Project Based Learning is an instructional method that I totally "buy into." It fits beautifully with technology (especially 1:1 learning). I've spent considerable time helping teachers see the benefits of PBL. All of us who attended the workshop picked up some new ideas, design tools, and management strategies. The two 7th grade social studies teachers and I created a project about the impact of human actions on the environment (called Messin' Up the Environment: How Humans Screw Up the Earth). Not only did we learn about good PBL design, we learned how to encourage and teach cooperative learning, how to assess projects (both formative and summative), and how to mangage a PBL classroom.
I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to learn more about PBL assessment, specifically how to assess both individual and group work. Mr. Ross recommends that teachers use several rubrics to assess content, presentation, critical thinking, and other 21st century skills. Assessing skills with more than one rubric gives a truer picture of student performance. The project receives a group grade, the other assessments are given to individuals.
What I've learned and experienced over the past three days has helped me see more clearly how standards-based PBL can and should be used in today's curriculum-packed classroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment