In order to find out how PBL (Project Based Learning) effects both students and teachers first we must know how to initiate and productive project based learning lesson. In the Seven Essentials of Project Based Learning it explains that a project must adhere to two main criteria. First, it must actually strike a chord with the students and be truly meaningful. This is important for the "slackers" or easily distracted students that need a little help tuning in to the lesson. Second, the most obvious criteria, it must be educational! Without having an actual educational basis or purpose for the project it will be all for naught. This site gives us seven essential things to keep in mind when creating a project based learning plan:
1. A Need to Know- This is where the teacher begins to introduce teases the idea of the project; this could involve a short clip getting them interested on a topic that the teacher wishes them to do their project on.
2. A Driving Question- This is a great place for the teacher to help hone in any ideas the students may have with a core question he or she wants them to answer. This is no ordinary question. It must be worded in a way so that the students get a clear image of the project while being challenged and given a sense of purpose.
3. Student Voice and Choice- This is SO extremely important to PBL! This allows students to utilize whatever medium they see fit to fulfill this project. They are able to use different kinds of tech, media, or presentation styles to showcase their knowledge. This doesn't hinder students from the actual project while having to stay "inside the lines". Here they can branch out and truly express their knowledge.
4. 21st Century Skills- This is where students are able to work on their skills of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology.
5. Inquiry and Innovation- This is the best part of PBL. Not only are students searching and finding new information and knowledge; but, they are now finding new questions along the way with more possibilities of answers than they would from a generic research project.
6. Feedback and Revision- Receiving feedback and giving students the opportunity to revise along the way helps them see their mistakes, analyze what they need to do, and create a better product in the end.
7. A Publicly Presented Product- Here students have a chance to broadcast their products to a wider audience than just their teachers and classmates. Presenting their product on a blog, or in a newsletter, etc will entice the student to perform to their utmost potential in order to have a good looking product that will be viewed by many.
Project Based Learning for Teachers is a peppy little video that shows the benefits of switching to a project based learning environment. Every class must uphold the standards of the Common Core State Standards; however, that is just "What" needs to be taught. "How" students need to achieve those standards is completely up to the class leader- the teacher. The teacher can choose to create a more productive environment by setting up a deep driving question to get the gears turning for the students.What Motivates Students Today?
This is a great video of real kids telling us all what truly motivates them. Every student is different and are motivated in their own way. Teachers must remember that no two students are the same. We must remember to find out how to motivate each and every one of our students to reach their full potential. Here are a couple things that motivate students:
- Public Praise
- Future plans (getting a good job, house, dog, etc)
- Clip chart- that all students can see, (classroom money, red-yellow-green-etc)
- Not being able to participate in extracurricular activities
- "Money"
- Candy, food
- Have class outside
- Changing up the class environment everyday- themes
Two students who endure the everyday problem of the watery build up within a ketchup bottle cap when trying to squirt it on your food. These two students decided to solve this issue using PBL. This seems like a goofy project. But they actually used computer software to design a cap that wouldn't cause this watery mess and printed it using a 3-D printer. Pretty Neat! This shows some of the immense possibilities of Project Based Learning.
Project Based Learning: The Students' Experience is a video I found from students at Davidson High School, no not the one here in Mobile, AL. This shows the side of the students and what they think about this idea of project based learning. A lot of the students enjoyed it due to the fact that the students had almost complete independence and guided their own studies. They did touch on the challenging factor of it as well that they aren't being "spoon fed" information. I was giddy to hear that in their English class-my field-they were able to utilize PBLs fully. They had to create their own driving question and make sure it was relevant and actually challenged themselves. The students definitely kept with the theme that they were responsible for their own education and that it really helps them develop as a student and a person. It was obvious to see the excitement of the students as well as the pride that they showed when talking about how creative they we able to be and to fully express themselves when doing these projects. This video I hope gets bookmarked for later classes due to the fact that it shows what students really think about this new style of learning.
Kelia, I really enjoyed reading your blog. I found a couple of spelling errors, like in number 1, This is where the teacher begins to introduce teases the idea of the project. You put a lot of thought and effort into this blog post. Good luck in your career
ReplyDelete