One of the great things I've learned about throughout this IDD program is Project Based Learning. Although I've participated in some PBL as well as used it in some degree in my classroom, I wasn't aware of it formally.
In all the time I taught in a face-to-face classroom, I can't count the number of times I was asked "when are we going to use this?" Probably the same situation with most math teachers. Often times I would respond by telling them that they didn't want to limit their possibilities and they may need some higher level math as they develop plans for the future. Which is completely true. But I think as a teenager, you don't have that long-term vision. They needed to know how to use what we were learning right now.
This is where PBL comes into play. A Project based learning experience is a huge benefit to the students. However, I think the stumbling blocks come with the teachers. Teachers have been teaching for a long time or it's just much easier to teach like you were taught. As a math teacher now and an excellent math student in high school, doing the math was never my problem. I could DO math all day! However taking the time to apply math is where the students will really grasp a true understanding.
This brings me back to my project. What I'm doing is fairly straight forward with some basic high school math. But I really think the students will be excited when they see what they can DO WITH math! the information they can figure out. The good decisions they can make. And maybe this is the type of information they need to be excited about the parts that are a little harder to apply.
At Georgia Virtual school, we require our course developers to include a project after each module. It allows the students in whatever subject area they are working with to apply their learning. This has truly enhanced our courses and made them more engaging to students.
Every time I read something you or Twila write about the Georgia Virtual School, my mind wonders whether or not you guys are creating educational utopia online! Now that the GVS is more popular and well-known, what kind of students are you all attracting? Do you have many high-achieving students? At the time of its conception, I assumed GVS was more for at-risk students that couldn't succeed in the traditional school setting. Is that still the case?
ReplyDeleteIf so, I would love to see a comparison of the scores of your students (who although are considered "at-risk" engage in a variation of PBL) and the traditional at-risk student. It would be very telling (in regard to instructional methodology).
Anyway- you guys are awesome. I really want to know more about the GVS.
This is a great reflection and to one I can really relate. Same thing with a science classroom, students think "yeah I guess this is cool, but how does it really apply to me?". We try to do the same things in a science class where we set up projects to achieve deeper learning. Much of modern science teaching is surrounded my student inquiry, which PBL helps achieve.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that its difficult for teachers to use PBL in their classrooms, whether they are hesitant to change their ways or think PBL is too time consuming. We can all agree, though, that PBL is well worth the effort and achieves, like you said, in engaging the students!
I agree 100%! I think that PBL is where kids really gain true understanding of how the content they are using is applied.
ReplyDeleteI think that education as a whole needs elective courses for just this reason. In my engineering classes, students are continuously applying math and science in projects. A good set-up (if I were charge, but nobody has called me yet) would be where students go to math and science, and then to an applications class that reinforces the concepts through real world projects.
ChanMin: Tami, you made excellent points! First, teachers' habits of teaching in ways of how they were taught can interfere their action of using PBL knowledge. Second, the the usefulness of knowledge and skills should be perceived by students. Lastly, actually doing something WITH math is important. I agree with you in all these three points! I am also glad to hear that GAVS requires projects where students can use what they just learned.
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