I love project-based learning. I am also a fan of problem-based learning. The sad thing is, every year I am feeling as if I am losing that aspect in my classroom. Last year, we were so strapped for time that I ended up saving my giant math project for the end of the year- after the state standardized test. My students soaked it up. In the project, they created a restaurant in which they had to market, budget, and create for their fellow students. We incorporated so many things we had learned over the year. If I would have had the time to do it mid-year, I would have. They learned more from the work they did on their own than any book could have taught them.
Even though my big projects were pushed to the back burner, I still try to incorporate small assignments in which my students produce an artifact to share with their peers. Mini-labs and web-search assignments are things I try to incorporate as often as possible. Something as simple as contributing a slide of what they learned for a whole-class Powerpoint that will be printed and shared is a quick way to assess how the student interpreted what they learned.
In the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007) it discussed generating and testing hypotheses. This links with the constructionism theory because students are examening their own schemas and testing for accuracy. Sometimes they will assimilate their thoughts to meet that hypothesis and sometimes they will accomodate their thoughts to meet their hypothesis (Orey, 2007). I like that the authors took the hypothesis beyond science and talked about incorporating it into other subjects.
As a part of our unit on famous inventors, I encourage my students to think of a day to day problem they might have that could be fixed with a simple invention. They write about it in their writer's notebooks. To build on the constructionism theory and follow one of the tasks mentioned in this weeks chapter, I am debating on turning this into a bigger project in which students used the website (www.bkfk.com/howtoinvent) that was mentioned in our book. I may even go as far as having the students build a model of their invention and tie it into economics with marketing. The thing about project-based learning is it does take a lot more planning than traditional methods but the reward is definitely there. Any suggestions on how to make this appropriate for 7 and 8 year olds would be appreciated.
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Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI currently am facing the same issues. We try so hard to get these students to pass these math assessments that we do not have the time in our curriculum to do project based learning, which is a great reinforcer of material. It is a little frustrating for me because I know that for myself, I enjoy being able to do projects and have the students think outside of the box.
Your project sounds like a blast! I might try to do something like that once our standardized tests are over as well!
Great job!
Anna
Ashley and Anna,
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a common thread among teachers in the teaching world: we are bound by standards and meeting those standards no matter what this is due to people who possibly used to teach or those that think they have the students best interests at heart. In our district we have a fantastic project for 2nd and 3rd graders called Market Day. This is where students work in 'factories' to design and prodce a project which they then sell to their counteparts from all over the district. They get paid for their work and they use this pay on Market Day to buy things. It is a great opportunity and they really enjoy getting their teeth into it. I believe this is more of a worthwhile task for them than memorizing information and vocabulary.
I wish we could give our students more opportunities like this!
Minty
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me say, I love the look of your blog. All the pictures you add really make it! I couldn't agree more about how our big project ideas are getting pushed to the back burner. Bottom line is they do take a lot of time. The pressures of the standardized test hanging over us (and I'm not taking a stand either way, it just is what it is) force us to be a bit more creative when planning these types of projects.
As for your inventors idea....when I was a fifth grade teacher, one of the Science topics was Simple Machines. The students had to create an invention incorporating five of the Simple Machines. It was such a great unit! Some of the inventions were incredible...automatic dog feeder, bathtub reading machine, cleat cleaner, etc. More importantly was the log that went along with it. They had to record the process step by step, including all mistakes and errors. They learned so much during that unit. It was a perfect example of project based learning at its best.
Anna, Minty, and Tonya,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your responses. I agree with Tonya when she says testing is just a fact of life these days. We have to work with it. With that being said, I am always looking for projects where students are learning things without even knowing it. Projects can encompass so many standards at once that the students can learn three to four weeks of standards in one project. My goal is to design these projects and use them more in my classroom. A lot easier said than done. There is always a fear that students will miss something important in the project or that what they learn doesn't translate well in a test. That's what stops so many of us from attempting projects.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI think what you said is key. There is the fear that they will miss something important. As project based learning defines, it gives students their own meaning. There will always be some of those students whose meanings completely miss some pertinent information. I think it can be very valuable, but I think the teacher has to always be on the lookout for the gaps and fill them in as the project goes forward. As for translating well in a test...that's a struggle for some students no matter how we are teaching.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI too echo what everyone else has stated. That is one pertinent part of projects, that each student may learn something completely different through the experience. It is true that high-stakes-testing is just a part of an educator's life. But that should not prevent us from incorporating those life-changing projects.
Amanda D.