PBL switch

I've been introduced to the PBL style of learning and I must say I am impressed. It is full of mutual trust and responsibility and there is great research supporting this style. I read two blogs about PBL in the classroom. One completely for PBL and showing it perfectly implemented in a K-8 charter school and another admitting the challenges it presents. I recommend both blogs as well as further research. Let me know in the comments below what you think about PBL compared to traditional lesson plans.

 ~Solving Real-World Issues Through Problem-Based Learning~

This article and video focused on the Two Rivers Public Charter School and how they implement PBL with their students. Each teacher presents their students with a real-world problem where there are multiple right answers in order to create higher-level thinking. Their director of curriculum Jeff Heyck-Williams says that “the perfect problem connects content, student interest, and authentic context.” Once the teachers understand the content and skills a student needs to learn they get creative on how they can measure the student’s understanding such as rewriting children books with different viewpoints or creating ecosystem rehabilitation projects. Students are given a problem that is difficult and may have multiple solutions with different points of view or data, and they have to weigh out information and research to see which will give them the best help to solve their given problem. The school also focuses on giving students problems that are tangible to them especially while they are young. Younger grades focus on problems in their own community and as they get older they are given problems that are more global. Rather than teachers leading the discussion and students going along for the ride, this PBL style allows for the students to guide and focus on aspects they find more difficult or important.

~Why Do So Many Schools Want to Implement Project-Based Learning, But So Few Actually Do?~  By Alejo Rivera

This blog gave a realistic and honest view of PBL and the challenges that it can create. The lesson plans for a PBL classroom are very in-depth and creating one takes a lot of time and effort. it requires a different form of thinking and depending on how long you have been teaching in a traditional format this could be difficult. Alejo admits that this style can be a little chaotic at first. All of your students are talking at once, going at their own pace, and all asking questions of a variety of aspects. This can be a little overwhelming and hard to assess where each student is and if one or more is having difficulties. But this article doesn't point out flaws without solutions. It was motivating and gave great tips such as "Don't re-invent the wheel". Many teachers can get overwhelmed at the thought of throwing out everything they've done in the past and recreating lesson plans on their own. This blog gives great resources to some already planned PBL assignments and encourages picking great aspects out of already planned lessons. 

~Implementation~

After reading these blogs I would implement just about everything I could from my first blog “Solving Real-World Issues Through Problem-Based Learning”. Giving the students a more open-ended question that requires in-depth thinking and problem-solving skills not only strengthens how they come to solutions, but it also makes them more confident in themselves. They won’t be afraid to speak up and raise their hands in class and that helps both the teacher and students. Teachers don’t know what to focus on when their students are too afraid to speak up.

Alejo reassures teachers that if they are patient and stand back that they will see great results. Teachers are so often the “classroom expert” peering over shoulders and giving step-by-step instructions, but being a “facilitator” allows students to guide themselves and find their strengths while thinking outside of the box. I would love for my students to feel like I am there as one of their other tools and not there to judge their every move. I think this sense of freedom breeds responsibility and prevents the teacher from becoming a crutch for students. 

~Challenges of implementing PBL~   

I think there are many challenges to the PBL style. First, if you’re not lucky enough to be at a PBL focused school such as the Two Rivers Public Charter School your students might be a little hesitant about the change. Even going from individual desks to group work desks can throw some students off. This can be discouraging if your efforts are not yielding results as fast as you wish. There may also be some backlash from the parents. Parents are said to be stuck in their ways and they may not be too happy if they think their children are guinea pigs in an education study. And any big changes must be approved by your supervisor. There is a lot of research and convincing that needs to be done to transform your classroom into a PBL environment, but I think it’s the perfect place for students to not only learn but thrive.

~What questions do I still have?~

I am wondering if there have been any problems convincing parents that this is the best way to teach their children. Teachers may understand that this will take some trial and error in the beginning, but will parents? Maybe there should be some information on how to word this in a newsletter to send home or for a conference. If it is taking students a while to adapt to the PBL environment, then their parents might become concerned that this will affect their child's overall education. I would love to see some research or personal accounts on the transition from traditional to PBL style and what parental issues may have come up.