Ashley Blackwelder Blog Post 2: PBL Reflection

My PBL unit was actually completed in March, and I was really happy with how it turned out for our 4th grade students. While I was a little worried that nothing could top our PBL experience from the fall, I also knew that there was no need to expect that--every experience is going to be different, and I don't have to design every PBL unit with the goal of a public book release and newspaper coverage in mind. There were a lot of successes to celebrate with my science/music/math PBL unit this spring, and it gave me a lot to think about for future units and projects.

1. For this unit, I targeted the areas of ongoing assessment, scheduling, and modifications for our self-contained special education class for improvement. One of the biggest challenges of my fall unit was ensuring that the project would keep moving forward, even when I was not able to be in the classroom with the students. It turned out, that didn't really happen, so it gave me a lot to think about and discuss with my cooperating teachers when I started planning this spring unit. I explained to the teachers that I wanted to be respectful of their time, and didn't want to "leave them hanging" with random days throughout the week that I wasn't available for instruction. So, we started off with a set block of time for a full 3 weeks that I would be working with these classes. We still had to make adjustments here and there, but having a start and end date set made things run much more smoothly for everyone involved. Assessments were an area I really wanted to focus on in this unit as well, because I know that for some teachers to really buy in, I've got to show them that this is "real work" that we can take "real grades" for each week--really each day, if we wanted to. So, I made sure to plan out all of the formative and summative assessments before we even started teaching the unit, including all standards addressed, and provided the teachers with them ahead of time. They were encouraged to use at their discretion--but everything they needed to validate the time we spent or have something to send home to parents was there and ready to go. Finally, I really wanted to include our special ed students, who are not always included in PBL experiences like this. I felt that the music aspect would be really fun and non-threatening for struggling students, and I talked a lot with their teacher in advance about what 4th grade standards were going to be addressed, what she needed her students to get out of each session, and how I could make sure that they were included in the same way as everyone else.
2. For our 4th grade students, this type of learning experience and project was very different from what they have become accustomed to in the classroom, and I knew that the management would be a challenge. From the start, I was clear about the excitement I had about this project--but also about the high expectations that I had for them. As far as content was concerned, they surprised me; they mastered the science standards very quickly, and ended up needing much more time to focus on the mathematical side of composing music. We spent a lot more time working with fractions--but in a real and purposeful way, which was exciting!--than science, but it was what they needed in order to be successful...and HOPEFULLY, that confidence in math will carry over now that the unit is finished!
3. Honestly, behavior ended up being our biggest obstacle. The students had some very good, productive conversations in a small- and large-group setting as they were composing their pieces. I was encouraged, and at times surprised, by this. However, we faced a new challenge once we started practicing in the auditorium with everyone. I had to have several conversations with the group about the time they had spent on this, and the fact that we simply would not get on stage to embarrass ourselves in front of an audience. The other, unspoken obstacle was the fact that we had set a deadline and I could tell that the classroom teachers were frustrated with their students and ready to move on. With a little bit of flexibility added into the schedule, and a LOT of encouragement of positive performer/audience member behavior, we were able to pull it together and present our work as professionals.
4. and 5. Once we got through the initial practice and planning with rhythms, most of our work time was focused on groups practicing, reflecting on what they liked/what needed work, and sharing their work in progress with the whole group to receive feedback. Looking back, I could have incorporated more journaling/quick writing as a form of daily reflection; this may have even helped with the behavior issues we dealt with towards the end. I think several of our students could have learned something from reflecting more consistently on their individual contributions (or lack thereof) to the group. But for the most part, I was pleased with how much feedback and reflection time I was able to provide for the students. The fun part of the project was that we were working as scientists, mathematicians, and artists--and as artists, we needed that time to think critically about the works we were creating. I think we were able to make that happen.

Our special ed students did a fantastic job with this project, and it was great to see them get excited about working on a special project like this--which only a select few 4th grade classes were invited to be a part of. We also managed to choose the perfect audience: the other 4th grade classes, who were curious about what this group had been working on, and our 4K and kindergarten students. The younger kids were amazed by what the 4th graders put together--and it was just the validation that our 4th graders needed to take themselves and their work seriously.

Overall, I felt like this second PBL unit was a success, and actually an experience that I needed after the huge celebration of our fall one. While that final, public product is important, it doesn't need to become more important than the experience the kids have while they're learning. I think our 4th graders had a great experience in using math and science for a real purpose, they enjoyed it, and in the end, their performance was exactly what they needed it to be. As teachers, we don't have to put any crazy pressure on ourselves or our students to make PBL this incredible, news-worthy production. It's great when that happens, but it's not the ultimate goal. There are a million different ways to give students memorable PBL experiences, and I feel like this one was vastly different, but just as successful, as my fall one. It wasn't perfect--and it never will be--but it was a great and fun way to show our students and teachers that we could enjoy learning, challenge ourselves, and create something that other people would love to see.