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:
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 21st 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 21st century learners. Now that I am more familiar with it, I find it a valuable tool.
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?
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 21st 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 21st century learners. Now that I am more familiar with it, I find it a valuable tool.
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