Guest Blogger: Julie Skalecki
I learned quite a bit about project based learning (PBL) today. I fell in love with the concept of “Genius Hour” It is the ultimate, “What do you want to learn?” project. One student wanted to build a boat. He worked the whole school year and into the summer to finish with the help of his grandfather. It’s important to ask, What did you learn? Not, What did you do? at the completion. This student learned some important life lessons like appreciating your grandparents. His grandfather taught him the importance of stick to it and never giving up (a skill this student can use in any subject area or struggle he encounters in life). His grandfather told him the story that he missed out on being the team to land on the moon because he didn’t stick with it and was transferred to a different team (grandpa was a NASA scientist). Not only did this student learn important reading comprehension skills, math and science concepts and skills, but also life lessons of perseverance and appreciation. Students don’t need to all be doing the same work to master content area standards. Providing choice is a huge motivator for engagement and “buy-in”. One misconception about PBL is that it results in production of a physical nature. Not every PBL experience will require a trip to Lowes.
I also learned that in PBL I need to be OK with failing in front of the kids. I need to embrace that and tell them I’m probably going to screw this up, but we’ll learn together. I’ve already started dabbling with technologies in which I don’t have all the answers. Students are excited to help one another, including the teacher as we explore new avenues of learning. I’ve also asked them if they would be willing to be my “guinea pigs” because I want to try something I’ve never done. For many, that is enough to pique their interest.
We need to connect these learning experiences with content, by always starting with the standards. This was reassuring to me to hear as some schools here have NO standards-based report cards, which is not my reality (as lovely as that sounds at times). If my students need to do research, write, and present, why do I have to dictate what they write about? It doesn’t matter if they write about Bigfoot or WW2. How can I cover science with my language arts? What can we take to a deeper dive that will meet our standards. I can have students reflect at the end on how they showed evidence that they mastered that standard through the project for assessment purposes. One suggestion to help for assessment purposes is keeping a portfolio. GoEnnouce.com was mentioned as a digital way to do this.
Rubrics are another essential piece for assessment. It helps guide the students and references they key learning targets of the project. Rubistar was given as a digital resource to quickly and efficiently create rubrics.
Rubrics are another essential piece for assessment. It helps guide the students and references they key learning targets of the project. Rubistar was given as a digital resource to quickly and efficiently create rubrics.
I also explored teaching environmental sustainability with an amazing database called Model My Watershed. Students are able to learn about watershed science, explore their local watershed, evaluate local watershed conditions, design and test solutions to current watershed challenges, and engage in watershed activities/groups/causes in their neighborhood. The program has taken national data and framed it in a much easier format for students in grades 5 and up to work with.
One model called the Micro Site Storm Model (TR-55) is an interactive model, in which students can see the effects of soil type and land cover type on water run off, infiltration, and evapotranspiration. The other model mentioned above (Model My Watershed) allows students to observe the effects of different scenarios and adding conservation practices such as green roofs and porous paving to their local watershed to reduce impacts on the environment. This is real data in action. I can’t wait to try this out with my students!
I also learned about a $29 sensor that students can use to collect light, temperature, humidity, and pressure data using a low-cost BlueTooth (BT) environmental monitoring device. Students can use a mobile device to view their sensor data so they can enter it in the Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry portal where the data can be viewed, graphed, and analyzed.
These sensors can be used around the schoolyard, or as an extension, students can take them home to do readings. When doing readings, students write down data in a lab book and bring it back into the classroom to update data in the portal. This will definitely make learning come alive!
One model called the Micro Site Storm Model (TR-55) is an interactive model, in which students can see the effects of soil type and land cover type on water run off, infiltration, and evapotranspiration. The other model mentioned above (Model My Watershed) allows students to observe the effects of different scenarios and adding conservation practices such as green roofs and porous paving to their local watershed to reduce impacts on the environment. This is real data in action. I can’t wait to try this out with my students!
I also learned about a $29 sensor that students can use to collect light, temperature, humidity, and pressure data using a low-cost BlueTooth (BT) environmental monitoring device. Students can use a mobile device to view their sensor data so they can enter it in the Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry portal where the data can be viewed, graphed, and analyzed.
These sensors can be used around the schoolyard, or as an extension, students can take them home to do readings. When doing readings, students write down data in a lab book and bring it back into the classroom to update data in the portal. This will definitely make learning come alive!
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