A “main course” project compares with the PBL Essential Elements in many ways and the article we were assigned to read , "The Main Course, Not Dessert," lists and explains in more detail than I will attempt to do so here. But a couple of quotes from the article explain it certainly as well as I could and probably better:
"...teachers have too frequently traded apparent student interest and excitement for in-depth
learning."
"A typical project—and most instruction—begins by presenting students with knowledge
and concepts and then, once gained, giving students the opportunity to apply them. Project
Based Learning begins with the vision of an end product or presentation. This creates a
context and reason to learn and understand the information and concepts."
My goal here is to show that I can state MY conclusion and not simply to quote someone else. So, to summarize, a good PBL is one that has a real-world product as the goal and the learning that takes place does so in the attempt to reach that goal. The process itself also, then, is real world in that it functions in the same manner as business, industry, and college research functions. The expectations of the high school PBL are not as high as those in business, industry, and college but it gives students a step up to business, industry, and college expectations.
Ensuring that my "classroom is one where Project-Based Learning is the main course and not just the dessert" is is a matter of staying firmly attached to the foundation. Ensuring that my classroom stays on "the main course" means reviewing the goals before after and during planning and returning to a review of those goals periodically to see if the projects in our course planning have drifted away from that foundation and to move it back as needed
Although I have not taught in the PBL format, I have taught using many of the elements and in a fashion that is parallel to this one. The primary support that I will "...need in order to make PBL a main course in my classroom" is administrative support. I have lived through periods where the support was there (although weakly) and where they were not. In fact, I have lived through periods where administration actively opposed some of the essential elements of PBL.
Your quote -a good PBL is one that has a real-world product as the goal and the learning that takes place does so in the attempt to reach that goal - is a good summary of PBL I think. It gives students a process and a goal to work through as they are learning.
ReplyDeleteIt concerns me that you have had administrators opposed to essential elements of PBL. As an administrator, it makes me wonder how that could happen. Your comments remind me of the importance of being open-minded and not making a judgement about something going on in a classroom during an observation.
Your quote -a good PBL is one that has a real-world product as the goal and the learning that takes place does so in the attempt to reach that goal - is a good summary of PBL I think. It gives students a process and a goal to work through as they are learning.
ReplyDeleteIt concerns me that you have had administrators opposed to essential elements of PBL. As an administrator, it makes me wonder how that could happen. Your comments remind me of the importance of being open-minded and not making a judgement about something going on in a classroom during an observation.
Hi Ray,
ReplyDeleteThank you not only for an excellent summary of the article, but also for an original synthesis of what true pbl is (the main course with embedded sustained inquiry throughout) and what traditionally is pbl as dessert ( a project at the end).
You explained how one component necessary for your effective implementation of pbl is administrative support. This is hugely important and I am thankful that our district and each school with teachers represented supports this work.