Commentary

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Truly, teaching has changed a great deal over the past two decades. Twenty years ago, it was perfectly acceptable to lecture most of the time. That may have worked then, but it does not work now.

 

Today, students demand (and expect) much more from their teachers. In other words, gone are the days of "Sit and Get" instruction. Today's teachers must make every effort to involve students in lessons, to engage them in active learning, and to plan projects that will help students to learn to think. 

 

Clearly, a teacher's role in the learning process will change when students begin the PBL process. Instead of being a disseminator of information, teachers will become a facilitator of the process. The idea is for the students to do “the heavy lifting,” or to stretch their minds and creativity. Teachers will have to “let go of the reigns” a bit and let students forge their own paths. Block (2015) emphasizes the importance of giving students more control, as he states that “Project-based learning transforms the roles of students and teachers in ways that benefit all. This de-centering of the classroom and of knowledge helps students develop a sense of agency as learners and as people.” Block (2015) further emphasizes the importance of giving students more control, indicating that “ If teachers maintain traditional notions of students as information recipients, teaching and learning become a pointless game where, instead of connection and engagement, the main challenge for students is to read the teacher's mind while producing a product in which they don't feel invested.” Ultimately, the process will be trying at times, not only for students but for the teacher as well. 

 

In order to “hook” students on the PBL project, it is important to include an entry event. A good suggestion is to have guest speakers from the media will discuss how rumors have caused panic. Additionally, students will be listening to a recording of “War of the Worlds” and learning about the panic the broadcast caused. This will engage students, as is suggested by Lee (2012) when he states that “rather than simply announce a project, we can generate interest by creating a special event that takes our class out of their routine, and lets them know something special is about to happen. Entry events should engage and intrigue, and provoke students to want to know more.”

 

It should be the teacher's intent to push students to higher levels of thinking with this unit. They will have to develop their listening skills, their speaking skills, their critical thinking skills, and their collaboration skills. It may be a bit “painful” for them, but they will gain so much more than they anticipate.

 

For this project, students will be group heterogeneously. It will be important to have daily “check-ins” to determine what is working and what needs to be changed. This is in line with what Lee (2012) says about grouping when he states that “it is usually best to have heterogeneous groups, and the teacher should help set them up. Group students strategically, so they have the support they need to be successful.” 

 

On a daily basis, goals will be discussed, and the teacher should be modeling each process. Exemplar lessons should be presented. Moreover, students should keep a daily goals page using Padlet.com or Edublogs. This will allow them to assess their progress on a regular basis.

 

Most assuredly, while working through this unit, formative assessment will occur along the way. Each product will be part of this process. The summative evaluation will occur when students present to the media panel at the end of the PBL unit. Obviously, it is important for the teacher to help students to make the contacts they need to get the panel members on site for final assessment.

 

Skills that the instructor will personally need to develop for this unit to be successful include becoming an even better listener and better at self-reflection. The teacher will need to pay attention to students’ needs and assuage any concerns they may have. Additionally, the instructor will need to be sure to engage in self-reflection throughout the process, making adjustments and chronicling them so that the unit can be improved. This PBL unit should be seen as a living thing, one that can be modified as needed. As such, it will never be perfect. There will always be ways to improve it.

 

Additionally, the instructor's role as facilitator will involve finding ways to guide student inquiry. The teacher will have to make sure that the unit is planned well but that he is flexible when students have suggestions.  Block (2015) suggests that “successful units of study use essential questions to initiate inquiry” and that “ A focus on topics where there are problems, tension, or struggle encourages students to begin developing ideas and questions of their own that they then pursue through projects they create. “  The worst possible thing a teacher could do would be to insist that the project is done one way and one way only. That would simply cause students to become disengaged.

 

As was indicated earlier, the instructor will be responsible for modeling lessons for students. The teacher will present them with a general plan, but then he should invite students to provide feedback about the unit. Block (2015) insists that “Once students have a sense of the form and the concept I am proposing, we spend time generating topics for their projects. Often I will have students first make a list of their own or work in small groups. Then the ideas are shared out loud as I collect them in a doc that everyone can access.” In other words, teachers will need to give the students a chance to take ideas and improve upon them.

 

Another aspect of the instructor's role as facilitator is that  he will need to give regular feedback. Students will not be very familiar with PBL, so their initial level of apprehension will be high. By giving them feedback along the way, the teacher can ease their nerves. Block (2015) states that “feedback given after a project is completed has much less of an impact than conferences and consultations that take place during the project's stages of creation.”  In a sense, the instructor is to be a tour guide on their journey to discovery, providing them with direction and commentary on a regular basis.

 

In addition, as a facilitator, the teacher will need to plan for students to critique their own work and the work of their peers. Block (2015) emphasizes the importance of this, stating  that “By evaluating their own work, giving feedback, and receiving feedback from others, students develop metacognitive skills and insights about their work.”

 

The benefits of PBL are obvious, and this unit will certainly demonstrate said benefits. Through the unit, students will become better able to think critically, more able to collaborate, better able to learn to reflect on their learning, and more capable of learning to produce products worthy of their audience. Through the PBL unit, students will become better writers, better thinkers, better collaborators and better presenters. They will also begin to see that problems that may seem overwhelming might not be so.  Ultimately, though, they will need to present their products to an audience of adults, thereby emphasizing the importance of their work and making them work harder. Block (2015) indicates that “Student work is transformed when it's created for a larger audience.”

 

In the end, it is of utmost importance that students present their final products to an outside audience. Block (2015) writes that “Providing students with this kind of real-life context for their work helps them understand that their work has broader application and meaning. It also motivates them to be thorough and polished in their presentations.”  Having an audience will motivates students and will undoubtedly cause them to create even better products.

 

Along the way, it is possible that some parents may object to the “Meme aspect” of this project. It will be the teacher's responsibility to be in regular communication with them (and administrators) to assuage their concerns. Moreover, it will be the instructor's job to make administration aware of how the project will benefit students and how it will help them to prepare for state testing. 

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Note: Differentiation is addressed through this unit via the myriad of tools used to create products. Students with Special Needs will have their expectations modified. GT students' needs will be met by having them publish their findings to Teenink.com in the hope that they site wil publish them.

 

 

 

References:

 

• Block, J. (2015, February 26). 5 PBL Best Practices for Redefining the Teacher's Role. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-practices-redefining-teachers-role-josh-block

• Lee, M. (2012)  Managing Projects. (Web log comment). Retrieved from http://bie.org/blog/managing_projects