I really enjoyed our visit to Monarch! I loved how they organized their PBL visit event, and it was nice to start the day talking to our young hosts. It was impressive to see what this school has accomplished, and also very validating to see that we are doing some similar things in our own school. I loved the handout we got explaining their PBL approach (something we could EASILY whip up and start distributing here!), and my wheels, of course, started spinning on how we could host a similar event to showcase what's happening at FES...and offer support to other teachers/schools who are wanting to try it.
As we have grown in our STEM/PBL approach at FES, I've been much more willing (read: insistent) to put some effort into letting people know what's happening at our school. I'm all for keeping it real and avoiding the whole dog-and-pony show, but I also become more and more convinced each year that we are doing things that a) are not typical and b) others would actually be interested to know more about. So I really liked their 2-day setup of sharing each grade level's projects. It was a short enough visit to not take much time out of the kids' day, but they had definitely put in the effort to make that particular showcase shine. What was also great was that they weren't trying to be perfect. I think that idea of "we've figured out how to do it RIGHT" is so intimidating to teachers, and a big reason why so many are still intimidated by things like STEM and PBL. They're afraid of getting it "wrong." I felt like the teachers and principal at Monarch showed that their PBL approach is always in progress; they are constantly learning and growing, just like the students do. It was exciting, but also very real--and I liked that.
As always, I did find a couple of ideas that I would like to build on and attempt with teachers at our school. It was an exciting and encouraging visit, and well worth the drive over to Greenville!
I also loved how organized this day was, and how the students were the main focus. Having them as guides and classroom ambassadors to tell us about what they were learning empowers them to be an active part of their learning community. And this (below) is SOOOOOO true, Ashley!
ReplyDelete"I think that idea of "we've figured out how to do it RIGHT" is so intimidating to teachers, and a big reason why so many are still intimidated by things like STEM and PBL. They're afraid of getting it "wrong." I felt like the teachers and principal at Monarch showed that their PBL approach is always in progress; they are constantly learning and growing, just like the students do."
I think the acceptance that PBL/STEM have a huge learning curve is so crucial, and that embracing this fact is the only way to be able to even begin to tackle PBL. Anything as huge as this, especially when it requires a significant change in thinking/pedagogy, takes time to do well, but trial by fire is as good as any when it comes to PBL! As they say, sometimes you just have to leap and the net will appear!
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your take aways from Monarch and how you and I are on the same page with not wanting to host a "dog and pony show" but to put out there the authentic "work in progress" implementation at FES in order to provide support to other educators wanting to try out the approach and to also promote the progress and possibilities each grade level is trying out in their implementation. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you letting me bring our Furman seniors in for a half day visit to see the innovative and integrated uses of technology this past spring and I would love to help provide more opportunities in the future to teachers in and out of our district to see what FES is doing in ways that don't stress students or burden teachers.
Thanks,
Dawn