Project learning can inspire the best of high-performance teamwork, or it can be devolve into unfocused chaos. How can we support each other to keep our eye on the prize? Share your project ideas, questions, and implementation experiences.
Conditions that support project learning
Jane Krauss
Teacher, curriculum and program developer, author, PBL facilitator, techie
Posted on 4/6/2010
Some essential conditions need to be in place for pbl practices to really take hold and so kids can accomplish marvelous things.
I've been doing some pbl program planning recently and I need your advice. We all know PBL works best when certain conditions are in place. What would you say those essential conditions are? I know teacher characteristics, intentions and methods are key, but outside the teachers and students, what else? I'm starting a list and I wonder if you might add to it. Additionally, sometimes the removal of barriers is important, too.
Essential Conditions for PBL strong implementation
* A school culture that tolerates, even encourages, the sometimes messy chaos of student-directed learning.
* Access to any technologies that support the teaching and learning enterprise
* A system of accountability that causes a teacher to demonstrate --and parents and administrators to understand-- that rigorous learning aims are met though the PBL.
* ?
Remove barriers
* Reconsider when and where learning takes place. Structure some flexibility (oxymoron!) into the school program so spaces and time are less of a limiting factor.
* ?
I appreciate your help!
Comments (34)
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Make it meaningful
I am a new teacher so I have only been experimenting with project based learning, but what I have found was that if you want the students to produce something, they seem to engage more if they know that what they create will not be deleted or tossed in the trash once they finish. In addition, I think it makes the product more meaningful because students learn something that deals with an idea that goes beyond the subject or the school.
Quote: Quote: Facilitating
Facilitating PBL to ensure all of the students have mastered their core competencies and completed the project goals is going to require a learning management system that has strong personalization and assessment capabilities, if this type of learning experiences is going to scale.
LMS's can guide the curriculum mapping process as well as track achievement. In the middle is the use of rubrics. Thanks for your ideas, they are right on.
Absolutely, and, in my opinion, this is why LMS is of a great help. Contents can be adjusted to match student's pace. And instructors are able to track their grades and potential progress. LMS are really helping teachers and are likely to lead to great achievements thanks to an almost personalized course load. What text books can't do. Find out more here: http://www.funderstanding.com/spotlight/lms-and-lcms-similarities-and-di...
I hope this helps!
I am looking for help on just
I am looking for help on just this issue: accountability. You seem to be suggesting that keeping the project is the basis of accountability within a PBL experience. Accountability is my number one problem right now. Just part of the group working and not the rest. There has been an added challenge because the students need to all be gathered around one PPT that is being made at this stage of the project.
Re PBL Conditions
Hi, great idea to collaborate on PBL conditions... They appear well founded.
. Flexibility and support for teachers coordinating the PBL is essential
. Recognition of the work of students as contributing to local/ global knowledge
. Alignment of school culture by leaders to be able to maintain, sustain and continue innovation in the PBL
. Involvement of community and experts and organizations, university
. Some outside funding, financial support is useful
Hey checkout my PBL started in 1996 the web site is still there with much of the work we did to learn from. :-)
www.schools.ash.org.au/paa2 Project Atmosphere Australia Online
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Sel KERANS