Blog Post #9

This week, we were faced with the question, "what can teachers and students teach us about project based learning?" At first I thought that this question had an obvious answer. The more I researched my response to this question, the more I actually did learn about project based learning from students and teachers alike.

One of the most important concepts to project based learning, I learned from reading Seven Essentials to Project-Based Learning. This article shows us how important it is to have a driving question when undertaking a project based learning approach. The goal is to not just give students "a packet of papers" that represents a poster-board project that simply showcases what the students learned. The objective of project based learning to present a problem, let the students decide their driving question, and then solve that driving question by whatever means they choose. Then, teachers are able to see the hard work, creativity, and conceptual learning that is involved in the student's learning process. Students are then in control of their learning, are able to make corrections and revisions, and can be prideful when they present their work to people of the community. This gives the students the ability to see worth and accomplishment in their work. As mentioned in the video Project-Based Learning for Teachers, students are more successful when they have a purpose, address an audience, craft a driving question, are able to identify learning standards, create  rubrics, brainstorm in groups, and meet deadlines.

I also believe that project based learning is a two way street of communication between students and teachers. Students that feel comfortable giving feedback to their teachers about what they would like to learn and create can greatly improve and motivate students in the success of project based learning in the classroom. According to students in the video What Motivates Students Today, students enjoy opportunities to be spontaneous and unconventional in the classroom. Children are motivated to learn when they are able to take pride in their work by being rewarded or even by being complimented and acknowledged for their accomplishments. Students also said that they enjoyed being outside, as well as being active in the classroom, rather than sitting at their desk all day.

Sammamish High School in IL is making a complete switch to project based learning throughout the school. From the information provided in the video, they have been making this switch a 3-5 year process as faculty and staff collaborate on how to incorporate project based learned into every subject area. From teachers at Sammamish High School, we can empower ourselves as educators by following their example to make the switch to project based learning, and to also collaborate on ideas with our fellow educators! I think that sometimes we forget that we are a community of learners and that we all face problems and stubborn points of view. Teachers must stick together, to brainstorm, and to encourage each other to think outside of the box when it comes to lesson plans, rubrics, and projects. We are our best asset!

Even though it is difficult to incorporate project based learning to certain subject areas, especially math and English, but it can be done! Several teachers and engineers at Aviation High School combines their effort to create a math project that enables students to create a wing-like structure out of the materials of their choosing, while staying within the dimensional constraints. This gives students the freedom to be creative, all why encouraging real-life math problems that involve geometry, weight distribution, physics, and careful calculations. We can learn from these educators that with collaboration hard work, any subject area can participate in the compelling world of project based learning.

 These guys used technology to solve a real life and real annoying ketchup problem through project-based learning. Check it out!