PBL and PJBL Notes

PBL and PjBL Why We Should Utilise This
Strategy
Today I’ll be extolling the benefits of PBL and why every teacher should consider adding it
to their teaching strategy list.
Deborah Saxton 1
Strategy
Problem and Project Based Learning help develop student centered learning. Educators
standards that can be met and raised with the implementation of PBL include the tech
standards that help develop students as learners, leaders and allow educators to facilitate
learning in such a way to utilise authentic learner driven experiences to support student
empowerment.
Student ISTE standards of them being able to drive their own education by having choice in
their learning , using resources to solve problems and constructively communicate with
colleagues are all enhanced with PBL.
CSTP 1 Engaging and Supporting All Learners
CSTP 2 Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for Learning
CSTP 3 Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter
CSTP 4 Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for All Students
Deborah Saxton 2
Strategy
We all try to make content relevant. While talking with students about cell organelles I am
reminded of a cartoon I saw where one person is explaining that they cannot balance their
checkbook but they know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell! PBL helps
give purpose to content standards.
Deborah Saxton 3
Strategy
Students need many skills to be able to be successful in the 21st century workplace. These
include being able to clearly communicate their ideas, be able to listen and pick out critical
information, be self driven and able to self motivate, have an awareness of social situations
as well as problem solve and think critically.
Deborah Saxton 4
Strategy
This term applies when a student uses information in a real world manner to solve a
problem. This requires the studetn to take their newly found knowledge and think more
deeply about it and its connections to other knowledge in order to solve a problem.
Deborah Saxton 5
Strategy
PBL helps students make connections both across topics and with real world situations.
Content is more integrated rather than being presenting as stand alone academic setting
only topics. As students’ knowledge increase as they work their way through the lesson
series their understanding becomes deeper as they apply information to solving a problem
or guiding question.
Deborah Saxton 6
Strategy
Students are empowered when they have control of their learning and feel they are
working towards a well defined goal. In PBL learning is student centric so attitudes towards
time in the classroom are often improved with PBL. Due to incorporation of new
knowledge in the journey towards solving a problem then understanding deepens as more
connections between ideas are made.
Deborah Saxton 7
Strategy
Summary of PBL benefits. Students take control of their own learning, connections
between subjects are made which helps with retention of facts. As PBL is group work then
communication, collaboration, listening and time management skills are all utilized as
students work together towards their goal. This mimics real life situation and helps
students develop those life skills that will enable them to be competent team members
and members of larger society.
Deborah Saxton 8
Strategy
A Lucas Foundation funded study shows large gains in standardized test scores when PBL is
utilized in the classroom. When a teacher reteaches a PBL topic for a second year, scores
are increased further still as her knowledge and experience make the learning experience
even richer and more potent.
Deborah Saxton 9
Strategy
Using data from AP exams PBL increases pass rates by 8% compared to a regular strategy
classroom.
Deborah Saxton 10
Strategy
All students gain when PBL is utilized. From those students who need more support to
higher achieving students increases in science scores are boosted at least 8 percentage
points when students work in a collaborative way within the project-based learning
framework.
Deborah Saxton 11
Strategy
Deborah Saxton 12
Strategy
If you wish to develop a PBL project, then the up-front work is intense but well worth it as
once the project is underway there is more time to focus and converse with students. Your
guiding question or posed problem is the focus and will remain the goal students are
working towards. It’s a good idea to investigate the background knowledge your students
have versus what they should know from previous grade levels. This step can be
completed after designing the PBL so you can tailor individual classes accordingly. Break
down the knowledge students will need into smaller chunks with checkpoints to ensure
students are on track and incorporating their ideas into existing knowledge. This allows any
misconceptions to be addressed before it becomes a larger problem. Students work at their
own pace in small groups on learning units as they work towards a solution. The
culminating part of the project should reflect the knowledge students have gained and
perhaps have a degree of choice of how students wish to communicate their knowledge.
Multimedia projects are a good way for students to further use their improving
communication skills.
Deborah Saxton 13
Strategy
This PBL addressed the NGSS standard related to LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe
why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual
reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation. Students were focused during class as they
worked through various genetics / heredity based readings, games and activities. I included
checkpoints but next time would make them more rigorous and formal rather than checking for
completion. Given that I was pleased with the scripts they produced as they all showed some level
of understanding of the concepts I was aiming for.
Deborah Saxton 14
Strategy
Middle school students at FLS seem to me to have some interest in manga, basketball and
for some video gaming.
Deborah Saxton 15
Strategy
I feel that while preparing a PBL task was a lot of upfront work the resultant time in class
was more relaxed as I could talk to students as they worked in groups, do very little whole
class talking and generally the classroom felt a little less like a school. The emphasis is
definitely redirected onto the students - they worked in groups at their own pace, talked
about the topic and were focused.
Deborah Saxton 16
Strategy
Lower elementary school students learn about birds and their needs in the community
before designing feeders and environments that support healthy avian populations. To
investigate the structure of government and the electoral college students research and
design an equitable form of voting. Utilising multiplication, geometry and percentage
calculations students design a floor plan with essential kitchen, bathroom and dining space
before calculating cost of materials / construction. A menu is needed with prices along
with loan renewal calculations. Having students read book excerpts with blacked out
content piques their interest and sets the scene for a discussion as into censorship and
persuasive writing - cross curricular language arts and social studies.
Deborah Saxton 17
Strategy
Ideas for guiding questions should be thought provoking and open to some degree of
interpretation. English ideas - allow students to choose from a range of slightly
controversial and current topics and prepare for a debate or appear on a chat show with
someone who has an opposing viewpoint, they could also write a letter to the editor of a
newspaper with follow up as they respond to someone with a different view.
Social studies topic could involve writing a book entitled A Day in the Life of a Citizen of this
geographical area, or a page in an imaginary weekly newspaper relating the events of a
group of people, other ideas design a travel brochure or wikipedia page for the region.
Probability use in real life includes weather forecasting, card and board games, financial
markets, lottery and sports betting. Students could design a board game that incorporates
calculation of landing on certain squares so as to make for a fun game.
Deborah Saxton 18
Strategy
21st century skills are developed along with connections to real life situations, empowering
students and providing opportunities for deeper thinking and understanding.
Deborah Saxton 19
Strategy
Thinking about our students who are at both ends of the learning needs spectrum could
PBL allow for a greater level of differentiation? Grouping of students could provide some
students with a mentoring role or selective levelled grouping could allow students to
operate at a more advanced detailed level of understanding or with students who have a
more rudimentary understanding.
Deborah Saxton 20
Strategy
Deborah Saxton 21

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PBL and PjBL Why We Should Utilise This

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