Alana McSharry- Blog 7- "What I Use to Think But Now I Know"

"What I Use to Think"
*Students decide what they will learn during project based learning units.
*PBL units do not include standards.
*PBL units are not planned units.
*PBL units are unorganized and unstructured.
*PBL units are about the products during and at the end of the units.
*PBL units are long and drawn out.


"But Now I Know"
*The teacher decides what to teach students.
*The standards drive the students' learning when teaching a project based learning unit.
*Before teaching a project based learning unit the teacher needs to plan it.
*Planning is important because it causes the unit to be successful.
*Organization is key to a successful project based learning unit.
*The process students move through is more important than the products at the end of the unit.
*The process includes sustained inquiry into a certain subject or idea.
*Students have choices but those choices are within the boundaries given to them by the teacher.
*The project based learning units need to be relevant and authentic so students will solve a problem while they are learning.
*Assessment is an important component to project based learning units.
*Assessment can drive the learning and teaching.
*Students have a final product to present their learning.
*Students reflect on their work throughout the project.
*Students present the information from a unit to a public audience.
*Students need the opportunity to work independently and to create authentic work even when they are four-years old.

During the three courses I learned many helpful concepts and ideas to create a better learning environment in my classroom. I would like to work on creating PBL units for the other units that I teach in K4. I enjoyed the challenge of these classes this school year.