Today a teacher and I got sidetracked onto a conversation about innovation and change within the structure of education. We were speaking about a private elementary school grappling with the challenges of extending the program into secondary school. Two major roadblocks have been hindering them:
This teacher set before me the situation of Elon Musk who, through creative innovation and sideways thinking was able to come up with a way to launch a rocket into space for a mere fraction of the cost for NASA. The challenge is then how can we innovate the concept of secondary school while still preparing students for post-secondary institutions, convince parents to take the leap of faith to enrol, and provide high quality education at a fraction of the cost? The gears in my mind went into overdrive. This is exactly the sort of challenge I love most. And not at all surprising, this is exactly the way a good project or inquiry begin: with a challenge or a question. True to the brainstorming cycle, I started tossing ideas into the ring to be batted around, turned over and inside out. The answer, it seems to me, must be in retooling the way we think high school needs to look like. In considering the financial challenges, it seems to me that looking for ways to raise the money would put the school and parents in an endless cycle of trying to come up with the necessary amounts. But what if instead of bringing the materials to us, we took the students to the materials? Would senior internships be possible? What about a co-op, where parents contribute to the education as experts in their fields? Are there recycling options? Local stores that get rid of materials that are no longer in season? Contractors with leftover paint and wood? Reassuring the parents might be the tougher task, since the consequences of failure are personal. Flying solo into brand new territory is scary for anyone; the answer then might lie in a temporary partnership with a more seasoned player. Could the school initially sign up as a satellite for an already established school? Is there a model already working someone could bring in and implement? Could the school start with a grade 9 and 10 model only, leaving the grades that “count” to an established school? It seems to me that the first question in all this is what is the drive of the school? Parents choosing a small, faith-based school such as this one are not necessarily after big programs. My own son will choose a high school next year, and he has four different schools he can choose from. There isn’t one that has everything and others that have nothing. Each school offers something different, and my son must decide which of the offerings means the most to him and how he sees secondary school unfolding. But as I mull over the challenge of redesigning school, the notion struck me that true innovation needs to allow for the possibility of going completely sideways with something. We need to boil down our education goals to the basic elements and skim off all the habits that are “because it’s always been that way” (or at least has been for the last 100 years). Education has evolved through the ages to meet the demands of society, culture and business. Quality education in Ancient Greece or Rome looked different from the modern classroom. Do we have the courage to innovate again? Project based learning is also an attempt at innovation. I often get the question "is this the epitome of the education model? Is it the "best" way to teach?" I'm not sure the answer to that is yes. But what I do feel is that the current climate is changing. The education model is due for reform. I can't say that project based learning is what school will look like in 50 years, but I do think it's a step in the direction we need to take for change. If it isn't the end, it's certainly going to get us there.
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One of the biggest failings of traditional education models is the habit of submit it/grade it. Tests and projects are usually a one shot deal. Integral to project-based learning is the feedback cycle. Cycle, meaning that there are multiple opportunities to perform, received feedback, adjust, and resubmit. Ultimately students are being trained to assess themselves. The most valuable skill is to be able to look at one’s own work, judge strengths and weaknesses, and then continue improving until the ideal end has been reached. In the classroom that training begins with teacher feedback and chances to practice as a class. “Austin’s Butterfly” is an excellent student and teacher training video to help understand the drafting process. Students can see the value in drafting and the great difference between a first submission and a final submission (there are 6 drafts of Austin’s butterfly). While watching the video will be useful for older children, I have found better success with primary students by simulating the video myself using a PowerPoint presentation of the images and walking them through the process. I observed a class feedback session. The student’s art draft was projected on a screen. The student gave a short description of the purpose of the art project, and then sat back as students proceeded to provide feedback that was “specific, kind and helpful.” First the teacher asked for “the great” – what did the students think really worked about this work of art. While listening to student comments, the teacher recorded those ideas in a Word document the student could access later. Secondly, the teacher asked for “feedback” – what questions do we have about this work of art? What is unclear? What suggestions do we have to help the message or purpose become more clear? Again, the student comments were recorded in the Word document. Once all feedback had been shared, the student was asked what their “focus” might be – choose three or four of the feedback comments that the student might incorporate or explore in their next draft. Now here’s the real shift in thinking – giving students the time to incorporate that feedback and resubmit. And go through the process again. And again. Once students have seen and practiced this process, they can begin to engage in giving feedback in a less structured way. Using Google Classroom, students can read each other’s stories and provide feedback using the comment feature on the side. As the teacher, I can do the same. This ongoing use of feedback means that there is always something for the student to be working on. And the time and opportunity for revision means that students can continue to build their knowledge and improve their work, ensuring a high quality finished product. The great mystery for me has been how to get into an inquiry with students. How do you get the students to buy in? How do you peak their interest? How do you hook them into the project? How do you introduce the ideas and get them on the path?
In Kath Murdoch’s book “The Power of Inquiry” this stage is known as “Tuning in.” It’s the time when you engage the students in the topic and provide provocations to get them thinking. You find out what students already know in this area and what misconceptions exist. You explore what questions they have. Activities might include visualizations, simulations, picture prompts, making predictions, reading stories, watching video clips, discussing art, sharing knowledge, or exploring artifacts. I observed a simulation using the picture book “Feathers and Fools” in which two flocks of birds start a war over their fears of each other. In a 100-minute block, we read the book twice to the students. Students were then sorted into two groups based on colour dots on their hand (given before the reading), and one student with a third colour. Half were the peacocks, the other half were the swans, and the solo student was the “foolish peacock” who started spreading the fearful rumours in the beginning. The students were given 30 minutes to prepare arguments in the trial of the foolish peacock. As I listened to the trial, I jotted some notes as possible links to issues arose. The students made comments that could be connect to resource mining rights, land border conflicts, rights to crop growth, refugees and relocation, a trigger event of a war, ownership of airspace, and historic wars (WWI, WWII, Vietnam and the cold war). What is notable about this is that no matter which way the teachers choose to take the class inquiry, the students have ready examples and understandings to use as a jumping off point. “The swan should never had flown over the peacock land.” “There is nothing defining the border between the two flocks.” “We can’t grow those types of reeds on our side.” “Why did you assume the reed in my beak was a weapon?” “Why didn’t you ask us to clarify the misunderstanding?” This simple picture book provided a rich simulation the students will be able to reach back to as they explore the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The richness of this time spent tuning in and provoking student thought proves invaluable in the PBL classroom. By the end of this process, student interest has been piqued and hopefully most have an idea of what area in which they would like to dig further. Provocations has become a cornerstone of the Kindergarten Program and I see the benefit of keeping this inquiry tool present as students grow older. I had always wondered if PBL was a better way to catch students who felt like a square peg in a round hole. The current popular structure of school (industrial model) works so beautifully for some and so terribly for others. Today as I observed a grade 2/3 class, a little grade 2 boy caught my eye. He wiggled at the back. He wouldn’t participate. He wandered. He distracted others. He was rarely on task. He couldn’t stay still. He lost interest in minutes. In short, he was yet another example of that student I continue to see in nearly every class, with most classes containing several. They just don’t seem to settle into school.
My heart always aches for these ones. It’s much easier to sit and the back and observe, with the luxury of focusing on that one student, my head filling with ideas of how to engage them. But the reality is that one teacher in front of 20 or 25 or 30 students cannot give that kind of attention to our little square pegs. Here’s what fills my mind when I watch them: What are their hooks? What are they bucking against? If they could design their learning day, what would it look like? When are they most engaged? What role does social interaction play in a child’s day? How can I increase their attention? How can I effectively plan their 6 hours? What walls do I have to break down to make school better for them? Sometimes creativity is just a little tweak here or there. Sometimes it’s pulling in research and expertise from a completely unrelated field. Sometimes it’s reaching outside the box and pulling something in. Sometimes it’s breaking out of the box completely. And sometimes it’s realizing that there never was a box in the first place. I’m not afraid of change, of being different. What I am afraid of is getting into a groove, being influenced by my surroundings, and forgetting the wonderful point of view I have now while I’m outside looking in. I hope that as I teacher I find ways to preserve this gift. As I settle into the rhythm of PBL, I have started to contemplate the preparation it took to get to where these students are in March. September is always a time to get to know students and establish routines; it’s just good teaching practice. But in PBL, it’s not just a good idea, it’s an essential idea.
PBL values, champions and encourages student choice and voice. Many children are not used to this kind of freedom. The freedom to dictate your learning, to navigate the journey, to direct the ship. The common fear that PBL will dissolve into chaos becomes a reality when the students are not properly equipped to handle this sort of freedom. I have determined that September is not a time for curriculum content. It’s a time to focus on relationships and skill building. Students coming into my classroom need to trust me and trust each other. There is no shortcut to trust; it takes time and investment. September is a time to learn about each other, be a little vulnerable, discover passions and talents. It’s a time to figure out what our “class” as an entity unto itself looks like, to define ourselves as a community, and to determine our common goals. It’s a time when students can be given permission to look inside and see who they want to become this year. It’s a time to learn what we all have to offer and to value our differences because they are our strengths. Students also need a certain base of skill in order to start into such a setting. They need to know how to collaborate, ask questions, research, be creative, think critically, communicate. They need some basic technological and artistic skills. They need to have a love of literacy of all forms and an understanding of personal passion projects. When I write out these relationship and skill requirements, I end up with a list of foci for September. The first month planning involves carefully crafted activities that develop those relationships and skills so that when we start to jump into bigger projects and unfamiliar content the students are struggling with the medium or the team. That’s not to say there aren’t new facets of these areas to explore and develop as we go, just that it’s not beneficial to have students struggling with new content and new skills and new people all at the same time. Some people worry that PBL will slow down curriculum coverage to the point that you can’t get to everything. Is it even possible then to shave an entire month off of the year to devote to things that aren’t in those maps? The great benefit of integrated learning and PBL is that curriculum can be covered faster when you are overlapping in your hours of the day. But more than that, investing in relationships and skills in September will make things run more smoothly and quickly throughout the rest of the year as we won’t have to stop and constantly deal with problems that arise due to lack of training or understanding. I can’t say for sure that traditional testing has no place in the 21st century classroom, but I do think it has no place in our primary classrooms, and even junior classrooms. While preparation for exams eventually becomes necessary, I just don’t see the benefits for children so young.
That’s why I love the term “demonstration of learning” that PBL has adopted. For these kids, what you want to know is do they know the material? There are lots of ways children can show what they know, and I would venture to say that without the stress and “one-time shot” of a test you’d probably get a much more accurate assessment of their knowledge. Today I observed some ways of gathering student knowledge that was very relatable to the world in which we live. Groh Public School is a paperless school, even though they are not quite at a 1:1 student to tech ratio yet. Worksheets are rarely seen; the graphic organizer is about as close as you’ll get. My favourite digital tool was the class blog (grade 3). Any writing that the students were submitting was worked on in rough form in a small notebook (yes, with a pencil), but final drafts were published as an entry of the class blog. Once written, students were free to read, comment and give feedback on other students’ work. The teacher also read and commented. A quick use of the “tagging” feature quickly organized entries by task. The “author” feature allowed organization by student. Online publishing is a reality of the current digital world, as is learning to navigate commenting and conversing in such a platform. It made so much sense to have it all in one digital place rather than paper after paper after paper. Chatterpix is an app that lets kids give a picture a moving mouth which plays back a recording of the student’s voice sharing something about that picture. Imagine a student researching a shark. The student draws a picture of a shark, imports it into the app, and then records some facts about the shark. When played back, it looks like the shark is speaking. Similar to this is DoInk. This green screen app lets you use student work (or any photograph) as a background. Then the student videos themselves in front of a green screen, explaining features of the work. When you overlay the two in DoInk, the student actually appears in the work/painting/photograph explaining all the details. Educreations let’s students makes handwritten notes over photographs of their work. Today I observed students marking down area and perimeter of boxes in their recreation of a Peit Mondrian work. The digital format allows students to reproduce the work over and over and measure the boxes in different ways. Assessment itself is being re-written in light of PBL. Many teachers say they struggle with a curriculum and reporting system still stuck in the 20th century. While there are rumblings of change, the current PBL classroom still has to contend with basic education trends that work in opposition to the PBL theories. Most teachers say that PBL assessment relies heavily on observation, anecdotal notes and professional judgement. Grading a final product would rarely reflect the depth of learning achieved; most teachers say their final products lack quality more due to young learners and under developed motor skills. The other problem with traditional assessment is that students have vastly different capabilities. It is widely acknowledged that young students develop at very different rates, which makes it difficult to create standards based on age. PBL champions self-assessment; students need to develop the ability to self-regulate their learning and work and to know when they’ve done the very best they can. The trouble with general standards is that some students just don’t have the capacity to reach that standard, and others are capable of so much more. Teaching self-assessment helps students assess their own work and continue to “bump it up” to the next level, whatever that level may be. Until students are developmentally ready to handle the stress and format of a formal test, I believe the “show me what you know” method of observations and conversation (including student conferences) gives the most accurate measurement of student learning. Most of the examples and research and resources about PBL relate to students in the junior grades and up (4+). It assumes a certain level of attention span, a collection of skills, and most of all, the ability to read.
In the primary grades (K-3), students are “learning to read” rather than “reading to learn” and this difference makes primary PBL a real challenge. One view is that primary inquiry is play based, which then leads into a PBL approach in higher grades. Others see PBL still possible, but with modifications and a whole lot of support and guidance. My classroom observations today were in a grade 1-2 class at Groh Public School, a school that has entirely adopted the PBL method into every classroom. Having just come off of my first PBL experience (in a grade 1/2 split class) I was curious to see how the “experts” were doing it. I wondered if my unit was too structured and with too much hand holding. I craved the freedom I know with older students, but couldn’t conceive how to make it work with younger children. Keeping in mind that PBL looks different in every classroom, here’s what I observed today. “Soft Start” inquiry and exploration The first 30-45 minutes of the day looked much like the play-based kindergarten program. Several provocations were set up on tables, and the students were free to explore using those materials or any others in the classroom. Too messy? Not really, given the minimalist attitude toward classroom materials. There was also a table set up to complete unfinished work, where students acted as mentors to those who had been absent. Provocations were swapped out every two weeks, and randomly when the teacher wanted to add in something related to the previous day’s work. During this inquiry, the teacher fit in two guided reading groups. Literacy Mini lesson This was followed up by a short (5 minute) word work. A 5 letter word was scrambled on the board with magnet letters. Using personal white boards and markers, students tried to make as many 1-5 letter words as possible using those letters. A quick share of their findings and the mini lesson was over. Split Grades One challenge with split grades are the curriculum strands that don’t lend themselves to blended learning (usually in science). Next on the schedule was grade 1s doing some research inquiry into the five senses, while the grade 2s caught up on math using Dreambox (online math program). Instead of trying to pack in two different lessons, the teacher opted to split the learning. Grade 2s will get their science lesson another day. Grade 1s used pebblego.com to do their own inquiry. Using researching skills previously taught (write what you want to know on a sticky note, and then go looking for that answer; how to dot-jot notes; scientific diagrams) students found what interested them about the body. Then in a learning circle, they shared what they found, and the teacher compiled it all on chart paper. A half hour math talk had students once again in a circle, using manipulatives and sharing their learning aloud. Tinker Tuesday The day ended with “Tinker Tuesday,” with students given a small challenge and limited materials to try and complete a challenge (today was use toothpicks and clay to build 3D figures, then compile those figures into a structure). Overall Programming Speaking with the teacher, she admitted that primary PBL isn’t filled with extended projects with public product like the older grades do. Instead, she sees her program as one that focuses on inquiry skills and 21st century competencies (critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication). The curriculum content is used as a vehicle to help students develop an early understanding and skill level in these areas. Having come from kindergarten, she emphasized that 6 year olds really aren’t ready for big projects on an on-going basis. She sees her focus as exposure to the content, training in the skills, and developing an overall love of learning and thirst for knowledge. The link between play-based learning and project-based learning was clear. PBL - projects There were three big projects (one hour a day, for 3-4 weeks) planned for the entire year. The students completed one in October that focused on sharing what their school is all about. In February the class embarked on a PBL unit about the Olympics. And later in the Spring the students will read “The One and Only Ivan” (fictional chapter book) and do an inquiry into animals. These three units are highly integrated, incorporating every subject, and involve multiple products produced by the students. They perfectly fit the definition of PBL. However, the teacher admitted they are designed by the teacher, with opportunities within the unit given for student voice and choice. The skills are highly scaffolded as 6 year olds do not have much capacity for individual inquiry. But the students were engaged, interested, and seeing the connection between real life and the subjects of the curriculum. Assessment Assessment at this age relies heavily on observations and professional judgement. The teacher gives multiple opportunities to “show what they know,” which usually results in a “B” grade on the report card (which translates to ‘at grade level’ in the Ontario curriculum). ‘A’s are given for students who make extraordinary connections or applications in other domains; ‘C’s are given to students who are not able to understand a concept after a good length of time and practice. But there is not a frenzied collection of data; once again, the focus is on exposure. The perfect balance Today’s classroom was an excellent balance of inquiry and literacy/math instruction. That balance is difficult in a grade where you are asked to send kids on being able to read and write and do basic math skills. The drill method is tempting; instead, this teacher accepted that students develop on their own continuum. Some literacy and math direct instruction is necessary, but much of what primary PBL is about is simply learning about life and the world. We live in an age where people listen to speak, instead of listening to understand. The art of conversation has been reduced to 140 characters, or an inciting post on Facebook. Face-to-face conversation has taken on the culture of scanning the headline and then throwing out our two cents with no regard or consideration for what others are saying.
Knowledge building circles teach the art of conversation. They train us to listen to what the speaker is saying, to consider the point of view, to ponder our own thoughts and to indicate silently agreement, disagreement, a point to add or a tangent to make. It teaches the speaker to thoughtfully pass the invisible baton to someone who has thoughtfully decided to extend the conversation. It aligns with the simile I carry that a conversation should be like a long walk, each word moving us a step forward; we may not arrive at the intended destination, but we are constantly moving forward, not stopping to run in little circles of argument. Sharing what we have learned is a quick way to get a lot of knowledge to the entire class. Not everyone has to read and learn every topic every time. The best collaborators come together excited to share about successes and failures in hopes to inspire future learning and success. Using a knowledge-building circle to share learnings provides the opportunity to convey those learnings and also teaches active listening and effective speaking. The circle starts with one or two questions to guide the conversation. The teacher gives students a moment to think about those questions themselves, then a minute or two to share thoughts aloud with a partner. Then the circle is ready to begin. Someone starts. As they speak, listeners use silent gestures to voice their opinion: an extended thumb and finger that shakes in front of the chest means “I agree.” A “thumbs down” means I disagree. A “thumbs up” means I have something to add to that thought. An arm outstretched into the circles means I want to take this in a new direction. The speaker then chooses someone to speak next, with preference given to the “thumbs up” so that that thought or idea can be built upon. After thumbs up, thumbs down voices take a turn to debate or oppose the idea. When the thought is complete, an outstretched arm may take the conversation in a new direction. If the circle is about sharing new knowledge, the teacher can record thoughts on a chart paper under the headings of the questions. If the circle gets off topic, or there is a lull, the teacher may choose to summarize the thoughts so far to keep the knowledge fresh in the students’ minds. Keep in mind that the cycles of topics might be very short – one point, one “I agree” and students may be ready to move on. Building knowledge on a new topic will likely be short and sweet and might reveal new areas to explore. Using a circle to reflect on learning in the middle or at the end of an inquiry might lead to longer cycles as participants are able to apply what they have learned to new contexts or connect it to themselves or the world around them. Successful circles need practice; the one I observed is six months into the year so students were familiar with the process. When first introducing circles, it would be prudent to remember that teaching new content and new skills simultaneously can overload students. Start with a familiar topic so students can get used to the format before you apply it to new learning. On my journey to understand how to effectively implement project-based learning, I am slowly coming to one really important realization: there isn’t one effective way to implement project-based learning. The real difficulty in sharing how to do PBL with others is that it is both very instinctual and very personal.
Most PBL teachers will say that there is only so much advance planning you can do before the unit hits the ground with your students. PBL is about connecting real students to the real world, and while you can do some sketching ahead of time, the best projects are going to emerge as the students put their fingerprints on them. Most teachers will agree that having a well formed inquiry question and a wealth of curated resources is the best preparation you can do. But even more than the instinct involved is the fact that PBL requires passion on the side of the teacher. When the teacher is invested and excited, those emotions are catching in the classroom. And connecting back to the curation of resources, a teacher who is bored or uninspired by the topic will find it difficult to source the kinds of relevant resources required for an effective inquiry. So as my five-week journey into PBL begins, I have set one clear goal for myself: to find my own personal voice in PBL. Everything that lies in my past can inform my classroom. My passion for the arts, my career in film and advertising, my training in music, my love of building, an inherent desire to debate, a deep love of history – all these things will combine somehow to inform how my projects develop and unroll. |
Terri-AnnPersonal reflections on project-based learning. Archives
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