Can someone say autonomy and purpose???
When I read about Project Based Learning and the Problem Solving Approach this week, the first thing that came to mind was the book I read over the summer - Drive by Daniel Pink. Problem solving is a perfect instructional method to foster autonomy and purpose in your classroom. Students find purpose in solving a real-world problem - especially one that is relevant to their lives. This is another area where SAE projects come in real handy and provide you with a bank of real-life problems! Problem Solving and Project Based Learning are very student centered methods of instruction, so it's important for teachers to structure them as such! In addition to students determining what they need to know to be able to solve the problem, they should also be able to choose how they present their findings, for example.
Don't forget Reflection!
Larmer & Mergendoller (2010) states that Project Based Learning includes processes for feedback, revision, and reflection. You can have a super interesting problem based lesson, but without reflection/feedback, students will have a harder time retaining what they learned. Not only should the teacher provide feedback, but I think it is important for students to provide feedback to their peers as well. Providing feedback to a peer in your group can be anxiety-inducing (at least from my experience in high school) so make sure students can provide feedback anonymously. Promoting student reflection is also important. How will they learn to apply their new skills/knowledge in other situations if they don't reflect on what they did in class? This reflection could be in the form of a notebook, blog, etc. Reflecting will also be more beneficial if it is done a various stages throughout the problem solving process (could be in the form of a ticket out).
Phipps et al. (2008), states that if teachers are going to be successful using the problem solving approach they must philosophically believe that problem solving is an effective teaching method, and then goes on to say that planning and practice are necessary to mastering this teaching method. Well, I believe in this method philosophically, so I guess it's time to practice.
References:
Kirkley, J. (2003). Principles for teaching problem solving. Retrieved from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.117.8503&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J.R. (2010). The main course, not dessert: How are students reaching 21st century goals? With 21stcentury project based learning. Retrieved from http://bie.org/object/document/main_course_not_dessert
Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J.R. (2010). 8 essentials for project-based learning. Retrieved from http://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/attachments/article/1058/8_Essentials_article_small_file_size_Oct2012version.pdf
Providing time for reflection by students is critical. Make sure to do so through meaningful ways in your own lessons.
ReplyDeleteRose, nice job connecting PBL to your summer reading! Feedback is most definitely a critical part of the PBL process. What are some ways you plan to provide feedback to your students as they complete PBL activities?
ReplyDeleteFeedback and reflection is KEY for all ages / grade levels. Establishing ways to do this is important for all of us. Good job.
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