PLT: Day 1
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As part of my Professional Growth Plan this year I want to focus on Project Based Learning in Social Studies and in a combination Health/Religion 7/8 split class. Also, because I am really interested in this area and see lots of potential for engaging students in my classes (reasearch is OVERWHELMINGLY in favor of Project Based Learning). I will also blog about the experience to try and gain a better understanding of the in's and out's of PBL and to work out the kinks. Below are links to the two projects that I have tried thus far. What I have learned so far has been plentiful and painful. I have had so many "I should have thought of that!" moments. RHere are my reflections from the first week of PBL: 1. I introduced the Social studies 7 PBL as an 'option' for the students. I think that next time, the first PBL project will be done by everyone and then after that they will have a choice. I found that my students were drawn to the project initially, but then they were more swayed by what their peers were doing. Also, if they were all doing the PBL option, I could instruct that way instead of 1/2 and 1/2 which I am doing right now. I think an 'all or nothing' approach at first would be good to get students used to that type of learning. But the question still remains in my head about what to do with those students who enjoy a more traditional approach to learning? Those "A" typers who like lists and highlighters? Is there a way to do a more structured version of PBL? Hmm....research is needed. 2. For the Health-Religion 7/8 PBL project #1, I wish that I would have been more DIRECT about what the end-product SHOULD/COULD contain instead of just hoping they would come to that conclusion. I am going to add on a checklist for their e-portfolios - what they SHOULD contain or COULD contain. I think this would help to guide them for their end products. However, I will not give it out until the second week of the project. I think that SOME students are starting to develop a certain instinct for where the questions are leading them. How to do have success for all students in PBL? Hmmmm....tiered PBL? Maybe.
Where I Will Go Next:
I think the next step is to consider how can all students feel success through PBL. What about those students who are getting 'stuck' on a question or section of the answer to the big problem? Is there a "skill set" for PBL that all students need to have prior to commencing a PBL project? Also, I think I will have smaller home-groups for project #2. This will help eliminate some peer swaying for project choices and expression of answers for project questions. The next Social Studies PBL will be a hybrid or PBL and more traditional approach to Social Studies - maybe an 'easing' in of the students to PBL will help. Here's to more adventures and growth with PBL! I remember sitting in the gymnasium at Peace Wapiti Academy two years ago listening to Craig Keilburger talk about Free the Children at the opening night of the Mighty Peace Teachers Convention. I was so captivated and pumped up after the presentation, that I text my principal right away and let her know that I was interested in starting this club and that oh, by the way, I already registered our school! (I was banking on her saying yes!). I had recently heard in the news the devastating story of a young girl being targeted by the Taliban for attending school for seeking out an education in Pakistan. She was shot point blank on her bus ride to school and miraculously survived. I used the outrage I felt from this story, mixed it with the Keilburger zeal for world change, and pitched it to my homeroom students on Monday morning. (Side note: I know some of you are thinking, sure sure....it couldn't have happened that soon. But, you must not know me. If I like an idea, its happening. No if's and's or but's!). I began with a quote from Ghandi "Be the change you wish to see in the world". I can honestly say, that these students epitomize that mantra. They truly ARE the change. Let us flash forward two years and we have just harvested a crop that will build a school in our adopted village of Eor Ewasu, Kenya. These students who make up our social justice club are, excuse the pun, the cream of the crop. THEY ARE AMAZING. It is through their tireless efforts that we have been so successful. Here is a small and highly shortened timeline of our Seeds to Bricks project:
October 2013: We Day in Calgary (see my reflection here). Almost immediately afterwards, the idea for a crop project is dreamt up by one of our parent chaperones. Wouldn't that be cool? Yes. Yes it would be. How very Sexsmith of us to plant a crop for world change :-) November 2013: A list is made up of what it will take to plant, seed, harvest this crop. December 2013: A letter writing workshop to ask for fuel, seed, fertilizer, etc. The students had some very convincing letters! January 2014: Our group now has two co-presidents, a vice-president and others signed up for different roles in the group. Yipee! Go kids go! February 2014: Not many sponsor letters coming back positive. The project is teetering dangerously close to not happening. March 2014: Students still taking out letters. Doing bake sales, small fundraisers. April 2014: After countless phone calls, being turned down, and hung up on, we finally have enough sponsorship to give the project the "Go Ahead" THANK GOODNESS! (coincidentally, I start sleeping better at night.) May 2014: The crop is seeded! Wheat seed is donated by a local farm family, who's daughter is in our social justice club. The students get to ride on the tractor as we plant the 40 acre. piece of land. I even get to take a spin! June 2014: The club gets sponsorship from the Town of Sexsmith. This was a really cool opportunity for our students, as they sat in at a council meeting and three of our members spoke to the councillors about the projects. We also have the signs donated for our school and for outside by the crop. July-August 2014: The crop takes on a dry summer. Hail, not much rain and lost of 30 degree + days. However, it still looked pretty good! September 2014: The crop was harvested on September 5. Again the students were able to ride in the combine and get to see their work in action! SO. The wheat is drying, the buyers being sought out by our amazing farm family, and I am left thinking and wondering.....what will be next for this amazing group of young leaders? Shall we travel the world together? What other projects will we take on this year? { Thank you to all of our terrific sponsors, families, students, teachers and supporters. Without you, this project would never have happened! } |
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