I am a big fan of the problem based learning. As a history teacher, it can be difficult to think of ways to get your point accross to kids without having to bore them with lectures and readings. PBL allows a teachers to get the kids to see the practicality of history. So many times we hear from little kids that they don't understand the point of history. A PBL activity can let the kids see how the past effects their present. It might be learning about how a neighborhood became more and more segregated, how a river became more and more polluted or how and why a city ordinance came into effect...the possibilities are endless.
Another quality of PBL that I like is the research aspects that it teaches kids. In most cases, when solving a PBL activity the kids will use the internet to search for some bit of information. So many people use the internet for such mind-numbing stuff that its good to teach kids that there is a lot of valuable informaiton on the internet as well. PBL could also get kids into a library and get them to open up some of those book things they've been hearing so much about.
And i just have to say..there is nothing worse than being at the bar and realizing that you have to read and blog when u get home. its my own problem for procrastinating but damn this deadline sucks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
i like how you incorporated history into the postives of PBL. I was trying to think of a way to construct a PBL into a history curriculum and found many ways to do it. With the help of the internet and library, like you pointed out, there is so much information for our students to experience. I agree that history can sometimes become a bother for students, lecture and notes, lecture and nots, but using a pbl is the one of the best ways to break out of that routine and get the students to like history. all of us history majors should come up with multiple PBLs to use so all of our future students will no longer dread history; and we'll have each other to thank!
ReplyDeleteAh, don't worry. I get owned by the deadline on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that so many people have taken an interest in incorporating PBL into history classes, and have been succeeding. I've been trying to find ways to do the same with English classes, but thus far I haven't been having a whole lot of success. I HAVE found a few instances of PBL being used in unorthodox situations - like in an ESL class, for example, where the teacher puts the student into situations where they'll need to use the language, such as writing letters, instead of simply reading off lists of rules and giving them definitive "right" answers - but I'm still trying to figure out if literature could be taught in a similar way. Encouraging students to develop their own critical theory for a text might be one idea, but that's also pretty heavy stuff, better suited for high school or college students than middle school. If the problem were presented to the class a little less formally than English problems typically are, that might help as well.
I agree with Pierce that English teachers should also strongly consider implementing PBL in their classroom. It's a great opportunity to use lots of new and rich vocabulary and develop writing skills essential in the work sector.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that PBL works the best in a science or social studies setting. Mostly because these two areas of study many times involve controversial topics and multiple perspectives on a single issue. For me, however, it is more valuable to use PBL activities and themes that are possible and realistic. In the video I couldn't help but giggle at the monotone "hook" being delivered by the old man in his customized baseball hat. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I feel like with a bit of effort that PBL activity could have been made richer and more meaningful.
I also want to touch on another interesting point brought up by Pierce. The idea of there being no definitive "right" or "wrong" answers in a PBL activity is what makes it so strong in my opinion. In my Middle School class that I student teach in, I am always working to show my kids activities that involve creative (and critical!) thinking that does not always require a "right" answer. This is a concept that not many inner city kids are familiar with. They have been programmed to fill out a worksheet using a "copy and paste" approach with their textbook. When I give students an activity and tell them their textbook will contain clues and background information but will never produce a complete answer without their own intuition they all raise their hand and repeatedly ask me where the "answer" is. Luckily, they seem to be figuring out my activities a bit by now.
Poor SIMONE! Ha ha. I just beat the clock myself! Was hoping to do a response last night after I finished posting my own thread but had to run off to work. Happy Easter everyone.
Not sure if I even beat the clock with the extension, but...fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteOn topic, I really like your point on the internet; getting kids to see the internet as both a tool for education and as a resource for information rather than just email and instant messaging opens up a whole new world of easy-to-find, easy-to-incorporate information. Teaching kids to use it effectively has the great benefit of enabling them to use it well for the rest of their lives.