Tina Sanders Blog 3
Video 1:
1-One problem that may arise is what if a student is absent? How will that student be able to make up the work. Especially in the lower grades where most of what we do is hands on. In addition,is the fact that PBL lends itself to collaboration which is difficult to do when you are missing from your group work time.
2-I am unsure of how to fix this problem in K5. I guess other groups could work on their product as a small group as designed. While the group with the missing partner could still work but leave the missing person's job for them to complete when they return.
3- I am thinking that the teacher would need to keep a checklist of students engagement observations to ensure that students are collaborating effectively and that each one is doing their part to foster a successful learning experience.
Video 2
1-Value of Assessing - This is an invaluable tool that allows students to reflect on their learning throughout the project in addition to improving on their quality of work. If they have a bad day, they can still be successful on the overall project on future dates.
2. Great Teacher feedback is given when teacher asks quality higher level thinking questions as well as making encouraging statements along with questions that make students think further on their part of the process. "I like that, but remember your job as leader is to bring it all together." and "That's good, it looks like you are working hard."
3-Ownership through peer assessment- Students who are listening to the group presentations have to be on task and involved during the other student's group presentations. The teacher modeled all of the time reminding the evaluators what they will be looking for.
SC Graduate:
PBL fills the holes left by the abandonment of teaching to the whole child that Early Childhood used as a framework years ago that allowed us to teach using our judgement based on what your students needed. This is perfect for filling in those empty spaces that need extra attention.
I agree with your concern about students being absent during a PBL unit. My concerns are the same both in PBL and in my classroom during rehearsal sessions, since when a member of a small ensemble is absent, it can be difficult to replace them. However, it does provide extra focus on the present members, gives them a chance to focus in only on their part, and with technology, the absent student could even have the opportunity to work from home with their group.
ReplyDeleteThe absence issue is definitely a challenge, especially with kindergarteners. My limited experience with kindergarten has shown me that learning to work as a group in general is a very challenging and slow process! But I do think it could be an interesting discussion with the little ones, and they'd probably have some great ideas for what to do when someone is out...and how to make sure they don't feel left out when they get back!
ReplyDeleteAsking higher thinking questions promotes more in depth learning for the students. Teaching the whole child is very important to a child's education and success in life.
ReplyDeleteTina,
ReplyDeleteAbsenteeism is an issue at my school, so I will also need to devise a Plan B and probably Plan C and D. Great explanation of how PBL and the profile of an SC graduate are related!
Hi Tina,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a great point about group work and collaboration within a pbl being a concern when a student is absent. This has happened when a student in one of Mrs. Darstein's classes was out during a critical week in their group project work. She had a fantastic solution of face timing with the student during group work. The students had a computer open where the student typically sat and she was able to participate digitally with them. While this worked great for this particular student I am aware that this solution may not be feasible for a student who is very sick or who is out of town or who may not have technology to use at home. My point is group members and an invested teacher can brainstorm ways to help the student participate or help the student catch up when they have been out. It isn't easy to do, but so much of what we do as educators isn't fixed through the easy button but through our brainstorming and trail and error process.
Thanks,
Dawn