Sunday, February 8, 2015

RSA #2: Project Based Learning

Additional Online Resources:
http://edupln.com/video/project-based-learning
http://howtovideos.hightechhigh.org/video/265/What+Project+Based+Learning+Isn't

"Project Based Learning is becoming increasingly popular as teachers look for a way to make lessons stick in the minds of their students" (Dauphin, 2013).  The question then is what makes it so special that more teachers are turning to it?  Dauphin simply puts it as students tackling and solving real world problems (2013).  The Buck Institute for Education more succinctly puts it as a teaching method where students learn from "…working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge" (2015).  It is a process that involves them in cooperative problem solving and critical thinking as demonstrated by the Auburn Early Education Center in their Edutopia video (2010).


 Prairie South School Division (of Canada) teachers that have taken on the task of implementing the Project Based Learning (PBL) method have shared their experience through this video (Whitby, 2010).

http://edupln.com/video/project-based-learning
Video 2:  Prairie South School Division Video

They share that the traditional class time was not enough to implement PBL.  And with support of their administrators, they were able to carve out a three hour class period where they could integrate the studies of history, literature, and technology into projects to engage their students and cause deeper learning.  With that extra time the teachers were able to have student blend their ideas, witness deeper learning, and provide quality feedback to their students from both the teacher and working collaboratively with other students.  They used Technology as a tool to bring their content to life and to communicate their ideas.  Students started to take ownership of their projects and were proud of their work.

Jeff Robin decided to share about what Project Based Learning was not in his video.  (2011)


He shared that it was definitely not a teacher talking in front of a class, but more specifically it was project oriented learning.  In Projected Oriented Learning students first study the subject and then have a project oriented to the subject.  For example, students would learn about the United States Bicentennial and then make a model of the Liberty Bell.  Project Oriented Learning is more for the teachers rather than the students.  Projects did not run the semester as PBL's would have it, but the semester ran and the  projects were done at the end.  In fact Project Oriented Learning is the opposite of PBL's.

Comparing the sources introducing Project Based Learning, all of them share similar themes about PBL. 

  • It is student centered. 
  • Student are working collaboratively on real world problems.
  • Students are challenged to problem solve and use critical thinking
  • They communicate to critique and share information about their projects.
  • Students take ownership of their work

In addition to these themes, it was interesting to find that PBL works really well integrating subjects together as in the case of the Prairie South School Division. (Whitby, 2010).  It was also helpful to see what PBL was not.  As some teachers may think they are using PBL when in fact they are just orienting a project to fit topics they cover in class as explained by Jeff Robin (2011).  The difference is that instead of students learning everything that is covered in the course syllabus and then working on a project, PBL makes students take ownership of their learning as the real world problems are left up to them to solve and left for them to present their findings.  The information they need is not given to them, they need to actively search it out themselves.

The Prairie South School Division video (Whitby, 2010) provided an excellent example of how a PBL would work in an educational setting that can be followed.  Most teachers have their students for at least one to two hours a day, which does not seem like much time for Project Based Learning and working through a multi-day Project based learning process may seem daunting.  However, one could still use the PBL themes to create a scaled down version of PBL to even introduce students, and teachers, to  how it works.  For example, a teacher can pose the scenario "The Superintendent wants to know how much salt is needed to make sure our school's sidewalks are dry after a blizzard.  Your job is to provide a report to the school board and the community about how much salt they need to purchase for winter next year."     The teacher then can provide a guided web hunt were groups of students can work collaboratively to search for, investigate, and interpreted the appropriate data they need.  After finding the data they need, they can begin to work on a presentation to the school board that the teacher has structured and given the student a choice of an oral presentation or video advertisement that are then peer reviewed and critiqued.  Finally, the students get a chance to present their findings at a School Board meeting. 

As you can see this scenario is structured for the students and still hold the themes of PBL found above.  This lesson is student centered, students are working collaboratively to solve a real school problem,  The guided web hung leaves the students to think critically about what information is needed and what may not be needed.  They critique and share information with each during the peer review and ultimately the must take ownership of their work as they present it to the School Board and the community.

References 

Buck Institute for Education. (2015). What is Project Based Learning (PBL)?. Retrieved from  http://bie.org/about/what_pbl

Dauphin, S.  (2013).  12 timeless project-based learning resources.   

Edutopia. (2010). Five-Year-Olds Pilot Their Own Project Learning [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eyucHMifto

Robin, J. (2011, March 02). What Project Based Learning Isn't. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://howtovideos.hightechhigh.org/video/265/What+Project+Based+Learning+Isn't

Whitby, T. (2010, August 22). Project Based Learning [Video file]. Retrieved from http://edupln.com/video/project-based-learning

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