Blog Post # 1

Chapter 2: Thinking. Through Project Based Learning “In project based learning, curiosity is the engine for learning. Of course, more than curiosity is required for students to reach the finish line. But if a project doesn’t get students caring and wondering from the outset, it’s almost certain to fall flat” ( Krauss and Boss). No truer can a statement be made when reflecting on my experience with implementation of PBL. The goal is to have students actively engaged in their learning process. The lack of stimulation and high interest with a project will definitely deter the ultimate outcome. As an educator and a lifelong learner, if I am not invested in the process and what I am working on, it is very hard for me to maintain focus. This is the same for my students. Trying to find something that is relevant, connects to best practices, standards yet is high interest is a tall order. However, I know that students at this day and age learn differently from years past. Passive learning isn’t helping them make those authentic connections and strengthening their neural pathways expanding their preexisting schema. Thinking about brain research, I wanted to design a PBL unit that would provide that choice to students connecting to the uniqueness of their brains, exposing them to varied experiences that help expand schemas and making connections from new to old information. One of the essential steps to doing this is getting to know my students. Finding out what is of high interest to them or relevant to their lives, I found insight into how to captivate them during implementation. Knowing your cliental or students is an invaluable piece of information that helps your curtail information or the product to what is going to be most beneficial. In hindsight, developing a PBL unit is always best once you know your students. I found myself having to redesign a lot of the content because I wanted it to have the most impact on the students I was currently teaching. With the unit I had developed fully ready to implement, I have spent a lot of time getting to know my students through conversations, conferences, and their journaling and interest inventories. This has helped me tremendously with determining my next steps with the PBL. Flexibility has to be a key component when embarking on this paradigm shift. Just because you have spent time developing and feel you have a finished product, it may have to change based on the needs of your students. Using research and best practices is also something that I took to heart when thinking about implementing PBL. “The right kinds of learning experiences during these years help children activate the neural circuits need to become proficient problem solvers and creative thinkers” (Willis, 2011). The shift to PBL and utilizing it within my classroom and school is the way to promote what Willis stated in the above-mentioned quote. What better what to prepare our children to become thinkers, analyzers, and productive citizens than to immerse them in a process that calls for them to have to think through problems and solve them in a way to makes sense to them? Chapter 3: After reading Chapter 3: Making the World Safe for Thinking, I came away with many thoughts about how I would love for the physical environment in not only my co-teach classroom but my school as well to be. The first thing that stood out to me is the discussion at the beginning of the chapter about how schools like Birkdale Intermediate really dive head on into their PBL units. They really ignite the spark for getting excited about the upcoming PBLs by building an air of curiosity placing posters on the walls and even a flag up letting their students know that a new journey is about to begin. I think promoting new PBL projects and student interest is a great way for us to develop a community of learners. It helps students be excited about school and what they are learning. The other part of this is that is really connects the various grade levels. They are able to see what is going on around the school offering ways to maybe reach out and add something to the information the other grade level is focusing on. It promotes a community atmosphere instead of isolation. One of the biggest challenges facing us is how to develop the physical space into a space worthy of PBL. In a perfect world, we could have classrooms designed like Google or High Tech High that would allow flexibility and maximum creativity. I think one thing that would be great is developing a classroom that allows for flexible grouping and seating. The first step is removing the traditional model where we have desks lined in rows facing the front of the room where the board is situated. I would like to build a classroom with tables, desks, and other working spaces that provide plenty of choices and give students the ability to collaborate. After visiting several schools, it would be neat to have large foldable dry erase boards where you chart create divided areas, where posting everything connecting to PBL unit currently being worked on. Since I currently am co-teaching with another teacher, I have to have room to negotiate with her. In order to have an area conducive to my unit plan, having several tables, grouping desks and using floor space with provide so flexible grouping and seating choices. We can even utilize the space in the hallway in front of her door as an area. One of the things that I am making sure that I incorporate into my PBL is what is mentioned on page 30 about using “thinking strategies” embedded into the unit. I want students during my PBL to know only dive deep into the content but to be able use higher depth of knowledge thinking that promotes extended thinking like the lasting impact, influence, connections or explaining your thoughts with reasonable justifications. This is why I want each student to think about each subject matter presented, so that they can think about the cause/effect of the controversy and how he or she can promote change or awareness based on their opinions. Based on the data, that I have collected I now know how to scaffold the material to best serve the students in the focus class. There are some materials that I may have to reduce the lexile level to so that they can gain the same information but in a way that they understand. The other part to this is the maturity level. There are some topics that I will not address because they will not be able to handle it or it will be too much for them to logically discuss. The types of documents that they are presented with will be modified to meet ability levels. My duration of the unit with be decreased due to the timing the unit will be presented. There are so many things occurring at the end of the year, so to allow students maximum amount of time to express what they have learned, I have decided to reduce the number of weeks that are working on this project from 9 weeks to about 4 weeks. This way students can really delve deep into the topics and find something that they are passionate about and be a sustained time on this.