This week we were tasked with brainstorming our driving question and sub-questions for our projects. This process was not only intimidating, but also very insightful. After brainstorming, discussing and revising, I feel like I have a much better grasp on what my project will look like.
According to RJ Dake, driving questions contain the following criteria. They:
At first, it seemed like a very daunting task to create a narrowly-scoped driving question that contains all of these criteria. Here is my first attempt: “How can we implement technology into our instruction in transformational ways?” After a discussion with Dr. Rice and some classmates, I revised my question to be: "How can I transform my teaching with technology?" My Sub Questions are as follows:
I believe that these sub questions will guide the teachers that are taking part in this professional development to a deeper understanding of using technology in their classroom in a transformational way. We were then tasked with creating a Visual Project Organizer. I chose to use Piktochart. You can view my organizer here. This was my first attempt at using Piktochart. I really enjoyed it. It was easy to use and the end product looks professionally done. The Visual Project Organizer also helped me to better visualize my project. I feel like every step we take, my end product becomes a little more focused and makes more sense. Resources: Driving Questions (RJ Dake) http://www.jetspost.com/eportfolio/pbl/driving_questions.htm
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This week in EdTech 542, we began developing our project idea and creating our project website. My project website can be accessed here- sites.google.com/view/standrepbl. I really struggled with my project idea, but was able to come up with a broad overview of my project. I am sure that I will be able to narrow down the scope of my project in the next few weeks as we brainstorm driving questions and work through the specifics of our projects.
As an overview, my project will be professional development in which my teachers will be the students. The overall objective for the project is to get teachers to think about instruction from another point of view. Rather than using technology to substitute traditional instruction (worksheets, textbooks, drill & kill, etc....), how can we provide transformational instruction? This week in EdTech 542, we were tasked with searching for articles about the effectiveness of PBL in diverse classrooms. I found a great article on Edutopia, "Project-Based Learning Research Review: Evidence-Based Components of Success". According to the article, "Compared to traditional instructional methods, students engaged in small-group learning achieve higher grades, retain information longer, and have reduced dropout rates, improved communication and collaboration skills, and a better understanding of professional environments". I believe that this very thorough shows that PBL can have a positive impact on diverse classrooms. With that said, it is important to calibrate the project design to avoid common pitfalls in a PBL setting. Teachers need to act as facilitators, modeling active listening, encourage students to explore contradictory resources to make informed conclusions, and be both realistic and flexible while planning projects. In the discussion forum this week, we were tasked with researching projects and evaluating one using the "Essential Project Design Elements Checklist" from BIE. I really enjoyed searching through all of the example PBL projects. I noticed that most of them that I looked at had multiple artifacts tied to the project, a lot of student voice and choice, and a public presentation of some sort. The project that really stood out to me is the “Get Bent” project from High Tech High. In this project students used three-dimensional geometry, calculus, physics, art, and woodworking skills to design, explain, and construct books, posters, chairs, and lamps people would actually want in their homes. There isn’t a lot of background information on the resources site, but all of the student projects are on display on the project website. I was drawn to this project for two distinct reasons. First, as a woodworker, the fact that these students planned out and made this exquisite furniture blows me away. These final products are a testament to student voice and choice. They make me realize that we often underestimate what students are capable of with creative freedom and a little guidance. Second, High Tech High was the subject of the documentary Most Likely to Succeed. I have watched screenings of this film at multiple conferences and it is the original reason behind my interest in the impact that PBL can have on learning. I highly recommend seeing this film if you have not already. As I would like to adapt staff professional development to PBL, I don't know how much this particular project is relevant. With that said, I think that the artifacts show evidence of how engaging and impactful that PBL can have on instruction. This week, I began my introduction into the world of project based learning in EdTech 542: Technology-Supported Project Based Learning. Once the class introductions and syllabus review were out of the way, we were exposed to a plethora of PBL resources. Here is a comprehensive list: Organizational Websites
With such a structured and inclusive element workflow, BIE makes project based learning implementation look somewhat easy. However, in doing more research, it is easy to see that there are several considerations and difficulties that create roadblocks for many teachers that attempt to implement PBL. My Research found that, while PBL has a positive impact on student’s content retention, engagement/empathy, motivation, and the development of soft-skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving, it can be difficult for teachers to implement (Brush & Saye, 2008; Krajcik, et al., 1998). One study (Marx, et al., 1997), found several difficulties with PBL:
These studies seem to promote the idea that both students and teachers need effective support while planning for and implementing PBL in the classroom. This support should include help in time-management/organization, directing inquiry, scaffolding, and integrating technology effectively into instruction (Brush & Saye, 2008; Krajcik, et al., 1998). References Brush, T., & Saye, J. (2008). The effects of multimedia-supported problem-based inquiry on student engagement, empathy, and assumptions about history. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 2(1), 21-56. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1052 Krajcik, J. S., Blumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W., Bass, K. M., Fredricks, J., & Soloway, E. (1998). Inquiry in project-based science classrooms: Initial attempts by middle school students. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 7, 313-350. http://stem.gstboces.org/Shared%20Documents/STEM%20DEPLOYMENT%20PROJECT%20RESEARCH/InquiryinProject-BasedScience.pdf Marx, R. W., Blumenfeld, P.C., Krajcik, J. S., & Soloway, E. (1997). Enacting project-based science: Challenges for practice and policy. Elementary School Journal, 97, 341-358. http://libproxy.boisestate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9708235766&site=ehost-live |