Blogpost #5 - Shanna Pittman
What I Used to Think but Now I Know
Prior to taking this class I thought I had a pretty good command of using the PBL approach because I was already teaching in integrated units and had begun to change those units, transforming them into the Inquiry-Based approach to learning. This class would be a piece of cake and was the logical next step. That turned out to be WRONG! Project Based Learning is so much more than teaching integrated and Inquiry Based units and there are key elements such as, sustained inquiry, protocols, student voice and choice, and so on that I thought, "Oh no, how can kindergartners do this?".
I planned my unit this summer (remembering the class that had just been promoted to first-grade) and approached it with a great deal of trepidation. After meeting my new class this year and realizing that my voting unit would take place at the beginning of the year, I was really worried that what I planned during the summer would flop. I worried that the content was too abstract and that students would not be interested. I couldn't have been more wrong! My students surprised me in their excitement about voting and how they learned and remembered the content of the unit. They worked hard and talk about our neighborhoods even now.
There were several changes and modifications that had to be made as I progressed through the unit. This was no surprise as I continually modify and adjust to suit the needs of kindergartners. The biggest change I had to make was my culminating activity. This was a change I had to make because we could not delay electing a student council member. In the end, however, the culminating activity was even more exciting and involved more members of our school community than the original plan. We worked hand in hand with the cafeteria manager and staff, as well as our student council coordinator.
I plan to continue teaching this particular PBL unit in the years to come. There are a few modifications I would make. I think the time-line for implementation should be shorter. I would shorten it to 2 weeks instead of 3 weeks. When implemented, students did not need as much time for the neighborhood meetings as I had anticipated. I would also give students more choice in their arrangement of neighborhoods. Instead of having to stay at the table in which they always sit, I would allow them to choose their neighbors. After all, we choose our communities as adults. I would also give them the freedom to "move" to different communities if they so chose.
After implementing my first PBL, I am excited about what I have planned for the Spring! My new unit is science and I am collaborating with my grade level colleagues to plan and implement an Arctic Animals unit. I am not as nervous about implementing this unit as I was the first and look forward to spreading my wings a little more!
What a great outlook on how your semester has gone concerning PBL. It seems emotionally you have ups and downs but you were able to conquer it all. Your willingness to overcome the obstacles is an account not only for your love for your job but more importantly, the love you have for your students. Already spending a lot of time in your classroom this semester, I would love to come and watch this unit play out.
ReplyDeleteHi Shanna,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the positive outlook on pbl, on your students' abilities, on your collaboration with your colleagues, on basically everything...this makes all the difference. In your reflection you shared how you've learned as much from the application of your first pbl unit this fall as you did from the creating and planning of your unit this past summer. You are right, the two go hand in hand, but the modifications we make in response to our students' needs - both anticipated and those that are unexpected - help ensure that our instruction is student driven and not just content or lesson plan driven. I saw that in this unit, Shanna where you pushed when you needed to and then you supported as well when they needed you to. This kept students growing and the learning progressing. I know this is similar to what you are doing in collaborating with your colleagues on the planning and implementing of this second unit. It is similar to our work with students, in that we have to negotiate our expectations with their needs and interests in order to create trust and to move forward. You will get there! I'm looking forward to seeing this Arctic Animal unit this spring!