Melissa Terry - Day 3 - Response to video

Video Choice #3:
I noticed that when the teacher used the popsicle sticks, more students were engaged because they did not know if their name would be called.  I also noticed that "colleges" were invested in how their members did so they made sure that all students in their college knew how to do the problem.  When students worked in groups, they had to communicate with their group about how they solved problems which raised the level of thinking.  They had to prove the answer to their group through their communication.  Then they felt more confident to answer in whole class.
Ms. Jackson's questioning changed because she began to choose questions that began with words that were on a higher level of Bloom's Taxonomy.  Also, she chose a problem that had a solution and then asked students to work together to see how it was solved.  This was different from the beginning where she worked a problem in a one way with a few students answering.

PBL and collaborative group work fit the criteria identified in the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate in several ways.  The sustained inquiry of PBL allows for critical thinking and problem solving.  It also encourages students to know how to learn to be able to become invested in self-directed projects and work through the learning and any problems that arise to produce a culminating end product.  Also, when students learn to rely on their peers to learn and to help with critique and revision in the PBL process, they are using communication and their interpersonal skills in those processes.  As well, being able to work in a group is a World Class Skill as part of the profile.  Lastly, most PBL projects have an authenticity and real world application that help students gain a global perspective that is also part of this profile.  All in all, PBL and collaborative group work align strongly with the Profile of the SC graduate.  One thing that I really appreciate about PBL is that it makes educators be intentional about focusing on the skills mentioned in this profile.  I think educators sometimes look at the profile and think - oh that's nice - and move on to educating students in the same ways they have for years.  We know that we want SC students to be college and career ready, and being intentional about the knowledge and skills needed to get them there is an important part of that puzzle.