PBL+Reflection

PBL Reflection
Entering into this class, I had absolutely no interaction with what PBL meant. In fact, when we were initially asked to fill out a survey about our opinions on PBL, I was completely at a loss. This was my very first encounter with the idea. I had quite a few misgivings as I stumbled through the responses, not at all sure what Dr. Reins had in mind or the direction of the course. As time progressed, I learned and experienced a great deal concerning the concepts behind PBL, not only while we were in the classroom but also during out experiences at Sioux Falls New Tech High School. I attended the half-day experience and I also attended both the roll out and end product of a class project that created Photo Service Announcements (PSA). Now that we are creating our own PBL unit, I have found that being immersed into this idea of PBL and all that it entails has made me far, far more comfortable to reflect upon it.

One of the most fascinating elements of PBL is the fact that it is very student oriented. According to pbl-online.org, "PBL is extremely effective as a method for engaging students in their learning. With engagement comes focus, discipline, and mastery of academic content." It encourages the students to invest their own talents and their own ideas into the learning experience so that they “own” it. Having these experiences gives the students a chance to see how rewarding their work can be in a classroom, for instead of the end-product simply being a test at the end of a unit, they have an actual product that goes beyond a multiple-choice assessment. During our experiences, I noticed how outgoing so many of the students behaved, more than happy to talk to me and expand upon their own experiences in the school. One student even remarked that a lot of the personal stereotypes and labels that one often sees in schools to describe “jocks” or “skaters” and others were not so evident at their school, especially considering the group-work atmosphere. Another advantage seems to be that the students help each other to learn, they work with each other in a way that shows just how important it is beyond the schoolroom to be able to work well with others.

As for limitations, from the moment I entered into my first PBL classroom, it was pretty obvious that it was an organized chaos. Some people may find this a limitation; some may find it a refreshing change of pace. Personally, I rather enjoyed it. Obviously, the instructor is behind it all, making sure that there is organization. According to the website "In the Classroom", the teacher's roll has changed, "No longer is the teacher and text the source of all knowledge in the classroom. The role of the teacher in a PBL classroom is as a coach or guide." With PBL requiring students to work in groups, it also relies upon the group working well together and, sometimes, people just don’t mesh well, some people may not contribute as much as others, and there is a loss of control as one must share responsibilities. With the size of the classes, PBL seems to require a larger working environment and easy access to materials. Every student had a computer and there were Smartboards in every classroom, which is not so easy for many school districts to be able to provide. PBL also requires a great deal of preparation. I know that I felt completely unprepared stepping into that classroom. Not only the instructors but also the students need to come into PBL with a great deal of preparation. I believe that at SFNTH, one must be a freshman to be able to enter into the school just so that the students can learn how to work in a PBL school. PBL requires a great deal of creativity on the part of the instructor, preparation time, and an ability to guide the students instead of simply telling them what is what.

One of the only solutions to this is having an instructor that can handle a great deal of things being thrown at them. It requires a person who is able to juggle a great many things, be open to new ideas and know how to implement those ideas, work well in an “organized chaos”, be flexible, supportive, and still provide everything the students need to learn. I think that someone in our class noted at the beginning of the year that it sounded like this was something for lazy instructors, which seems by far and away to be the very opposite. As Patty Vreeland, a teacher in Virginia noted on the website "Edutopia", "We have to know the curriculum. We've got to know the standards inside and out. Even though it looks like the kids are doing all the hard work, there's a lot of planning that goes on behind it to make sure that the work is there for them." While at SFNTHS, there was a moment following the PSA projects where we had a chance to talk with the students. One of the students related a story that I found rather poignant. He was not much of a reader, struggled with it, and came to the school as a person who previously would blow off his homework. One of their projects concerned reading novels. He struggled and it was only through the help and aid of his groupmates that they encouraged this boy to read. As he told this story, their teacher teared up and replied that she was having a “mamma bear” moment. While I don’t know these people beyond this one experience, it was a moment that almost caused me to tear up as well. It was an example of how students can work together and help each other out. It felt great to be able to witness that.

Overall, I have come away with this experience in PBL feeling like it is something that I could easily see myself doing. I love the atmosphere, the collaboration, the friendliness, and the fact that it makes everything so relatable. It goes beyond lecturing to a test to experiencing what can happen when people work together.

//Image: http://modelschoolscnyric.pbworks.com/w/page/40580862/Project-Based%20Learning// //Resources:// //[|Buck Institute for Education]// //[|Edutopia]// [|In The Classroom] [|Project Based Learning: The Online Source for PBL]