678 Module 3 discussion
Hello Class,
This week we were to go deeper into PBL's, utilizing our resources page to hear real examples of how successful they can be in the classroom. We also looked at the challenges and issues adapting your currently curriculum to be more PBL based. I think all of us can relate to both, but it was nice to see other professionals take on their successes and failures.
The first quote I like comes from the "What's working with PBL's" section of the article. I attached the quote below:
Michael Golden (@Educurious), Educurious: “We have developed ten design principles that start with positioning students at the center as authentic, relevant problem solvers on trajectories toward mastery. Teachers are positioned as activators, and they perfect their craft as they "Adopt, Adapt and Innovate" on problem-based projects and progress down the learning curve in a supportive professional learning community.”
I really like Michael's take for a couple of reasons. The first being that he keys in on what I believe to be the most important aspect of PB Learning- AUTHENTICITY! That is where the true strength in the exercises comes from. If we make the material relevant to the students, they are so much more likely to strive for mastery. Think of yourself in college versus high school. When you realized the material was important for your future career, you dug your heels in a little deeper! We can get that same commitment out of our students if we show them the importance or relevance of the material.
I also really like how he said adopt, adapt and innovate. Switching to PBL's takes time! We need to Evolve if you will, similar to how species have over the years, to speciate towards more authentic instruction. Days are gone of the "sit and get" lectures about trivia facts. We need to move towards more authentic lessons that actual matter if the student masters! Application and authenticity are the true keys and strongest benefits of PBL.
Next, we were supposed to look at the "What Needs to Improve" section. I sided with the following quote:
Blossom Johnston, Albertson Family Foundation: “The work we've funded in this space in Idaho over the past 4 years point to a few key lessons. But, first of all we've seen that this is a really difficult learning approach that requires a lot of time, effort, resources and support to implement.”
I think Blossom really hit it on the head as problems with rolling out a PBL based curriculum. For me the biggest issue is the amount of time and effort you have to give to change a current lesson into one that would be considered a PBL activity. The support is an issue as well as most teachers don't have time to collaborate or ask questions of teachers with experience in adapting activities to be more authentic and still show mastery for their core curriculum. Because of this, I really have taken my time with the transition. I am slowly converting one or two activities/labs/assignments per unit into Storylining or PBL activities. Converting a whole curriculum is borderline impossible without time over the summer, and a team of teachers to work on it with you.
My other favorite tool/resource in the module was the video called the "Why and the What". I think it did a great job of explaining what is a PBL and how do you get there. One of the gentlemen in the video explained that often we ask students to build something and call it hands on and authentic. But, do they know why they built it? Or, if we take them on a fieldtrip (super hands on) but they don't understand why they are going and how it applies to their life then was it worth going on the trip? I think these are important questions to ask about our curriculum.. In order to truly master the material they need to understand how it applies to their life.
Thank you,
Jim Nielsen
This week we were to go deeper into PBL's, utilizing our resources page to hear real examples of how successful they can be in the classroom. We also looked at the challenges and issues adapting your currently curriculum to be more PBL based. I think all of us can relate to both, but it was nice to see other professionals take on their successes and failures.
The first quote I like comes from the "What's working with PBL's" section of the article. I attached the quote below:
Michael Golden (@Educurious), Educurious: “We have developed ten design principles that start with positioning students at the center as authentic, relevant problem solvers on trajectories toward mastery. Teachers are positioned as activators, and they perfect their craft as they "Adopt, Adapt and Innovate" on problem-based projects and progress down the learning curve in a supportive professional learning community.”
I really like Michael's take for a couple of reasons. The first being that he keys in on what I believe to be the most important aspect of PB Learning- AUTHENTICITY! That is where the true strength in the exercises comes from. If we make the material relevant to the students, they are so much more likely to strive for mastery. Think of yourself in college versus high school. When you realized the material was important for your future career, you dug your heels in a little deeper! We can get that same commitment out of our students if we show them the importance or relevance of the material.
I also really like how he said adopt, adapt and innovate. Switching to PBL's takes time! We need to Evolve if you will, similar to how species have over the years, to speciate towards more authentic instruction. Days are gone of the "sit and get" lectures about trivia facts. We need to move towards more authentic lessons that actual matter if the student masters! Application and authenticity are the true keys and strongest benefits of PBL.
Next, we were supposed to look at the "What Needs to Improve" section. I sided with the following quote:
Blossom Johnston, Albertson Family Foundation: “The work we've funded in this space in Idaho over the past 4 years point to a few key lessons. But, first of all we've seen that this is a really difficult learning approach that requires a lot of time, effort, resources and support to implement.”
I think Blossom really hit it on the head as problems with rolling out a PBL based curriculum. For me the biggest issue is the amount of time and effort you have to give to change a current lesson into one that would be considered a PBL activity. The support is an issue as well as most teachers don't have time to collaborate or ask questions of teachers with experience in adapting activities to be more authentic and still show mastery for their core curriculum. Because of this, I really have taken my time with the transition. I am slowly converting one or two activities/labs/assignments per unit into Storylining or PBL activities. Converting a whole curriculum is borderline impossible without time over the summer, and a team of teachers to work on it with you.
My other favorite tool/resource in the module was the video called the "Why and the What". I think it did a great job of explaining what is a PBL and how do you get there. One of the gentlemen in the video explained that often we ask students to build something and call it hands on and authentic. But, do they know why they built it? Or, if we take them on a fieldtrip (super hands on) but they don't understand why they are going and how it applies to their life then was it worth going on the trip? I think these are important questions to ask about our curriculum.. In order to truly master the material they need to understand how it applies to their life.
Thank you,
Jim Nielsen
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