First of all, I ADORE Ken Robinson. He speaks so boldly and bravely about education, and I love that he is not calling for reform in public education, but an actual revolution. We have been teaching the same way for far too long, and we are asking students to learn and embrace skill sets that are no longer valid for today's world. His idea of moving away from an industrial model and towards a personalized "agricultural" model is beyond powerful, and I think it is essential for educators to take the risk to do this so that our children can grow and learn in ways that are meaningful to them. I never want to tread on a child's dreams, and I think PBL makes many dreams more accessible for the diverse children that have them.
I am up for Ken's challenge, and I know many other educators that are as well. I have no doubt that a PBL environment dovetails in nicely with his ideas about transforming the education system. With PBL we can ensure that what our children are learning is authentic, and that it will benefit them in the classroom, the real-world work force, college, and in their everyday lives. Their learning will fit their unique needs and push them to reach higher and further than they thought possible.
In my ideal PBL classroom, students would work collaboratively every single day, be praised for thinking outside the box, be engaged in their own learning, and be told to trust their instincts more often. I would encourage divergent thinking and help students to see that the "soft skills" they are learning as just as important as the content they are mastering.
My biggest challenge in implementing PBL is knowing when to pull back, when to push harder, and how to find the best way to utilize my time for sustained inquiry.
I hope you'll have lots of freedom with your new position to really explore PBL and individualize your instruction! Your enthusiasm is obvious, and it will be contagious among your students :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for you and I'm looking forward to hearing out your experiences in your new position. I share the same challenge with you about knowing when to push harder, or back off. I think that is something that we'll figure out and get more comfortable with as we work through the projects.
ReplyDeleteRachael,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate so very much your passion for the profession and your value of project based learning. I am glad that you saw the connection of Robinson's call to action for educational reform that moves away from a one size fits all industrial model and towards a more personalized approach to the project based learning. Your pbl challenge echos mine each time I plan and provide an experience - reading my students' needs and interests correctly so I can provide a beneficial experience for each individual child and also for the collective class.
Sincerely,
Dawn