PBL Course 03 - Blog 03 - Smith, Robert

Data/Evidence Analysis and Reflective Practice  (25 points)
5 points:  What revisions did you make to your PBL plan during implementation? Provide rationale.	When developing my PBL, I took care to incorporate all major PBL concepts discussed in class. My entry event was neat. We watched an episode of Kitchen Confidential. This piqued the learners’ interests in what was to come. At the beginning of the project, the idea of roadkill was gross to a lot of the class. To alleviate their fears, and to make searching for menu items easier, I changed the parameters to any animal that people can get a license to hunt. That helped learners find many more menu items, and alleviated the SECURE internet browser message many got when Googling “roadkill images.” Throughout the project, students had a choice in their menu items, their menu item descriptions, and where they would purchase their groceries, all while keeping in mind their need to make a profit at the restaurant. After their projects were completed, students had an opportunity to share their findings with me acting as a liaison for the restaurant owners.
5 points: Which criteria element(s) do you feel are strong?	The entry event I used during the PBL absolutely created authentic inquiry. The television show set the stage for the tasks they were about to undergo. I also feel like forcing the learners to find recipes and up-convert them to feed 30 people reinforced and allowed the practice of the target task, fraction conversions, in a way many people who cook use daily.
5 points:  Which criteria element(s) do you want to target for growth?	I was not happy with the dead time I had in this unit. It looked so daunting, on paper. However, when we actually got started, learners worked through the tasks rather quickly.
5 points:  If you could re-teach this unit, what would you do differently?	I would drop the last part of the project before presentations: interest rates. Learners, even in AP Pre-Algebra, just are not ready for simple and / or compound interest rates.
5 points:  How will this impact your planning for your next cross disciplinary PBL unit?	Reflecting on what worked (i.e. the entry event and the fraction conversions) and what did not work in the project, (i.e. the term “roadkill” and the interest rate section), I feel that the mathematical concepts on which I originally centered my PBL were spot-on. However, I need to take more time to ensure that all learners actually understand their computations and are not following a formula to get an answer. In my last reflection, I stated that PBLs must be rigorous in order to push learners. I still believe that statement. As designed, my PBL met the criteria I had established for of the former and the social component helped to avoid the latter.