As I come to the close of a five-week experimentation in Project-Based Learning, I find that I have been equally challenged and validated in regards to this delivery method of curriculum content.
What I have had confirmed is the benefit of student engagement. I visited ten classrooms and in every single one the students were more invested than ever in what they were doing. Student voice and choice validated the students as learners in the classroom. They felt connected to the curriculum in a way that said “this truly has something to do with me.” They did not struggle to interpret the teacher’s vision. Instead the teacher let the students lead. I have discovered how open the curriculum is, how many paths these studies could take. I feel even more committed to responsive teaching in my own practice. Kath Murdoch’s practice of having a “tune in” time before diving into a topic has opened my eyes to how just submersing ourselves in exploring initial ideas gives me the opportunity to really listen to what the students are saying and thinking. Then I can identify an angle of interest. There are really so many ways to explore the curriculum material we need to cover. I have developed a sense of how freeing the curriculum is, rather than sometimes common view of shackling. I have also seen the benefits of student-led assessment. Rather, I prefer the terms “evidence of learning” and “celebration of learning.” I see evaluation as a mountain the students are climbing; instead of an averaging of marks throughout time, the goal is rather to simply make your way toward the high standard that has been set. Every student is climbing toward that standard, but they may come at it from different starting points and climb at different rates, but the commitment must be to allow the student to give evidence of learning during the climb and show the culmination of knowledge at the end of the journey. I have struggled through how to deliver an effective mathematics inquiry program. I’m not sure there is any way to “do math” other than “doing math.” Most of the teachers I observed had also come to the same conclusion. Math, for the most part, stands apart in a PBL classroom. A professor once told me that these mathematic concepts took thousands of years for mathematicians to develop; how long will it take children? I saw a lot of focus on application and a desire to “find the math” in everyday life as often as possible, but the treatment of the curriculum was, for the most part, very traditional. Structuring the day has looked quite different in PBL classrooms. Just like the Kindergarten program requires “large blocks of uninterrupted play,” PBL classrooms try to have large blocks of uninterrupted inquiry. A daily schedule would have one block that included math and daily prep, and then two large blocks devoted to inquiry, PBL, project, Wonder (the blocks go by many names). In classrooms that where students are largely working independently, this allows for students to “get in the flow” and stick to a task while they are engaged and progressing without having to move at the sound of a bell. One real challenge I faced is when to let the students go and when to rein them in. When developing skills like creativity and critical thinking, or when students are working to collaborate or communicate, it is dangerous to rush them. And yet there is value in learning to work within the confines of a schedule and to meet deadlines. The most valuable skill I have developed (and continue to develop) is that of an effective feedback process. I can see the futility in asking students to complete work which they hand in on a due date and that is the end until it is returned with a big red letter grade on it. There is no project, no work, no paper, no presentation that can be everything it could be after one shot. Our students deserve the opportunity to receive and apply feedback multiple times. Learning how to give feedback that is kind, helpful and specific is no easy feat. I have keenly observed a teacher engaging in this process and have stumbled myself through it, constantly reaching, learning and growing. I have a long way to go, but it is a great gift I will give my students if I can master it well enough. One new question that I will apply to my teaching practice is: what is the best use of my time? I had never considered that before I design a lesson to ask myself “am I doing something better done by someone else? Is there a better way I could be spending the precious resource of my time and experience?” I observed a teacher who valued one-on-one conferencing more than lecturing. In his words “I could spend this period delivering content about the human body. But there are engaging videos and books that can do just that. What books, videos and the internet cannot do is respond personally to the students in my classroom.” To this end, he gathered resources and provided graphic organizers for students to walk their way through content so that the teacher’s time could be maximized. My greatest learning curve was the importance, or imperativeness, of teacher collaboration. Before now, I have always felt a little in isolation in these somewhat unorthodox ideas. I figured that once I had a classroom I would find myself alone in my PBL method and to be honest, I was okay with that. But having had the opportunity to collaborate with teachers and engage in meaningful ideation has been firing. I now have a deep yearning for community that I hadn’t previously experienced as a teacher. These weeks have been a gift to me as a teacher that most educator’s rarely get. To have visited innovative classrooms, picked the brains of creative teachers, and devoured more books and resources in one month than I have ever done before has filled me to capacity.
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Terri-AnnPersonal reflections on project-based learning. Archives
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