Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Taylor Thomas - Course 3: Blog Post 5


5 Strategies for Fostering Collaborative Culture in a PBL Classroom - https://www.bie.org/blog/5_strategies_for_fostering_culture_in_a_pbl_classroom

This is a great blog, especially for teachers that are just beginning to implement PBL in their classrooms. James Fester’s possible approaches to creating a PBL culture are clear and simple. My biggest take-away from this article is from the last paragraph.
Creating a culture of independent learning, like the planting of a garden, is something that takes time and constant attention. Don’t expect to see results immediately. Don’t expect everything you try to work immediately the first time. But if you’re willing to put in the time and commit consistent effort, the rewards will be evident in time.
For PBL to be most effective, there needs to be a compete shift in school culture, not just classroom. Fester discusses methods that effective teachers use on a daily basis. Reading about them in a PBL way will help teachers understand they are not giving up control; they are guiding students to take control of their learning to prepare them to be independent thinkers in the real world. The PBL method to teaching is quite structured. It requires much planning and preparation, yielding meaningful results.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Taylor,
    I am glad that you found this blog to be helpful to you. I agree with you that for pbl to be successful in the classroom, there has to be a culture shift so it isn't a one time unit but a process that the teacher builds and supports and grows all year. You also brought up a great point that support is needed at the school level as well. Were there any strategies that you found from the five given in the article that resonated with you?

    Thanks,
    Dawn

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  2. I believe all five strategies are important, not just in fostering a collaborative PBL culture, but in creating a positive and effective learning environment. I feel the most important of Fester's five strategies is to make sure team members know what is expected of them. When expectations are clearly communicated and modeled for students, the rest falls into place more seamlessly.

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