When a teacher first decides to
incorporate Project-Based Learning (PBL) in the classroom there are a few
things that the teacher needs to keep in mind to ensure that their students are
receiving all of its benefits. I found that one of the most important things
that a teacher needs to be aware of is that most of today’s students are more
than prepared for the project that lies ahead. The world we currently live in gives
us instant access to almost anything at the touch of our fingers. As a teacher
we need to understand that a majority of our students are already capable of
using many of our resource tools, so in order to keep the students attentive to
the matter at hand we need to guarantee that the lessons and projects that we
are providing them with are personal and relevant to their own lives. We have
to provide our students with incentive to inquire about questions and problems
that occur in real life. I believe if we can find a way to successfully connect
with our students through Project-Based Learning they will prove to us that the
assignment was worth the effort. Lastly, a teacher needs to understand that
their contributions through Project-Based Learning is not only helpful to the
students, but to teachers all over. The more time teachers spend being flexible
with their assignments the more they get to learn about what really works for
them. Project-Based Learning has many benefits but in my opinion the most
important benefit comes from the fact that students are able to build their own
learning environments that are developed around their own thoughts. The
students are able to pursue the information in their own way and are encouraged
to discuss, debate, and exchange ideas with others. Another benefit that I
believe comes from using PBL is teaching the students to extend their own
knowledge by having them dig for their own answers. Opposed to a majority of
classrooms that we see today where most of the teachers supply their students
with pieces of information, PBL teaches students to make learning an independent
process. All though there are many benefits to PBL there is one major issue
that still seems to persist. The biggest concern that I have with Project-Based
Learning is that technology is continually growing and it can be difficult at
times for teachers to stay as up to date on the newest equipment as it quickly
outdates itself. The New Tech Model seems like a fantastic idea to get students
working together but one of the aspects that leave me with questions is that of
the technology dependence we are instilling in our students. If we are teaching
our children to use technology to solve all of their problems how are they
going to know how to seek answers when technology is not available?
Your article was very insightful and had a lot of good terms that described PBL very well. You gave great examples of how to use PBL and told the reader how project based learning is different from traditional learning. Though I'm not very experienced with blogging it might be a good idea to break up your reflection so it doesn't look so long and intimidating to read.
ReplyDeleteI could not figure out how to make a post so I figured this is the best I can do for now!
ReplyDelete1. Some things to keep in mind when starting project based learning are, the goals you want your students to achieve. You need to be ready to change plans because you do not know what children will know and do. Your classroom management style also needs to be kept in mind. Students need to become better at monitoring their own progress. Teachers need to reinforce this.
2. Some benefits project based learning has are that it forms the centerpiece of the curriculum, students engage in real world activities and practice that strategies of authentic disciplines, students are able to work collaboratively to solve problems that matter to them, students are allowed to use this as a tool of discovery, collaboration and communication.
3. The benefits to students who participate in project based learning are, they develop good communication skills to break through cultural misunderstanding. Students will develop good inquiry skills, learn to be flexible with their working hours because they know other people are relying on them to meet their deadlines. They also develop a fuller understanding of how the world works and that it does not just revolve around them.
4. An issue that needs to be considered with project based learning is that teachers must invest a great amount of time into it. They need to invest time in preparation and planning to set the stage for the project. Not only do teachers have to invest their time but their students do as well.
5. I think New Technology High is a great idea. It allows students to always work together and better themselves. The only issue I have is that using technology all the time may get a bit boring. Trying new things every once in a while is always a good thing.
I completely agree that the projects have to be personal and relevant to the students, otherwise they'll be uninterested and checked out. Like you said, they need to know why they are doing what it is that they are doing, like what's the end-game and when will this ever be relevant? I think we can all say that through all of our educations, we were never really told why we needed to know what we learned.
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