As a facilitator (“guide on the side”) instead of traditional
teacher (“sage on the stage”) my role in the teaching/learning process
in inherently going to change. As much as a subscribe to the philosophy
of PBL, having been a teacher for nine years using relatively
traditional methods, implementing it will inevitably result in a shift
in control, planning, and the look of daily instruction. I will no
longer be standing center stage with “all eyes on me,” but rather will
be circulating around the classroom assisting students with their
diverse projects and answering their unique questions. In fact, the
only times we will come together as a whole class are if I am explaining
a task, showing examples, watching each others’ presentations
(evaluating and discussing them as well), and debriefing the process at
the end of every class period (if possible). The rest of the time will
be highly structured from an overall
framework point of view, but
relatively unpredictable from a “what each class period looks like”
point of view. I will be taking a step away from my role as
“information disseminator”, and instead will be allowing my students to
create their own knowledge with “real world” resources and collaborative
problem solving. There is no lecturing, memorizing, worksheet
busywork, textbook read-alouds, or teacher-driven presentations. My job
as facilitator is more one of structuring open-ended tasks to fit key
objectives (with rubrics and exemplars as guidance), answering
questions, pointing students in the right direction, suggesting
resources, keeping students on task, and aiding in the
refining/improvement of their work.
According to Jamie McKenzie’s article
Scaffolding in PBL (http://fno.org/dec99/scaffold.html), the skills of effective facilitation include proper scaffolding.
Organization and
support are
the key words when it comes to helping students to answer a guiding
question. The students can’t be asked to run off with few resources and
little preparation. A good facilitator must give them useful tools
(physical and mental) and an interesting and achievable goal. We must
provide a secure launching pad for discovery and ensure they understand
that
they are in charge of their own discovering. The article
goes on to highlight that effective scaffolding, and thus effective
facilitation, involves giving clear directions, stating a purpose,
keeping students on task, clarifying expectations, directing students to
“worthy” sources, reducing uncertainty, surprise, or disappointment,
delivering information efficiently, and creating momentum to learn among
students.
It is my hope and expectation that my students will develop the
competencies and skills needed to be successful. I will strive to give
them the tools they need and the guidance they seek. Because this will
undoubtedly be a new experience for them, there will initially be a bit
of a learning curve, but as long as my students know and believe we are
working
together, the bumps in the process will be made smooth. I
have designed my unit so that the majority of tasks are based upon
competencies and skills they already possess, but are just refining and
combining. Not everything should be overwhelmingly “new.” The PBL
process is more about sharing acquired skills, knowledge, and talents to
create a product than it is pigeon-holing students to memorize a very
narrow set of knowledge or demonstrate a strict set of pre-established
skills.
Some of the changes I will you need to make in order to become an
effective facilitator in my PBL unit include changing the physical
structure of the classroom. I will need to rearrange furniture and
computer workstations to be configured for group work. I may also have
to invest in more peripheral technology, such as digital cameras,
microphones, and headsets. The daily routine will also change. The bulk
of the class period will be students actively interacting with each
other. Therefore, I believe I will also have to become better organized
with time, helping my students better budget their work time, and
ensuring I always factor in opportunities for discussion and
clarification. Another shift in my management style will be to talk
less,
i.e. to be less inclined to jump in with an answer or an opinion. As
facilitator I am a coach and a guide, not an encyclopedia or a
conscience. That would stifle their creativity and passion, and rob
them of creating their own learning opportunities. Lastly I always have
to keep in mind that they are still
middle school students.
They are not professionals or adults in the community. Not only are
they learning the content of the PBL unit, but they are still learning
how to work as a team, take notes, write a good paragraph, listen to
their peers, and use new technology. I can’t expect too much of them
all at once, and I have to be patient as they manage the balance of the
familiar and unfamiliar.
* * * * * * *
This week in our discussion forum we were also asked to respond to the following:
- What are some potential criticisms that you might receive from administrators, parents, and colleagues?
- How will you respond to those criticisms?
- What rationale can you give for incorporating PBL into your repertoire of effective instructional strategies?
I shared the following thoughts:
Potential Criticism
I believe one of the biggest criticisms a parent, administrator, or
colleague would have about PBL is the lack of structure in the
classroom. They might fear that the materials, products, time, and
space during a six to seven week block of time is too open-ended. What
if the students don’t choose to study the “right” things? Students may
be too narrow in their focus; They may not hit all benchmarks and
standards. Equally, what if they get lazy or socially distracted and
choose not to apply themselves as much as they would
individually
with teacher-directed activities and assessments? Critics might also
point out the extra-active environment in which students are working
in. There is inevitably going to be a diversity of tasks, discussions,
and materials being used and taking place in every lesson. In fact, one
might not call it as “lesson” as much as a “meeting time”. The
students might get overwhelmed, they’d say. Critics would fear they are
too young to budget their own time, work independently, and function
with that level of commotion. They might also blame the teacher for
being passive and “pawning off” her job on the students. They might
insist that the “internet” shouldn’t be teaching the students, and that
the teacher should be
directing the instruction more often. After all, that’s not how education usually takes place. Instruction doesn’t
look the same from classroom to classroom, so critics assume students aren’t getting the same education.
Response to Criticism
In response to the criticism, I would suggest that a PBL classroom
isn’t simply an unstructured free-for-all of educational choose-your-own
adventure. It is, in fact, a highly structured process of discovery
that is heavily planned by the teacher, and executed by the students
according to their own motivations and talents. In advance the unit
implementation, a large amount of back-end collaborative planning has
taken place among various instructors related to the unit’s
instruction. Formative and summative evaluation tasks have been laid
out, many with more teacher-directives than others (to accommodate
students who may feel overwhelmed, and to ensure that the students have,
in fact, addressed all necessary standards). Each task has its
objective defined, a rubric, suggested resources, and in many cases
student examples to guide the learning process. Students are then free
to address the objectives in whatever format they choose. This makes
the learning process more appealing, rewarding, and thus meaningful for
the learners. Rather than being a lazy bystander, the teacher is
circulating to provide tailor-made instruction, and has a clipboard to
make sure teams are meeting targets. Students ask what they actually “
need to know” and that is where teacher instruction takes place. (Otherwise the information really is not
important
to them.) Also active, the classroom is bustling with dynamic
engagement. They are learning from each other and also from authentic
field experts (in person and via government/scientific websites).
Students are also learning to work as a
team, which is a valuable skill for 21
st
century learners. There is constant communication taking place between
student and self, student and peers, and student and teacher.
Rationale for Incorporating PBL into repertoire of Effective Instructional Strategies
I am really excited by the learning opportunities that PBL
instruction provides in any classroom. It allows a teacher to think
outside the box, and outside the textbook. There is tremendous
adaptability to accommodate a variety of learning styles and levels.
PBL provides a great avenue for differentiated instruction, most notably
with its flexibility of assessment. The students and I will
undoubtedly appreciate the creative nature of the products and
presentations as well as the larger audience, which makes their hard
work meaningful and valuable to others. Most of the
teacher’s
hard work (planning, standards alignment, gathering resources, mapping
timelines) is done in advance so that the implementation of the unit can
grow organically, adapting to the unique needs of the learners. There
is less pressure on the teacher to “come up with” activities week by
week, allowing her more time to truly
help students in their
learning quest and to respond to their journal reflections. She can
scaffold, guide (with checklists and rubrics), comment, and debrief
instead of lecture, photocopy, and grade. Students are able to take
ownership of their own learning, and feel pride in the outcomes. The
student “producers” get to dictate what their learning
looks
like. In this way students are able to make cross-curricular
connections and authentic discoveries. Student can also gauge their
level of success in advance of a teacher’s final evaluation by using
rubrics to guide their content and design. There should be no surprises.
PBL also encourages reflection across the board, which means students
have more time to attend to, evaluate, and retain new information. In
addition, PBL is a natural medium for technology infusion. Web 2.0
software and programs feature heavily in any PBL unit, which increases
student engagement, makes learning more efficient, and makes information
organization more manageable. All in all, PBL is a constructivist,
active learning model appropriate for 21
st century learners. Now that I am more familiar with it, I find it a valuable tool.
