Scaffolding You Can’t Buy at Home Depot.

Scaffolding and differentiating are very similar.  They are both meant to get students to learn the content from their level, but while differentiating tends to be about giving assignments based on level and interest, scaffolding is more about incrementally building students toward a skill by breaking the steps on the skill ladder and starting students where they are with the intent to build them up in manageable increments. Thus, differentiating can be used in scaffolding, but that’s not what scaffolding is all about.

Picture scaffolding as a standards ladder.  At the top is the next level of a standard we want a student to meet.  The standard can be broken down into leveled skill sets.  What do we want students to be able to know or do to meet the standard.  What is the order of skills that need to be learned to progress?  Some skills are lateral like putting both feet on the same step and some skills are vertical, moving up towards mastery, like learning to add single numbers before double, or learning multiplication before division. Before students get to the next step, they are assessed to see if they’re ready to move on.

In a Johns Hopkins Instructor Blog entitled “Scaffolding for Successful Learning,” the author believes that scaffolding should involve a highly structured course, clear instructions, crafting class discussions for all voices, and active learning (Hall, 2018). In other words, classes need a lot of “front-loading,” or work on the behalf of the teacher prior to the start of the class.  Even then, it is not a throw it at them and set them free situation.  Project Based Learning, therefore, is highly scaffolded.

A PBL project is a large task encompassing several weeks, and thus, each step must be scaffolded to lead to the final project.  Rebecca Alber (2014) believes that there are six steps to scaffolding: (1) “show and tell,” which is about modeling and transparency; (2) “tap into prior knowledge”; (3) “give time to talk”; (4) “pre-teach vocabulary”; (5) “use visual aids”; and (6) “pause, ask questions, pause, review.”

How many of us say that we learn best by seeing something rather than hearing about it? Modeling for students is a cornerstone of scaffolding, in my experience. Have you ever interrupted someone with “Just show me!” while they were in the middle of explaining how to do something? Every chance you have, show or demonstrate to students exactly what they are expected to do.

Albert Bandura believed that we learn not just by doing, but by watching others do.  This is the reasoning for the “I Do” component of a lesson plan.  Additionally, allowing students to know the plan, to know exactly how they will be graded gives students a stronger internal locus of control and a sense of self-efficacy when they know that what they have to do each step of the way to get the results they want.

Prior knowledge allows students to guide behavior in the classroom, which is why setting up class rules and norms helps pave the way for classroom management, an essential item in project based learning. Prior knowledge allows students to make predictions.  If a precedent is set in consequences for positive or negative behavior in the classroom, students will predict that they will get the same results.  In a like manner, if a teacher sparks prior knowledge with reading questions before a lesson, activating vocabulary before a lesson, or showing the final rubric before the lesson, the student will be able to predict what to expect at the end at work toward what the student wants out of it. Finally, based on constructivist theories, we build new knowledge from links to prior knowledge. When we can connect the two, the learning is stronger.  Having said all that, I must say that the entry event must connect to student’s prior knowledge.  Additionally, it must connect to their heart. 

When I first started to teach, I went to a seminar where I received a handout that detailed what the brain needed to learn.  One was oxygen, so we need students to get their blood flowing as the learn.  Movement is a good way to do that.  Another was social communication.  We learn better by talking to each other and bouncing ideas off each other.  It is important to build movement and communication into the PBL project.  From small groups to think pair share or turn and talk to larger Socratic Seminars and fishbowl talks, begin building conversation into your classroom. Teach them effective communication and critical dialogue before getting into PBL.

The idea that we build new meaning on old knowledge is one key reason for pre-teaching vocabulary.  Give the students an idea of what they will be learning. Then, examine the context when you see it again and hopefully again. This does include vocabulary not related to content but what they are expected to do.  What does it mean to analyze, evaluate, contextualize?

 

Learners who speak a different language and learners who have difficulty reading or paying attention are not the only ones who benefit from visual aids.  Visual aids such as concept maps are helpful in exploring thoughts and ideas.  The use of graphic organizers and images add order and interest. It helps students grasp concepts more quickly and clearly. The brain is a sensory organ and memory is often attached to heightened senses (not too much, though, lest they get sensory overload).  Too often, the only sense we devote time to is hearing.  Be sure to build into your project multiple pathways to the brain through all the senses, the emotions, and the prior memories.

Finally, having the questions front loaded is also important. Teachers may find it helpful to scaffold and build depth of knowledge questions remembering that most of the questions need to be open ended and full of depth with follow up questions behind.  Students should be able to explain not only what they know but how or why they know.  Essential questions and guiding questions with the sub questions leading students to what they are expected to learn helps them focus.  Very few questions should be true false, yes or no.  They also should not be a what or who question that pulls nothing but recollection of facts from their heads.  Keep students moving forward with inquiry.

Making sure all students have a chance to answer questions, to show what they know, is imperative.  Then, wait time is essential.  Not everyone has the answer at the top of their heads.  I have asked students a question and have given them 3-6 seconds to answer, which is a long time, but for some kids, it’s not long enough.  If they still didn’t know or were hesitant to answer, I generally showed them a questions number further down the page and told the student that when I got to the question, I would call on the child again.  This allowed the student to prepare, to focus on what was needed, so when I go back around to it, the child succeeded.  Students need those types of successful experiences.  If students still can’t answer, don’t answer the question yourself: have them put their heads together to briefly discuss.  If they can’t find the answer YET, cue them without giving the answer away or have them look it up.  It builds independence.

Scaffolding the parts of the lessons or the questions in the lessons builds stronger learners with grit and independence.  It is also a necessary part of the planning in PBL.

Alber, R. (2014, January 24). “Scaffolding strategies to use with your students”

Edutopia Retrieved June 12, 2020 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber

Hall, M. (2018, November 14). “Scaffolding for successful learning.” The Instructor Blog. Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved June 12, 2020 from https://ii.library.jhu.edu/2018/11/14/scaffolding-for-successful-learning/

Testing is not the only way for assessing.

In PBL, the main assessment is not a test, but an objective evaluation of student content knowledge, teamwork, and growth. Students build their evidence through artifacts carefully structured by the teacher to lead to the standard. Student created rubrics, learning logs, collaboration boards, surveys, spreadsheets for research, oral, visual, and audio demonstrations among other formative assessments can all lead to the summative project evaluation. You can use a project assessment map to help determine the formative assessments needed for the final product.

Students build and create knowledge for their own uses. When they are assessed, combined with the feedback, they are able to use the assessment as a tool to further develop. For example, students use a collaborative board such as Miro and can create a to-do list. Some teachers may like a single space for assignments for ease of grading, but because these elements are for the students, I like to give them a choice for whichever one they find easiest to use. They can then give me the link and share their product with me.

Another assessment that allows students and teachers a view into the student mind and metacognitive processes to see how they are learning is a reflection log. For example, students will be writing in a daily reflection log and completing a daily teamwork survey for my project. They will use a reflection log on a Google Doc and the survey is in Google Forms. Within that document, they must provide links to artifacts that show they are learning what they say they are learning and that the assessment is a true representation of what they are actually doing.

Though project graded outcomes must remain private, the nature of the project is global, and the project itself and the assessments leading to it are generally public and transparent. The rubrics and grading system are always available to the student. Student goal sheets and plans are open to comment. In the end, the project is presented before a group of people. For example, my project will be presented for parents and people in the community with disabilities. In PBL, students lead the way, so they must be allowed access to the roadmap, and like any vehicle on the road, it’s easy to see where the project is heading.

Additionally, assessments are ongoing throughout the project with multiple modalities to enable true assessments. In addition to reflection logs, team surveys, collaboration boards, and rubrics, the project may contain flowcharts, concept maps, poster designs, peer evaluation forms, audience evaluation forms, and resource evaluation pages. These assessment tools lead students through sustained critical inquiry and reflection.

After reading John Spencer’s blog, I have learned some tips for project management and design thinking. He really does a good job of simplifying methods that should be used in PBL. I encourage you to check it out.

School Safety and the Internet, the Acceptable Use Policy

If you are a teacher and you’ve had to sit through a handbook meeting or go over the handbook with your students, you may be familiar with the Acceptable Use Policy, sometimes called the Acceptable Use Internet Policy, which guides student, faculty, and staff use of school internet.  Be wary, teachers, that these are not just for the students. 

Teacher use is monitored as well, and violations could result in an ethics reprimand. For example, use of the school internet for personal business, use of the internet on non-approved sites, contact with students via social media, and social media comments made during working hours are all activities teachers have been warned against in our school.

So what is an acceptable use policy? Generally seen as a contract between user (student, teacher, employee) and the governing entity (school, business), an acceptable use policy is an institution’s policy relating to allowable device and internet usage in order to protect both the user and the governing body from the dangers of internet misuse. 

Students need to be protected.  First, schools need firewalls and filtering systems that allow them to block unwanted sites.  To guard against liability, the author of Scholastic’s “Using Technology” online article notes that school internet use policies should note the school’s attempts to block access to unacceptable material but that no system is foolproof. While noting that the internet is a valuable learning tool, schools should inform parents that student use is monitored to maintain student’s privacy rights and personal safety and encourage parents to monitor the same as well. Finally, the author also states that plagiarism and copyright should be addressed both in the policy and in the classroom (Scholastic, ).

The Scholastic author and the author of Education World’s online article “Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)” indicate that there are generally acceptable portions that many AUPs have in common. An examination of acceptable use policies from several Mississippi high schools (Columbus Municipal, Lowndes County, Kosciusko, Hattiesburg Public, Monroe County) indicates several of these features. These features may not be presented in the order listed below as each district is different.

The authors of the articles discuss the first three areas, which may be combined. First, the introduction or preamble generally includes several items. It may detail the purpose of the document and discuss the advantages of using the internet for educational purposes and the need for safety as mentioned above. Second, it may have a statement describing the policy of the district relating to philosophies, strategies, and support. Third, it may also include a section with definitions similar to many legal documents, which define the terms (resources) and people (user) bound within the contract.  This section may also include the federal laws that discuss children and internet usage, such as Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000(CIPA), Children’s On-Line Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), and/or Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 (DOPA) (Scholastic, ; “Getting Started” 2009 ).

Each district presents this section differently. For example, Kosciusko includes introduction, scope, purpose, laws, and consequences (Kosciusko, 2019). Before going into terms and conditions, Monroe County notes CIPA, education, supervision, and monitoring. Monroe County defined acceptable use, netiquette, security, and privilege(Monroe County, ) while Lowndes County begins by noting the purpose of the network and COPPA and CIPA before briefly reviewing unacceptable uses and reverting back to purposes. (Lowndes County, 2019). Hattiesburg begins by discussing the value of the internet, the lack of foolproof design of safety controls, and the legal rights, and responsibilities of school, staff, and user (Hattiesburg, 2019). Finally, Columbus gets directly to the point with little preamble.  They only mention that the purpose of the internet is educational purposes only before going into definitions and laws. 

The next three sections deal with acceptable uses, unacceptable uses, and consequences of unacceptable use.  Fourth, as with the aforementioned Hattiesburg district, acceptable uses generally list the rights and responsibilities of school, students, and parents for using the school technological resources, and most schools will mention that this is for educational purposes only. Additionally, in either this section or the section about unacceptable uses, there will or should be information regarding netiquette and copyright laws. Fifth, additionally the unacceptable uses section should give unambiguous, very specific terms for what constitutes unacceptable use, including sites that are off limits, rules regarding messaging, password protections, vandalism, and cyberbullying. Sixth, the consequences of unacceptable use must be just as clearly spelled out. The details of how violations are handled should be like the school’s discipline policy.

The last two parts are the disclaimers and the contractual signatures. The seventh element is the disclaimer, which attempts to absolve the school from responsibility in unforeseen circumstances and notes that internet usage is a privilege, in which usage is only permitted after signing the form. Finally, because this is generally considered a contract, there should be a signature form for teachers, parents, and students indicating their intent to abide by the AUP.

No matter what various methods of organization districts use for the AUP, they should contain the aforementioned elements. Additionally, teachers who use technology in the classroom should introduce them each year and discuss them throughout the year to ensure student security and privacy.

Getting Started on the Internet: Acceptable Use Policies: Education World. (2009). Education World. Retrieved June 05, 2020, from https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml

“Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library?: Librarians.” Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library? | Librarians | Scholastic.com, Scholastic, Retrieved June 5, 2020, from https://www.scholastic.com/librarians/tech/techpolicy.htm.

Can questions really drive?

The quick answer to the title is yes! The long answer is to drive means to operate the control and direction, to move along. With that in mind, a driving question moves the project forward and controls the direction of the project. One really cool tool for the driving question is the tubric. Be honest: that’s a really cool name, too, right?

So what is the tubric? Think of it as a blended word for tube (like a paper towel tube) and rubric (a guide for the project). The first slot is for question framing words like how can/should question beginners. The second slot is for who will be doing the project or the entity the project is directed toward, such as I/we (but be more specific as in what relationship does the person have with the project). The third slot is a strong action verb build/create/simulate (and think of these verbs as the final column of Bloom’s Taxonomy) or a challenge word. Finally, the fourth slot is the audience or purpose. This tool is really what helped me most, but there are other guiding questions for the guiding question.

First, is it open ended? It should not have a specific end product in mind as students will develop themselves how they will best express what they’ve learned. Does it provoke students to think deeply? Does it go with a standard and does it directly address the meat of the standard being taught? Does it challenge the students to do something? Does it interest the students? Does it avoid the mention of a final product that the teacher expects students to create? Finally, does it avoid opinion, bias, conditions, or qualifier statements? This last one might be hard for me.

My mother was a special education teacher, and I met my best friend in our freshman year of college; she is the godmother of my elder daughter, and I named my second daughter after her. She and my second daughter both have a disability. Due to my daughter’s disability, many of her friends today were from the tutorial/resource room from her earliest years of school. My niece has a disability. Because of this, when I got tired of teaching a tested subject in a middle school, my principal asked me if I wanted to get a license to teach in Special Education. That was the path to a Masters of Education in Mild to Moderate Special Education. Thus, when I make these lessons, I am making them with people I love in mind. I have very strong opinions about this, and you may have already noticed.

Therefore, please give me some feedback about my driving question. Does it meet the standards I’ve discussed?

DRIVING QUESTION: Driving Question How can we as teenagers change the paradigm surrounding disability in the United States and Globally so that having a disability can be seen from a position of strength and not weakness?

Let me know if the subquestions should be replaced or how they can be improved, too. These should actually drive the driving question so that at the time all these questions are answered, the driving question should have an answer, and I am not sure they do that.

SUBQUESTIONS: Who is responsible for demanding rights for people with disabilities? Is it people without visible disabilities? If so, how can we respectfully be agents of change to promote and protect the rights of people living with disabilities today? Or is it the people with disabilities themselves? If so, what is important to know to support people with disabilities as they self-advocate? And while we are at it, what exactly are the rights of a person with a disability anyway and why do these rights need to be protected and promoted? How does media affect the paradigm surrounding disability? What does it mean to advocate? What does advocacy look like for people with and without disabilities? How can we express to others the importance of this issue? What are some problems or barriers a person with a disability might encounter when needing to self-advocate?

I guess the answer to that title may be two fold then. Can a question drive? Yes, it can drive a project and it can drive me crazy. 🙂

Can we create change using PBL?

Since I decided to work on transition items for all of my classes this summer, I had decided from the very beginning that what I want to accomplish through my PBL unit is to change the paradigm surrounding disability, to give students the skills to self-advocate, and at the same time, emphasize the strengths of people with disabilities, not as what my friend calls “inspiration porn” as if people with disabilities who present themselves in public to do anything are awe-inspiring or super heroes (though sometimes they are) instead of being people who happen to have a disability. We shouldn’t just see the disability and overlook the person. Unfortunately, some people still see people with disabilities as weak or fragile mentally and physically and therefore incapable of making decisions or getting help on their own or even of making a marked contribution to society. So what can be done to change this bias?

Students need to learn the history behind disabilities and the legal rights that they have. They need to be able to have an open conversation with people with disabilities in the community to hear what they’ve experienced. They need to know enough to speak up against injustice and bias and to be allies for their friends if they don’t have a disability and to be self-advocates for themselves if they do.

In the end, they will learn not only about people with disabilities but also about themselves, about teamwork, about technology, about history, about the world. They will learn how to speak up to support their fellow human beings in a time when we need to learn how to be a voice for change.

Students may begin this project with familiarity with at least one person with a disability. They may have seen some ADA building requirements. They may also know about history and problems associated with being a disenfranchised person though they may be unfamiliar with the meaning of the word itself. They may have experienced working with others in group work and collaboration. They may also be familiar with some technology.

What skills would benefit them most at the moment? At the moment, they need to learn to be brave and voice their thoughts and opinions. Too often students wait on the answer instead of being brave and telling what they think. Once as children, they told everyone their opinions on everything, their wants, their questions…everything, but as they grew, they lost that. One struggle we will have is getting them to speak. This is why they need to feel connected to the project, to feel its global importance.

Are they ready to take on a project? The bigger question is can they manage themselves? This is often a make or break point with group projects. This is why the project needs consistent feedback, and team building. Everyone needs to feel connected and motivated. This will be the job of the teacher/coach and other team members.

Has your class developed a sense of shared values & standards that will provide them the foundation for a good project? The great thing about this project is that most teenagers in my acquaintance want to be agents of change. They want to make a difference, and hopefully, through this project, they will realize they can.

Are you and your students operating as a learning community? The project will need to begin with directed research and then as it goes along, research will be in the hands of the students. Students will direct their own learning and share what they’ve learned as they go.

Prior to doing this project with your students, you should develop a strong student-teacher relationship. This is not a beginning of the year project due to the need to keep students on track. There will be rigor and accountability with rubrics, journals, and other assessments built in as students need to know that you have high standards and expect them to follow through as leaders of their own learning. To those whom much is given, much is expected. Finally, you will need to keep up with the process and you need to have that connection built with your students. Just like with the topic of the project, it is important to listen respectfully and give productive feedback.

I hope that was we go through the next month and you are with me watching this project evolve, that you will be inspired to create your own. If you feel inclined and have ideas, let me know in the comments.

Is PBL up to your standards?

We are a standards based society in education, driven by collected data and test scores. It is, therefore, important that when we design our project, we look at the standards.

Because I approached the project with advocacy in mind, I went with National Standards and Quality Indicators for Secondary Education and Transition centering the project around 3.2.4 “Youth participate in varied activities that encourage the development of self-determination and self-advocacy skills.”

Additionally, the very nature of Project Based Learning leads to the following transition standards: 3.1.4 Youth develop interpersonal skills, including communication, decision-making, assertiveness, and peer refusal skills, and have the ability to create healthy relationships. 3.1.5 Youth interact with peers and have a sense of belonging. 3.1.6 Youth participate in a variety of teamwork and networking experiences. 3.1.7 Youth have significant positive relationships with mentors, positive role models, and other nurturing adults.3.2.1 Youth develop ethical values and reasoning skills. 3.2.2 Youth develop individual strengths. 3.2.3 Youth demonstrate the ability to set goals and develop a plan.3.3.2 Youth learn the history, values, and beliefs of their communities. 3.3.3 Youth demonstrate awareness, understanding, and knowledge of other cultures and societies and show respect for all people. 3.3.4 Youth engage in experiential learning and have opportunities for genuine leadership, taking primary responsibility for developing plans, carrying out decisions, and solving problems. 3.3.5 Youth participate in service to others in their community, their country, and their world. 3.3.6 Youth identify and use resources in their community.

So how does PBL reflect these special education transition standards? Team building and team work opportunities are built in to the project from standards to assessments. Students each have an opportunity to have their voices and choices heard through democratic processes. Scaffolding also builds a sense that the student is capable of making decisions and having an impact. The experiential learning, problem solving, decision-making, and leadership is an essential part of PBL. Because the goals talk about learning history, values, beliefs of the community, and understanding of other cultures, it leads to a history or government curriculum. Finally, if possible, this project will invite volunteer youth and adult mentors with varying disabilities to the classroom to enhance the learning opportunities as students “participate in service to their community, their country, and theiry world” by learning about changing the narrative for people with disabilities. To add to this, it will also benefit general education students in an inclusive class due to the standards it addresses in government, history, and English. Finally, as a project related to technology, it will also address many of the ISTE standards. While addressing many standards, it does not merely skim the surface, but dives deeply to explore and make meaning.

–National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition. (2005). National standards and quality indicators: Transition toolkit for systems improvement. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, National Center on Secondary Education and Transition.

So what does PBL look like?

I have a Masters degree in Special Education, and one of the reasons that I wanted to get an Educational Technology degree was due to the lack of available materials. The policy makers ask these teachers to do miracles with next to nothing. Additionally, as a high school teacher, one of my passions is Transition, preparing students with disabilities to meet life after high school, and a bit part of that is self-determination and self-advocacy. Since I wanted to do something with disability rights and advocacy, I looked up projects that deal with human rights, an issue that touches history, ELA, and SEL.

First, I found 7 Moves Advance Racial Equity Through PBL, which includes sparking engagement with student generated questions, focusing projects on issues of justice, listening to the voices of students, building community through peer feedback, creating space for students to reflect, expecting excellence, and creating beautiful spaces. In other areas of research, it is the idea of PBL as a growth tool and not an end product and the student reflection piece that really benefits students with disabilities. What’s interesting is that this perfectly fits with the essential elements of project based learning and was shown in most of the projects I encountered. I did see a blog on a self-directed IEP for PBL, but I never saw a product or directions for the student-led IEP, and I wondered how that would work.

After looking at the padlet for 5star examples and projects that centered on human rights, advocacy, or disabilities, I examined “Reinforcing Foundations for Change,” I found a project based on authentic, real-world issues of global human rights. The entry event (an attention grabber or anticipatory set mixed with input) works with Amnesty International website, freedom map, and we can change the world videos, It was centered around a question or problem of a human rights violation asking students to find a possible solution. It has sustained Inquiry based on student voice and choice. The project is detailed with multiple steps, which include methods for project management, feedback, reflection, and revision. It includes norms and contracts that allow a diverse group of learners with structured roles and individual accountability. Due to the detail and structure of the project, and I saw evidence of flexibility and scaffolding for students with disabilities and English language learners. The project served as a showcase for student learner’s development of 21st century skills and curricular content measured with a rubric and detailed chart for assessment data.. The project is linked to ISTE and core standards for history. Public presentations exhibiting group effort and social values were shown online via a video or slideshow. The project was completed with several assessment checks based on growth and multifaceted outcomes including problem solving and collaboration as well as content.

This is probably the most well put together project I saw, and it made me wonder how we were going to put forth something equally worthwhile over the course of seven weeks. This would fit in perfectly with my school as there is a large portion of our state test centered on human rights, the Civil rights movement, indigenous people, and women’s rights. It does fit with a literature unit as well. Along the same lines, a project called Lifting Our Voices hit my goal grade level and my interest as a former public speaking teacher.

If you are following along and are interested in the development of PBL from a grain of an idea to something that feeds minds and hearts, I have begun my bare bones of a project with a rough draft, and as a side note, I did create a project to help students with student-led IEPs for my integrating technology class. As you learn more about PBL with me, notice the difference between the elements of a project and the elements of PBL. What’s different?

PBL — Is that like a sandwich?

There are so many acronyms in education, especially in Special Education. Do you know your ABCs and your BIPs, you IDEAs and your MDRs? Can you get a student to lead an IEP and understand the LRE?

Unlike the hint in the title, this isn’t a variation on the PBJ sandwich: it stands for Project Based Learning. This ain’t an 80s era volcano project or a 90s era trifold display board, either. One of the main requirements in PBL is that it is authentic, so this is real life learning, and while it’s been around a while we aren’t using it as much as we should. In 2004, the Buck Institute trained about 850 educators.  Eight years later, the numbers had risen to 9500 (Pascuel, 2012) when the Buck Institute received a Hewlett Foundation grant to open a PBL University (Chandler, 2015).  Additionally, the High Quality Project Based Learning site lists 3236 schools and 104 partners (HQPBL.org).

The current and potential issues surrounding the use of Project Based Learning (PBL) in traditional or nontraditional schools involve the benefit to at-risk students with increased attendance, increased internal locus of control, and increased interests as more schools adopt the rigor of project based learning. Test scores are on the rise in Oregon where a high school uses project based learning (Heitin, 2012).  One of the reasons could be that PBL uses democratic processes giving students choices and it emphasizes real world relevance showing kids that they can make a difference.  Another article also touts the benefits in a study and credits the interest the projects create with higher attendance.  (Creghan, et al., 2015).

Project based learning can be a beneficial tool in the classroom as PBL and common core both emphasize deep thinking and complex 21^st century real world concepts (Bender, 2012).  This is also true due to the flexibility of the standards. (Spencer).  Having been a teacher for 27 years and having a degree of familiarity with the common core standards in high school English, I know that they are easily aligned with project based learning.  Any inhibiting factors would come from teachers who desire or feel coerced to teach standards purely based on the need to meet state tests since PBL is not the tested format.  While I understand the issue, I feel that the deeper learner that is provided by PBL should lessen some of these concerns.

So what makes PBL so great? Earlier I mentioned two elements: authenticity and democratic processes. In addition to these, the Buck Institute’s PBL Works states that gold standard projects involve elements of a challenging problem or question, sustained inquiry, reflection, critique and revision, and a final public project. Teachers put planning in the early stages and let students guide their own learning toward standards. They build the student and team culture up managing all activities the way an employer would without micromanaging every decision. And before you said, that that would never work in my school, look again at how well it has worked in high at-risk schools. For anyone who needs a little more encouragement, here is a great article on PBL Done Right 10 Misconceptions and 10 Resources to Raise the PBL Bar.

In a time where students often feel their locus of control is out of control and they have no say, these types of projects given them a sense of self-efficacy. They are scaffolded for weaker students to enjoy success, and assessments are embedded for a range of goals, including growth. Interested? Check out PBLworks.org.

Resources

Bender, W. (2012) “Convergence! Project-based learning and common core standards.” Corwin

Press. Retrieved May 16, 2020 from

Click to access pblwebinar82012pdf.pdf

Chandler, A. (2015). “Must know Buck Institute project based learning resources.” Getting

Smart. Retrieved May 15, 2020 from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2015/09/must-

know-buck-institute-project-based-learning-resources/

Creghan, C. , & Adair-Creghan, K. (2015). The positive impact of project-based learning on

attendance of an economically disadvantaged student population: A multiyear study. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1496

Heitin, L. (2012). “Curriculum engaging those who struggled in regular school setting.”

Education Week.  Retrieved May 15, 2020 from

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/04/25/29projbased.h31.html.

Partners of HQPBL. (2020, May 15). HQPBL. Retrieved May 15, 2020, from            https://hqpbl.org/partners/

Pascual, P. (2012). “Project-based learning: The pros and cons.” Retrieved May 15, 2020 from

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/project-based-learning/

Spencer, J. (2018) “How do you teach to the standards when doing project based learning?”

Retrieved May 16, 2020 from http://www.spencerauthor.com/standards-and-pbl/

Integrating Technology

This semester I have decided to work on Project Based Learning and Integrating Technology classes along with a third class that will come later. What I failed to notice was that these classes started before the end of May, so while I was putting the end of my last school year to bed.

One of our readings for the week involves The NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K–12 Edition examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in schools. Even though it was written in 2017, we can see the impact still as we are leaving for one school year in 2020 and preparing for the next still amid uncertainties with COVID-19.

First, the fact that even though we have blended learning, flipped learning, distance learning (not what we are doing now, by the way), learning management systems, and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and 1:1 (every student has a computer) schools, we are still not closing the gap. In fact, COVID-19 only made the nation more aware that disparities exist.

On the one hand, we could not have done remote teaching if it weren’t for the technology we have today. Teachers are still having whole class meetings with video conferencing. Teachers can still work with students in collaboration and creative pursuits. Students went to hotspots, used phones and technology in cars or wherever they could get signal if they did not have signal at home. The fact that they could even do most of their work through their phones was incredible. People can learn and do so many jobs anywhere. There are so many platforms, it is somewhat dizzying to figure out which one to use. (Hint: don’t go crazy, pick one and go with it, and slowly introduce others if you must). Kids are connected at school a large part of the day and are used to the programs being used.

While that is great, the difference between connectivity in schools and connectivity in various homes is a chasm that needs to be changed. Amazingly, even though it’s been stated quite often, our policy leaders may be noticing due to this virus, and there will likely be a great shift in the future towards more connectivity and access to technology. Two other items mentioned in this article make me think of the epidemic. First, there really is no replacement for a good teacher. A computer alone won’t do it. Even if I put a tutorial online, some students still needed that face to face explanation with a video conference. Again, let me mention the disparity. Even though we tried to do everything we could, students who were just paper and pencil because they lacked internet connectivity in the rural outreaches of our system or who lacked service due to economic disparities suffered greater losses. They were not able to access the multiple modalities of learning that teachers provided. Some teachers went so far as to provide that face to face instruction through a closed glass door. This is what great teachers do. They go the extra mile.Finally, what we saw was also the need for continuous feedback. Students who did not turn in the paper packets until the end and therefore could not get feedback did poorly in comparison to students who turned in work and teachers took pictures or made phone calls of feedback and sent it to students. Continuous feedback and checks for understanding allow students to know where the errors are so they can correct their understanding before it becomes too embedded.

Overall, it is important to learn from our mistakes and pay attention when we see warning signs before disaster strikes.

Freeman, A., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., and Hall Giesinger, C. (2017). NMC/CoSN horizon report: 2017 K–12 edition. The New Media Consortium.