Before I read the book, I thought of project-based learning as student-generated projects that revolve around central themes. I thought of students designing their own projects, posing their own questions, setting their own criteria, planning their own methods for investigation, and taking active roles in their learning. I thought of students doing their own things - as far as having a vested interest in their own learning and deciding what format/genre via which they present their findings. I imagined a mix of oral, written, and electronic outcomes per project
I thought that there would probably be a collaborative/interactive aspect to PBL.
Project Based Learning to me sounded like teachers guiding and students doing/learning.
I predicted that we are already doing some aspects of PBL at Powhatan, and I was curious what else the book had to offer.
What do you think? Ideally, it would be great to hear your thoughts before you read the book!
And, please excuse that I am "Mrs. Robb" - that's from my usual Powhatan account with the students.
I would define PBL- as group project that are designed for students to apply, synthesize and better understand skills and ideas they have learned or are learning in class. Although there are clear objectives the students have some freedom in how they approach these objectives. After reading the book, this did not change, but some thoughts on it organization and planning. HH
Before reading the PBL book I had the feeling that I was already doing such activities in both my Latin and my French classes. At the end of each thematic unit, I assign a project which is part of the unit assessment. It engages the students individually or in teams of 2 and always includes technology. In Latin, the goal is to collect information on a specific topic, in the foreign language,the goal is to reuse new vocabulary and grammar concepts. If the project is in English, the purpose is to become more knowledgeable about the culture of a francophone country. A presentation to the whole class is expected in each case.
I felt the same as Fabienne. I often started or ended units with projects that were either designed to introduce and motivate students for a particular unit or assess the depth of their understanding after the unit. After reading the PBL book, I discovered ways to improve existing projects to make them "encompass" an entire unit and incorporate more of the "flipped" classroom philosophy. (I think I will explain this in another post???? Sort of new to this Wiki business. Not sure if I am doing it correctly.)
Laura, you're doing just fine with the blog! Since you mentioned a Wiki, here's an example of one that the Powhatan language arts teachers (K-8) collaborated on a year or two ago: http://readingnext.wikispaces.com/.
Project based learning is when students conquer real-world problems and challenges in the classroom. In the world language classroom it is all about "authenticity." Most of my projects are about diving into another culture and finding the products, perspectives, and practices. Usually I assign a WebQuest where students work in groups of 3-4 and each student takes on a specific role. The final products vary from a menu in the target language to a presentation in front of the class, or a skit/video.
Before I read the book, I thought of project-based learning as student-generated projects that revolve around central themes. I thought of students designing their own projects, posing their own questions, setting their own criteria, planning their own methods for investigation, and taking active roles in their learning. I thought of students doing their own things - as far as having a vested interest in their own learning and deciding what format/genre via which they present their findings. I imagined a mix of oral, written, and electronic outcomes per project
ReplyDeleteI thought that there would probably be a collaborative/interactive aspect to PBL.
Project Based Learning to me sounded like teachers guiding and students doing/learning.
I predicted that we are already doing some aspects of PBL at Powhatan, and I was curious what else the book had to offer.
What do you think? Ideally, it would be great to hear your thoughts before you read the book!
And, please excuse that I am "Mrs. Robb" - that's from my usual Powhatan account with the students.
I would define PBL- as group project that are designed for students to apply, synthesize and better understand skills and ideas they have learned or are learning in class. Although there are clear objectives the students have some freedom in how they approach these objectives. After reading the book, this did not change, but some thoughts on it organization and planning. HH
ReplyDeleteHarry, I really like your point about clear objectives, which are important for both teachers and students to know.
DeleteBefore reading the PBL book I had the feeling that I was already doing such activities in both my Latin and my French classes. At the end of each thematic unit, I assign a project which is part of the unit assessment. It engages the students individually or in teams of 2 and always includes technology. In Latin, the goal is to collect information on a specific topic, in the foreign language,the goal is to reuse new vocabulary and grammar concepts. If the project is in English, the purpose is to become more knowledgeable about the culture of a francophone country. A presentation to the whole class is expected in each case.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same as Fabienne. I often started or ended units with projects that were either designed to introduce and motivate students for a particular unit or assess the depth of their understanding after the unit. After reading the PBL book, I discovered ways to improve existing projects to make them "encompass" an entire unit and incorporate more of the "flipped" classroom philosophy. (I think I will explain this in another post???? Sort of new to this Wiki business. Not sure if I am doing it correctly.)
DeleteLaura, you're doing just fine with the blog! Since you mentioned a Wiki, here's an example of one that the Powhatan language arts teachers (K-8) collaborated on a year or two ago: http://readingnext.wikispaces.com/.
DeleteProject based learning is when students conquer real-world problems and challenges in the classroom. In the world language classroom it is all about "authenticity." Most of my projects are about diving into another culture and finding the products, perspectives, and practices. Usually I assign a WebQuest where students work in groups of 3-4 and each student takes on a specific role. The final products vary from a menu in the target language to a presentation in front of the class, or a skit/video.
ReplyDelete