One part of the coursework that was new and easy to integrate into my classroom was a PBL. I chose a topic that was coming up which was “Watery Earth”. I introduced our science unit with the PBL to engage students by having them choose a water crisis they were interested in reporting on. I kept the question very general so the students could use the 4 C’s: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication to research and present their information with others, to the class in a creative way.
Due to not having a lot of background knowledge about PBL’s, it was extremely helpful to not only look through the resources but to also receive feedback from peers on my PBL outline. I feel that due to the suggestions, my introduction to the class
was much more influential and the results will meet and possibly exceed the
expectations.
I have grown as an educator by taking more risks. What once seemed over my head in terms of technology is now becoming second nature. Specifically, with the PBL, I was able to provide my students with a variety of ways to present their research while integrating technology. This ranged from using Google Earth to identify where the water crisis was taking place, to linking videos to show interviews and news broadcasts. The class was so self-directed in how to make that happen within their small group and I’m looking forward to seeing the final product.
To continue my learning I would like to create more opportunities for flipped learning. I think as teachers, we have a hard time giving up control of our classroom, but this is when even more learning can take place while we facilitate.
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI just watched a very interesting Netflix documentary about the water crisis in California. I was glued to the t.v. lol, but I can imagine that would be a great learning opportunity for your students. My co-teacher and I want to incorporate a PBL into our health occupations curriculum next spring. I thought this class was helpful to work through the design process. I think I'm most uncertain or uneasy about actually using it in the classroom but it sounds like your experience has been positive so far. Thanks for sharing!
That's so ironic...one of the groups is researching the droughts in California. I would agree that this class helped to format a PBL. Traditionally there is a guiding question, which I had, but my 4th graders needed more direction with other questions to consider while researching. thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica. Thanks for sharing your experiences with PBL. I agree that this course has definitely helped us to gain greater confidence with integration of technology and the ability to take more risks with our students. As we go forward, I agree that it will be exciting to find more was to create more opportunities for flipped learning.
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