In Ten Takeaway Tips for Replicating Project-Based Learning author, Grace Rubenstein, explains the lessons learned from schools in one Georgia county that decided to implement PBL concepts, modeling after High Tech High schools.
She states the following considerations are key:
2) Grant the freedom to fail
3) Allow for flexible scheduling
4) Build in time to plan and collaborate
5) Don't forget the standards
6) Remember, not everything is a project
7) Cultivate an evangelist
8) Pilot with a small group of enthusiasts
9) Use the available free resources
10) Educate the parents and community
Which of the above are the easiest for you to consider? Which of the above create the biggest challenge? What might you need to tackle those challenges?
If you have implemented any PBL strategies in your class, what would you add to this list of "lessons learned"?
I really like number 8 "Pilot with a small group of enthusiasts". I feel really good about my whole group PBL project involving Bizworld and the students making bracelets because I have taught this before and am just tweeking it a bit to be more PBL style. For my next PBL attempt, I think it would be really beneficial for me to work with a small group of students. We have intervention time when students leave to work with different teachers and some stay in my room. This would be a time when I could work with a small groups of students and really work through the process. I feel like it would help me to get comfortable with PBLs.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to talk yourself out of designing a PBL, which is why starting with the familiar and slowly changing it to fit the definition of PBL is a great idea. Excited to see your results next month.
DeleteThis is a very effective way to test out new instructional strategies/frameworks. By adapting and tweaking a unit you have already taught, you have an established comfort level with the content and part of the process. This makes it easier to implement the new strategies. Piloting with a small group of students also works well.
ReplyDeleteFrom a professional development side, I have been thinking more and more about helping teachers tweak/modify existing lessons and/or units. If you start with an existing framework you are already comfortable with, I would think experimenting with different instructional strategies would seem less daunting. Have you changed any other units or lessons as a result of PD?
As of right now I have only been thinking about my economics one. I have currently been really focused on our new science content of matter that we are doing for the first time this year. This might be an area I could create something for next year when I am more familiar with the content since I will have already taught it. The students are doing lots of experiments to become comfortable with solids, liquids, and gases.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what your content statement includes but it sounds like a good one that could involve Problem Based Learning where students are posed with a problem in the beginning and have to learn content, conduct investigations/experiments, etc. to solve. View basic framework for Problem Based Learning is here: http://goo.gl/rZmRv
DeleteThe easiest of these to consider is building trust among collegues and not forgetting the standards. Our team works well together and can allow for flexibility, at times. Out standards are what I (as does everyone else) base my instruction around. For the last 6 years I've spent a great deal of time building a class environment that is conducive to collaboration among the students, so that will be easy to utilize with PBL. I find it difficult to build time to plan collaboratively with my collegues simply because our time seems to be more frequently designated for other things than planning. We have so much on our plate right now, planning time is difficult to give up. Nicki Utz
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nicki - planning time is not something that we give up easily. But building relationships with colleagues, getting your "group of enthusiasts" is really all it takes sometimes to get started. PBL was (and still is) scary to think through, but trying to work through things, one step at a time, has helped. And working with a partner has made the idea of trying to create a PBL a lot easier.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I would add to the list is "be an advocate, not a direct instructor". I have found that although I am afraid to NOT give enough direction, many times when I give less direction, I get the most creative thinking from my students.
We could call it less direction by design (LDbD)
Deletei think it is a very worthwhile strategy to use and the suggestions above are excellent. I think if you decide to look at you cirriculum as a whole, and select one topic that you want to make sure students come away with a strong memory that defines the year they spent in your class...that would be the topic you should select as the PBL topic. Learning about that topic may take on a life its own... hopefully! The best advise to teachers is to collaberate...if it fails, it's not all your problem...and you have someone to discuss what you need to do differently. If it soars...you have someone to celebrate with!!!
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