This question is super easy to answer ... it's got to be PBL. I came across the concept of PBL when I was looking through some new web-sites last school year, and I was hooked from the get go. I loved all the various ways that PBL could be interpreted by both teachers and students, and thought that this would be a perfect format of teaching for my students. You see, I teach World Geography, and I found that my students loved when we discussed real world issues in class, and when I was able to make real world connections within the lessons, the students were more engaged. The format of PBL fit in with what my students loved, and what I was hoping to achieve with them.
I finally made the big leap towards implementing a PBL format in the classroom this year. We completed our first PBL, and for lack a better word, it was a bit rough. My students had difficulty in letting go o their reliance on specific directions to create their project. It was an uphill battle with them some days because they were always wanting me to make decisions regarding their presentations, but I told them that they were the ones in charge (and I would only offer them guidance). Over time, the students began to get into the groove of collaborating with the other members of their team, and their dependence on a teacher-directed instruction. When they presented their creations to their peers, I had students fill out feedback pages to use for reflection. Reflections were also directed inwards for the students and at me so we could build off of them.
Well, I can say that while I think that the first PBL was a tough project, the second PBL that we started today is going to be freaking AWESOME! Today we spent the class period building and defining the central concept ("The American Dream") so that way we can have a foundation to work with when we delve into our creative side. Students were on point and throwing out ideas and suggestions. However, there was a moment that really stood out to me though. You should know first that my fourth period is a large class, and there is one particular student that somedays I have to pull teeth to connect the material. I've tried finding ways to make the material engaging, and I was hoping that he would try this time around. Anyways, I had a colleague in the classroom who wanted to observe how the class runs in a PBL format, and he asked this particular student about what they were working on. Get this ... the student starts explaining the process, and he didn't even know I was listening into the conversation. I was floored! He was actually investing some time in this background information. (To tell you the truth - I almost cried a bit...)
So, this time around the students were actively providing questions that they could pull out of the information and discussion we held in class. To top it off, we decided as a class to make a list of all the topics that were of interest to them so as to try and to include them within our class discussions and projects. They were choosing some hard-hitting issues - the situation in Ferguson (and racial relations), immigration reform, the wage gap, gender relations, etc... - and I was blown away by what a little inspiration did for these students. I can truly say that while I may have doubted the PBL for my classroom during the first try, I am totally on board. The students were taking chances and challenging each other, and they allowed me to take a step back a bask in the glory of student engagement. I love PBL, and there's no looking back now! I know that all the hard work that goes into formulating these PBLs, as well as all the tweaks that are involved to the original design as students provide feedback and ideas, is actually being understood by the students. The students are finally having fun again (but also learning)!
To put it in the words of one of my students - "I really think that PBL is the way of the future, and all schools should really consider it. I feel like I'm actually able to talk about things that matter, and I actually look forward to these projects." I couldn't agree more kiddo; I couldn't agree more!
-A
I finally made the big leap towards implementing a PBL format in the classroom this year. We completed our first PBL, and for lack a better word, it was a bit rough. My students had difficulty in letting go o their reliance on specific directions to create their project. It was an uphill battle with them some days because they were always wanting me to make decisions regarding their presentations, but I told them that they were the ones in charge (and I would only offer them guidance). Over time, the students began to get into the groove of collaborating with the other members of their team, and their dependence on a teacher-directed instruction. When they presented their creations to their peers, I had students fill out feedback pages to use for reflection. Reflections were also directed inwards for the students and at me so we could build off of them.
Well, I can say that while I think that the first PBL was a tough project, the second PBL that we started today is going to be freaking AWESOME! Today we spent the class period building and defining the central concept ("The American Dream") so that way we can have a foundation to work with when we delve into our creative side. Students were on point and throwing out ideas and suggestions. However, there was a moment that really stood out to me though. You should know first that my fourth period is a large class, and there is one particular student that somedays I have to pull teeth to connect the material. I've tried finding ways to make the material engaging, and I was hoping that he would try this time around. Anyways, I had a colleague in the classroom who wanted to observe how the class runs in a PBL format, and he asked this particular student about what they were working on. Get this ... the student starts explaining the process, and he didn't even know I was listening into the conversation. I was floored! He was actually investing some time in this background information. (To tell you the truth - I almost cried a bit...)
So, this time around the students were actively providing questions that they could pull out of the information and discussion we held in class. To top it off, we decided as a class to make a list of all the topics that were of interest to them so as to try and to include them within our class discussions and projects. They were choosing some hard-hitting issues - the situation in Ferguson (and racial relations), immigration reform, the wage gap, gender relations, etc... - and I was blown away by what a little inspiration did for these students. I can truly say that while I may have doubted the PBL for my classroom during the first try, I am totally on board. The students were taking chances and challenging each other, and they allowed me to take a step back a bask in the glory of student engagement. I love PBL, and there's no looking back now! I know that all the hard work that goes into formulating these PBLs, as well as all the tweaks that are involved to the original design as students provide feedback and ideas, is actually being understood by the students. The students are finally having fun again (but also learning)!
To put it in the words of one of my students - "I really think that PBL is the way of the future, and all schools should really consider it. I feel like I'm actually able to talk about things that matter, and I actually look forward to these projects." I couldn't agree more kiddo; I couldn't agree more!
-A
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