Mrs. Fowler, Mrs. Robinson and I could not be more proud of our students! In fact, the entire 5th grade class was amazing! When experiences for learning are meaningful and purposeful, students are engaged and rise to the challenge of going above and beyond expectations.
To be honest, the weeks leading up to the exhibition night were not easy. There were times when Julie and I second guessed the project timeline and we wondered if our students were really extending their learning and making connections between the events of the war and the political and social impacts of those events following the war (As well as the military and medical advances). However, we chose to be patient and trust the process, which is important during the process of PBL. As teachers, we want to rush in and save our students with the answers at the first signs of a struggle. As difficult as it was not to give our students the answers, suggestions for project modifications, or redirect them when they were not using their time wisely, we refrained. You see, there is so much more to these projects than just the significant (academic) content. Students are also learning to organize ideas to develop a plan, work within a deadline, and use peer feedback to revise their work. When they are accustomed to doing projects at home or given explicit instructions to perform a task, the PBL process can be a struggle. Multiple opportunities to engage in this work, frequent opportunities to reflect on the task, tools for organization (Teamwork rubrics, Group Contracts, Individual Contracts, Project Calendars, etc.), and a "safe" environment can empower students through the process.
The support tools, coupled with our professional restraint, enabled the students to successfully work as a team to curate exhibits for Nash Farms Student Exhibition Night. Project managers successfully kept their team on track to meet deadlines, students clarified misconceptions, students held one another accountable for their work, and all students were engaged in their learning. The best part of the entire process is how proud each of the students were to share their learning and showcase their creations to an authentic audience. We didn't have to harass parents to attend the exhibition night...the students did that for us. We had students choose to miss ball games or practice in order to attend the big night. We had 2 parents RSVP and we had 250 parents and community members actually attend the exhibition. The only thing we would have done differently is arrange for some of the exhibits to be outside of the museum to decrease the noise level within the venue. Aside from that, we know that the project was successful because of the quality of the projects, the information students demonstrated they learned through the project and on a formal summative assessment, and the feedback we received from students about the experience.
To be honest, the weeks leading up to the exhibition night were not easy. There were times when Julie and I second guessed the project timeline and we wondered if our students were really extending their learning and making connections between the events of the war and the political and social impacts of those events following the war (As well as the military and medical advances). However, we chose to be patient and trust the process, which is important during the process of PBL. As teachers, we want to rush in and save our students with the answers at the first signs of a struggle. As difficult as it was not to give our students the answers, suggestions for project modifications, or redirect them when they were not using their time wisely, we refrained. You see, there is so much more to these projects than just the significant (academic) content. Students are also learning to organize ideas to develop a plan, work within a deadline, and use peer feedback to revise their work. When they are accustomed to doing projects at home or given explicit instructions to perform a task, the PBL process can be a struggle. Multiple opportunities to engage in this work, frequent opportunities to reflect on the task, tools for organization (Teamwork rubrics, Group Contracts, Individual Contracts, Project Calendars, etc.), and a "safe" environment can empower students through the process.
The support tools, coupled with our professional restraint, enabled the students to successfully work as a team to curate exhibits for Nash Farms Student Exhibition Night. Project managers successfully kept their team on track to meet deadlines, students clarified misconceptions, students held one another accountable for their work, and all students were engaged in their learning. The best part of the entire process is how proud each of the students were to share their learning and showcase their creations to an authentic audience. We didn't have to harass parents to attend the exhibition night...the students did that for us. We had students choose to miss ball games or practice in order to attend the big night. We had 2 parents RSVP and we had 250 parents and community members actually attend the exhibition. The only thing we would have done differently is arrange for some of the exhibits to be outside of the museum to decrease the noise level within the venue. Aside from that, we know that the project was successful because of the quality of the projects, the information students demonstrated they learned through the project and on a formal summative assessment, and the feedback we received from students about the experience.