Teaching and Learning-What We Can Learn from Expert Examples

Back to the Future

This TED Talk video gave us an excellent example of a group of at risk, ELL, transient, low income students who were coupled with an amazing teacher, Brian Crosby, who delivered them a quality education via PBL activities such as the balloon project. After cycling through with Mr. Crosby for two years, by the 6th grade these students all had their own blogs, Flickr accounts, were embedding videos about the physics of the balloon project onto their blog sites, using free software to design book covers, writing stories from the point of view of the balloon, engaging with people around the globe about "High Hopes" for their school, community, and the world, and even using Skype to teach other students who had become interested in their projects how to launch their own balloons. One of the most touching things I learned from their experiences was the fact Mr. Crosby and his students were determined to include Celeste, a home-bound leukemia student, in their class even though she was unable to attend in person. What a lesson in humanity for these young students! So in addition to all the content the students were gaining about science and technology, they were also learning compassion for each other and acceptance. What more could any student, teacher, administrator, or parent ask for out of a class??

Blended Learning Cycle

Paul Andersen developed the Blended Learning Cycle as a means to engage students in a more student centered, inquiry based learning where students are able to explore, explain, expand, and then evaluate what they have learned while using an online, mobile classroom. Using the acronym QUIVERS, Paul created 6 steps to the Blended Learning Cycle:

1. QUestion (Hook to grab student attention)
2. Investigation/Inquiry
3. Video
4. Elaboration (readings,diagrams)
5. Review (teacher meets with students to ask probing questions for understanding)
6. Summary quiz (evaluation)

Although when compared to PBL, the Blended Learning Cycle resembles a more traditional classroom approach, however, the aspects of student engagement through investigation, and elaboration break away from the totally teacher centered environment.

Making Thinking Visible

This video is a promotional for Mark Church's Book, Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. I went to the Amazon store and found the following description of the book:

A proven program for enhancing students' thinking and comprehension abilities
Visible Thinking is a research-based approach to teaching thinking, begun at Harvard's Project Zero, that develops students' thinking dispositions, while at the same time deepening their understanding of the topics they study.? Rather than a set of fixed lessons, Visible Thinking is a varied collection of practices, including thinking routines?small sets of questions or a short sequence of steps?as well as the documentation of student thinking.?Using this process thinking becomes visible as the students'?different viewpoints are expressed, documented, discussed and reflected upon.

Helps direct student thinking and structure classroom discussion
Can be applied with students at all grade levels and in all content areas
Includes easy-to-implement classroom strategies

What I was able to learn from the video was students were interacting in with each other in conversation about a topic, sharing, engaged, articulating their opinions in words and in writing, summarizing, and conceptualizing content. All very positive exchanges and most definitely skills students need to be able to know and practice in the 21st century.

PBL by Dean Shareski

This video highlighting a Canadian school, Dean Shareski points out students would have a hard time telling you exactly which subject area they were actually going to during a class period because they don't learn in segmented subjects, thanks to a restructured PBL environment encouraged by their Social Studies, Language Arts, and Technology teachers. What they have been able to accomplish with the approval of administration is keeping students in a blocked schedule of time so they could earn three credit hours, but not have to chop up the time between the three core classes. Instead, the three teachers blended their curriculum so students can work on the content at their own pace to have them understand the content at a deeper level with the incorporation of technology-based, relevant projects. Students produce projects which bring them pride, ownership, and and an understanding of subjects beyond the curriculum such as poverty and citizenship. Teachers laud PBL because of how students respond to their own learning, and how they are able to reach higher levels of meaning.

Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program

Roosevelt Elementary School's video, to me, provides the best examples of true Project Based Learning. Students are engaged in integrated, in-depth themes while solving real-world problems using research to answer essential questions. The culminating product of each PBL activity is a project which must be presented to an audience of peers, parents, or community members. Throughout the process, teachers collaborate to provide the appropriate subject matter and state standards to the students, and students engage in the process of preparing a product of their own choice through independent work, cooperative learning, and begin exposed to how to communicate with others in a real life setting. Teachers are easily able to adapt content for multiple levels of intelligence, integrate many subject areas, and help students build background knowledge. Students find through their ability to select their own presentations they have a voice which allows them to feel empowered, creative, and ignites a "spark" of interest to learn more about the world around them. Additionally, students become more aware of the meaning of community and their connection as a citizen, especially when community members are asked to participate as an authentic audience and provide feedback when students present their final projects. Parents are pleased with how their children are exposed to public speaking at an early age and are able to articulate their knowledge to an audience. Overall, I feel PBL should be incorporated into every school across the nation in order for our students to gain the necessary skills to be competitive in the 21st century global society.