I chose to read Suzie Boss' post entitled "Project-Based Learning: A Case for Not Giving Up". I mentioned in an earlier post that I am a PBL teacher leader at my school, and over the past couple of years PBL has become our school-wide initiative. It has taken off in many parts of the building, but unfortunatley, not in mathematics, where I teach. I usually feel like the lone pioneer out there giving it my best shot without anyone in my field to assist me or encourage me on.
In this post, Boss discusses how teachers new to PBL tend to revert back to traditional instruction as soon as they run into any difficulties. However, she reminds everyone that this is normal and expected because many times the process of PBL is new to the teachers and the students. As a teacher leader, I am quite familiar with 21st Century Skills, and I am a huge proponent of encouraging them, teaching them, and assessing them right along with the math content my students must learn. In the post, Boss states how important it is for teachers to explicity teach project management skills and provide opportunities for formative assessments early and often. It is a whole new way of "doing school" for both teachers and students when the students are held responsible for initiating their own learning and not just the teachers. I have included the link to this post below for those who might be interested.
This is the link....click right here.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in PBL and what it has to offer the world of mathematics education. I can see why teachers revert back to the "old ways". Teachers are so busy anyway and then add something new that will be time consuming, especially at the beginning. However, I think the benefits to the students will outweigh the negatives. I would love to speak with you and get some PBL ideas from you. I think your fellow teachers and your students are lucky to have you pioneering in this area.