PBL

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Last week, I attended a three day training session on project based learning. I attended this training with eight other teachers from my building. Half of the teachers were weary and unhappy about the training. They felt that this "PBL" business would cause chaos in their classroom, require way too much planning, and would not allow for them to teach the students. I kept saying to keep an open mind and hear what the facilitators had to say. Day one was rough, lots of small talk and negative statements out of mouths. By day two, the mindset began to shift and teachers began to realize the PBL was not chaos but a way to integrate multiple subjects into a project that will assess student understanding. By the end of day three, nobody wanted to leave. We walked out of the training with a PBL that we all created that will be implemented in classrooms next year. We created a project that doesn't take away from the learning but rather enhances it. The PBL is integrated into small groups and allows students to utilize our farm to school initiative. I am so excited about this new venture at our school and even more excited that the mindset of PBL has changed! What experiences do you have with PBL?

Comments

  1. Phyllis FavorsFebruary 2, 2016 at 7:51 PM

    Holly,
    PBL sounds like fun! I have heard about it, but our school has not participated in this initiative. I am so glad that you were receptive in what seems to be a great way to integrate subjects. Have you heard the saying, "Work smarter, not harder"? To me, the more you integrate subjects it helps brings a new relevance to learning. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. TraciFebruary 12, 2016 at 9:16 AM

    We had this training last summer and ours went the same way as yours. Our teachers felt it was just one more thing they were required to do. By the end of the training, the teachers were excited to begin their projects. Once the new year started, the excitement of the teacher had started to wane. We pressed on and our first exhibition was in December. While the level of projects varied, it was a wonderful experience for our students and teachers. We are looking forward to this semesters projects

    ReplyDelete
  3. TraciFebruary 12, 2016 at 9:16 AM

    We had this training last summer and ours went the same way as yours. Our teachers felt it was just one more thing they were required to do. By the end of the training, the teachers were excited to begin their projects. Once the new year started, the excitement of the teacher had started to wane. We pressed on and our first exhibition was in December. While the level of projects varied, it was a wonderful experience for our students and teachers. We are looking forward to this semesters projects

    ReplyDelete

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