by sustained inquiry and a driving question
3. Collaboration and teamwork - supported by collaboration
4. Communication, information, media, and technology - supported in nearly every aspect of a PBL but especially sustained inquiry and authentic assessments.
5. Knowing how to learn - supported by the inquiry process and honed through critique and revision
Life and Career Characteristics
6. Integrity - the group work required by PBL tests the integrity of each student as they must be responsible for their share of the work.
7.  Self-direction - during PBL and group work, the teacher is not doing the work for the students.  The teacher becomes the sherpa for a successful expedition.
8.  Global perspective - through the sharing and collaboration of PBL and group work, students bear witness to truths other than their own...it might not be global at first but the door is opened for a world outside their own.
9. Perseverance - we have all witnessed this week the persuasive force of a PBL.  As soon as we picked our own topics, we owned them and wanted to make them grow.  To get to the final product students must demonstrate perseverance.  In the role of the sherpa, teachers can offer alternate routes to success if obstacles present themselves.
10.  Work ethic - there is not place to hide in a small group or working on a PBL.  Every team member will be responsible for getting the work done to get the grade they desire.
11. Interpersonal skills - pretty obviously, if you are working on a PBL in a large or small group you have to develop interpersonal skills.   In the middle school setting this can present a major challenge but modeling and discussion help the students grow towards this life and career skill.