Clark H. Maxwell Course 3 Final Post

What I Learned in the PBL Cohort

     Let me start off by saying that I was not looking forward to this class.  As a student, I did not like school very much.  I was not the most motivated student, but I tolerated school so I could play sports.  Since then I have always had the mindset that, "I went to school so I would not have to go back".  Well, sometimes life throws you a curveball.

     When my principal asked me to take this class, I was reluctant.  As I said earlier, I do not like school.  That sounds crazy since I am a teacher.  My school is going in a STEAM/PBL direction.  It's something I didn't understand and since I was going to have to do it in some form or another, I might as well learn more about it.  I had took STEAM/PBL to mean we were going to be losing a good bit of activity time because of projects.  That was something I did not want to happen.  I was also apprehensive because I thought that the students would rebel against it.  I was wrong on both counts.

    That first class blew my mind.  For most of the week, I had no clue what anyone was talking about.  I was lost, frustrated and confused.  It wasn't until the end of the week that I realized that we were actually participating in a PBL inside of a PBL class.  I somewhat understood what I was trying to do after that.  That first project I did though was rough.  I should have known better that to do it with 6th grade.  Those kids need all the exercise they can get, wow.  But, they did do a good job, and they now know how to exercise and get fit when they have no money.  So I guess it was beneficial for them.

     The second class was by far my favorite.  It gave me the most helpful tip that I think we can use in PE, Genius Hour.  I really like this.  It is, I feel, a good compromise of the inquiry part of PBL and not losing more than a few days of PE.  I like that it can be done in one class period, can be wide open or directed, and asks them to dig a little deeper and learn on their own.

     During my second PBL for this third class I decided to use the Genius Hour concept for our research days.  The kids liked this because it could be accomplished quickly and they could still have PE.  Had it not been for my first PBL experience this one would not have gone as well as it did.  The kids were interested, focused, and they did some really good work.

     In the end, I am glad I took this class.  The people in it were great, and were very helpful.  I now think I have a good grasp on what PBL is and how to best us it in PE.  I also have some ideas about possibly helping out with social studies when they learn about the textile mills and Native Americans.