As always, reading my colleagues' posts from Wk8 provided food for thought and glimpses into their professional practice. Thomas' blog post cited the Harris research and a passage that really resonated with me: "Using project-based learning to support individual learning styles is not a magic formula to solve all of the problems in today's classrooms" (2014, p. 8). |
It certainly doesn't feel like it, but I have been an educator for more than twenty years. Over the course of the last couple decades, there have been so many fads and phases and "answers" to all that ails education, to all that makes teaching and learning so very difficult. At the end of the day, however, there simply is no magic formula; a silver bullet doesn't exist. Teaching and reaching every student takes hard work, and project-based learning is one means to that end. PBL lends itself to differentiated approaches that meet students where they are and move them forward, but the mere claim that one is launching "project-based learning" in the classroom will certainly not ensure academic success for the students in that learning environment. There is a lot of work required on the part of the educator and on the parts of the students ... and that work must be intentional, carefully planned and monitored, and assessment pieces must be in play all along the journey to ensure the teaching that is occurring is having the desired effect on learning.
In my current role, I spend a fair amount of time in classrooms -- sometimes while passing through a building, sometimes for announced but relatively informal visits, and other times for formal observations. Sometimes I observe "projects," and on occasion, I observe true project-based learning. While they share certain elements, they are quite different.
I have surely been inspired by the resources, colleagues' posts, videos, infographics, and strategy ideas I have encountered while delving into Wk 8 content ... but it has also shifted the realities of what very, very hard work teaching is into the spotlight, front and center.
I have surely been inspired by the resources, colleagues' posts, videos, infographics, and strategy ideas I have encountered while delving into Wk 8 content ... but it has also shifted the realities of what very, very hard work teaching is into the spotlight, front and center.
References:
Goodman, S. (2015). Watch and Learn: Observing in the PBL Classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/watch-and-learn-observing-pbl-classroom-stacey-goodman
Heick, T. (2013). The Difference Between Doing Projects Versus Learning Through Projects. Te@chThought. Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/learning/difference-between-doing-projects-and-project-based-learning/
Goodman, S. (2015). Watch and Learn: Observing in the PBL Classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/watch-and-learn-observing-pbl-classroom-stacey-goodman
Heick, T. (2013). The Difference Between Doing Projects Versus Learning Through Projects. Te@chThought. Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/learning/difference-between-doing-projects-and-project-based-learning/