Blog Post #9

Project Based Learning

I believe the most important part of project based learning is meaning. The project should having meaning to your students, your audience, and your school curriculum. In Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning we learn the steps to create and affective PBL.

1. Introduction- The introduction to your projected should be presented in a creative way, to grab the students attention.
2. Driving Question- This step should capture the heart of the project. What will your students learn from this project?
3. Student Voice- "The Key" Gives the project more meaning to your students. Let them create and explore. 
4. Build 21st Century Skills- Project should involve technology.
5. Build New Questions- Along the way students should begin to answer questions and create new ones from that. Always challenging themselves. 
6. Feed Back- Feed back throughout the project is crucial. This will help motivate your students.
7. Show work- Have and audience for your students. This will make the project more meaningful to them and make others more aware. 

In the video Project Based Learning for teachers we learn as educators how important it is to include PBL in your classroom. PBL's requires students interacting, it is a great way to get everyone in the classroom involved. It also gives students a chance to explore, create, and share their work with others. PBL's should always having meaning not only to the students but to the curriculum and the community. 

What Motivates our Students?

This was a very informative video from the students perspective. Why do students want to learn? I noticed most of the answers revolved around the fucture. We are all getting an education with the fucture in mind but as any college student know it is very hard to keep the bigger picture in mind all the time. If we are unmotived when this close to finishing it must be even harder for our younger students to see so far ahead. This video gave helpful hints on how to keep our classrooms motivated.
1.) ClassCash. I remember being very young and saving up my stickers in the second grade so I could get something good out of the treasure chest that week. Kids love toys and we should reward them for good behavior but while also teaching a life lesson, saving and responsibility.
2.) Outdoors. We all love the outdoors and although I believe outdoors should be included in our school routine everyday, it could also be a reward. Students shared with us in the video that their teachers would let them go outside in the garden to explore as a reward.
3.) Food- Although I do not like the idea of sweet treats as a reward it can be very affective. I know every time I do well on a project or test I make sure to treat myself out. I like the idea of the teacher buying that students snack that day or an extra snack instead of bringing outside food into the classroom.

Two Students Solve the Case...
I found this video to be very motivating. Two high school students share their new idea of how to fix ketchup tops. I have never thought to sit down and think about a project like this. From the way the video explained it the students were able to chose the problem of their choice and work with it all year. The two boys work very hard on creating a new top for ketchup. It was amazing to see technology working so well in the classroom.

PLB- High School Math
In this video we learn about PBL's from the teachers perspective. A high school decides to sit down and recreate their entire curriculum around Project Based Learning. Math and Literature were the two hardest subject to recreate. We learn at the end of the video that the students actually become the teachers they are asked to create games around math problems to share with the classroom. I found this very interesting once teachers feel they are at a stop we ask our students and they take over with creativity.