As you start the journey through Project-Based Learning (PBL), it is necessary to keep an open mind. Many teachers are hesitant about starting the journey because it is not something that they have had experience with while they were in school. Some important things to keep in mind and some benefits of this approach are that your students will be able to handle the challenge, the projects are worth all of the effort you put into making them happen, and that they allow students to learn in a way that is similar to their everyday life.
Students will benefit from this approach because they will actually remember what they learned throughout the day. At the end of the project, they will have created something that they can be proud of and that they feel like actually matters. This is the same reason that teachers will benefit from this approach as well, because when teachers put in the effort to making this PBL approach happen, the students will be invested in their own learning.
An issue that teachers will face when starting this approach is the realization that this is an investment. It requires a ton of work with planning everything that goes into a project. As they say in the book, "project design is front-loaded work" (p. 28). You will put in all of your effort into making a project meaningful and setting the stage for your students to take over, but then you have to wait and let your students learn through the project. Many teachers will face the issue of giving up control and learning to be patient with this approach, but it will pay off in the end.
Another aspect of PBL is technology. New Tech schools have a firm belief that technology is necessary in PBL and that it can captivate students by allowing them to use something that will relate to their everyday lives.
Lastly, social bookmarking can be a benefit to you because it helps you to understand what you find online. You can join PBL groups where you can give and receive ideas to use for projects in your own classroom.
Hi Tessa!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your blog. I agree with everything that you mentioned in your post. Thanks for helping me to better understand the reading and see it from your point of view. I really like how you put in the page number for me to reference back on that was very helpful. I also liked how you brought to my attention how I as a teacher can benefit in my learning in the same way that the students can.
Tessa,
ReplyDeleteFirst off great job on your responses, you were sure to hit all of the keys points and even added your own input at times which is always helpful. I agree with you that a strong downside to many teachers wanting to do PBL in their classroom is that it's a time investment. Your quote from the book really helped emphasize that. I also appreciate the fact that you talked about how not only the students benefit from it, but the teachers as well. That being said I agree with you that for some teachers it may be difficult for them to give up the reins to their students, but in the end it will only be helping them and that's what we want. PBL seems to be a great concept that is starting to get used more frequently and as future educators we want to be able to grow with our students and I feel that PBL can help us do that if implemented correctly.