As a result
of my first every PBL unit of study myself and my students have learned a great
deal. I have learned that sometimes technology isn’t always your friend, but
you make the best out of what you have. We had a lot of issues with saving our
files, so we had to spend a lot of time on redoing something that wasn’t saved
properly the first time. The students were more engaged in this project because
it had meaning and relevancy to them. So, in the future I want to teach lessons
that connect in some way to their lives.
Once
students got the hang of using the excel program, they enjoyed typing in the
equations to solve their math problems. Of course they needed to know how to do
the problems themselves, but the program really helped a lot. Their group
budgets were not as in depth as I had originally planned for and we didn’t have
time to format the spreadsheet but they had a chance to view each other’s
projects and rate each other. They are very honest with each other on how the
projects went, so having a talk about constructive criticism would be good for
next time. I also found that things I had planned on only taking one day in my
unit plan ended up taking longer. So, in the future more working time will be
provided to students. I am looking forward to my next PBL unit in the spring
and am excited to see what students create.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your feedback on your first semester of pbl application at FMS. You shared how your students struggled some with this first unit finding relevancy and also finding their files. :) Taking time to support their learning needs, whether academically tied to math or a real world skill such as the technology utilized is important in pbl and in any effective learning structure.
You also shared that students enjoyed using the excel program and were able to view each other's projects and provide feedback. I am glad that they took this seriously and gave each other honest feedback. You shared how the depth you had hoped for wasn't achieved due to the unit taking longer so in the future you will budget more time. It is clear your students learned a lot in this unit and you did too. I am continually thankful for your reflective practice and thoughtful application of pbl.
Sincerely,
Dawn