For my final article and resource topic I chose to look at Problem-Based Learning, with an emphasis on K-5 grade levels.
Article 1:
Project-Based Learning for the 21st Century: Skills for the Future. By Stephanie Bell (2010)
I have heard about Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in my undergraduate studies, as well as read several article reviews which have piqued my interest on this curriculum approach. What has caught and kept my attention with this approach is that students are actively engaged in a self-motivated project that allows them to learn the material by doing instead of just passively learning the material. John Dewey’s philosophies have always made sense to me and have been a part of what shapes my own teaching philosophy, and PBL is in line with Dewey’s philosophies.
This article was intriguing for me because it not only explained what PBL was in more detail it also pointed out how this approach allows students to practice and gain 21st century skills. These skills are acquired through student-centered teacher-facilitated projects that follow an organized set of steps with in a given amount of time. The following list is the steps that students go through when working on a PBL project:
- Use organizers to isolate an inquiry question
- Brainstorm what their procedure will be for research and identify the materials that they will need to do their research.
- Select a way to display what they have learned in the form of a project
- Select an authentic and appropriate audience to present learning and project to.
By having a set procedure to the project and timeline that the project must be completed in, students learn how to plan, organize, and budget time in order to complete their project in a timely manner. This procedure meets NETS-S standard #3 because students have to plan strategies to guide their inquiry. As a teacher, this is an important set of skills that I want my students to gain because it will help them in the future. PBL has a great approach for students to learn these skills in a real world application, and I think that this is the only way to gain these skills.
Another important set of skills for primary and secondary students to gain are communication skills. As the article states, these skills are an important 21st century skills that students need to gain and practice to be effective in the 21st century global economy. Students gain the ability to collaborate, negotiate, and reflect through this learning approach by working with group members to complete a task, receiving and giving constructive feedback, and reflecting not only on their learning but how well they contributed to the group. Since students are working on communication and collaboration skills with their peers, the PBL approach meets NETS-S standard #2, and because these skills can be used with technology. I think that when students can learn from their peers they are more likely to understand the concept because their peers can put it in terms that are relatable to them. Also when students are able to teach other students they are more likely to retain that information.
A wonderful aspect of PBL is that it allows teachers to differentiate their instruction to meet different learning styles, interests, and learning levels. When students are able to choose what and how they want to learn, it automatically makes the assignment engaging and motivating for the student. As teachers this is always our goal, because it means that our students will have a better chance of learning the material. The article promotes Scaffolding instruction to ensure success with the PBL approach. Although the student is leading the investigation the teacher serves as a guide who helps the student accomplish their goals, by conferencing with students, providing organizers, and monitoring students’ progress. By scaffolding the discovery process the teacher is able to meet multiple learning levels to ensure each students success in their learning process. As a teacher, differentiating my instruction is what I have to work at but is very important to me when designing a lesson or unit. Since this approach allows teachers to design learning experiences that engage students in real-world issues and technology can be easily incorporated into the design, PBL meets NETS-T standard #1 and #2.
From the research that is presented in the article I’m surprised that PBL is not being used in schools more, because the test scores show that students not only are high achievers on the state exams, they also have a much greater conceptual idea of content. This conceptual understanding is something that is becoming much more important in our schools which is evident with the new Common Core Standards. In addition to this deeper understanding of concepts, students are able to gain skills that they will use in the future both academically and job wise.
Bell, S. (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future. The Clearing House, 83, 39-43. Received from: http://www.mybigcampus.com/gridfs/mongo_document/file/2012-7-6- 4ff6f41737dcc13b2c000098/PBL_20for_20the_2021_20Century.pdf
Technology in Education 