“Students are most successful when they are taught how to learn as well as what to learn” (Barron and Darling-Hammond 8). Project-based learning and definitely inquiry-based learning is about process and content. We teach the students the skills they will need to be successful to complete the project. By making the learning more student focused in these processes we awaken creativity and passion within both ourselves and our students. By shifting our pedagogy, we empower our students to take responsibility in their education and give them the skills that will be important in their uncertain future.
Project-based learning and inquiry based learning can be very powerful in teaching students both skills and content, but it doesn’t just happen. Scaffolding and pre-planning has to happen for students to be successful. This help support the learning of critical thinking skills, self-direction, and teamwork (Savery 8). If teachers take the time to do this very important training on the process students will be able to transfer this knowledge to new problems that they face. While I was doing my research on the UVM databases, I came across an article that used problem based learning with gifted students. In this case study, the researchers test 2 groups of students on problem solving skills. The students who had received extensive training on problem based projects out scored the control group on being able to transfer their skills to a new situation (Gallagher 198). This is great for their school work, but it will crucial in their future professional work. As Barron and Darling-Hammond say in the article we read the first week, the top ten jobs today (really 2008) did not exist in 2004 (3). Without knowing what jobs will be in demand in our student’s future, teaching them skills that transfer to any problem or topic is the way that we can prepare them.
Teachers need to know how to teach project-based and inquiry-based projects. One way to do this is using their own personal learning network or PLN. There are many ways for educators to stay up to date on best practices and emerging technology tools that will help with PBL and IBL. There are the traditional ways such as classes, books, professional journals, and support from peers, but there are increasingly more flexible and in the moment ways to receive help with your instruction. This can be done digitally. Some of these resources such as Twitter and Google+ allow educators to connect across the globe. This can help with boosting our own knowledge but also to connect classrooms in meaningful ways. Part of both PBL and IBL is for the project to be authentic to real world situations. By connecting to other classrooms around the world, students can work on real world projects, understand different perspectives, and learn to work collaboratively. All skills that will benefit them in the future.
The PBL and IBL process is wonderful in getting students to learn valuable skills, but it is creativity and passion of both the students and the instructor that makes the learning engaging and worthwhile. While old school ways of educating have really tried to streamline kids, it happened to dampen student’s creativity. But we know that those who have made significant changes in our world were very creative and imaginative. The theory of relativity would never have been discovered if Einstein didn’t use his imagination to ride a beam of light. To get our students to make significant discoveries of their own, we must encourage their imagination.
The research piece that I did in week three was also about motivation. The study though was seeing if teaching with the inquiry model would increase student’s motivation to read on their own. Although reluctant readers were still reluctant, all groups of kids were more apt to want to read more on the topic that the class was studying through inquiry. This suggests that the teacher, using inquiry, was able to awaken the student’s interests and passions, thus making them want to learn more about the topic. This is important in that as educators we need to see that students ARE readers, even those that are traditionally reluctant. Students will read if their interests are piqued.
The past three weeks have been good for me in my own practice. A lot of what we covered, I had studied previously. Especially inquiry as this is the majority of the library standards. But it has been really good for me to revisit it. My first job as a school librarian was a long term sub in a middle school library. There I got to participate in best practice in libraries. I was a resource to students and teachers a like and I actively helped teachers teach the inquiry process. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. My current job is just as enjoyable but it is not as integrated into the rest of the school. I am a specials teacher, teaching each class once a week. Occasionally teachers will ask for resources. Students tell me they are doing a research project for a class, but the teacher never had a conversation with me about how I can help teach the skills the students will need. When I ask the student what resource they are using to find information, I shudder as they say, “We just googled it.” I admittedly love Google, but do not think my fifth graders have the skills to find accurate information with it yet. The students are learning some inquiry skills but it is disjointed and depends on what teacher the student has. Although I do not get to regularly collaborate with other teachers (four times in the last three years), I see this current situation as a challenge to overcome. The work of the last couple of weeks has helped to awaken that desire. I want all of my students to be lifelong learners!
The good side to my jobs coin is that I see every student! I have a chance to develop all of those inquiry skills in all of the students of the school. Also my curriculum and inquiry and project based learning are content neutral. They can be used with any topic or subject. This works with my passions because I can choose a topic that I’m passionate about to have the kids practice using inquiry based learning skills. Or I’ve let them choose the topic that interests them the best in true inquiry fashion.
I haven’t really played with project based learning before so I’m really eager to do this with my students. I think this might be my opportunity to collaborate with other teachers. I’ve already been able to hook one teacher with helping with a student project. The students are concerned that our school stopped doing morning announcements over the loudspeaker. These were stopped to reduce the number of interruptions during the day, but the students felt they were an important part of their day. A small group came to the library to define the problem and then to start to gather some data. We developed a survey to get the opinion of the rest of the students. After they collected this data, they went back to their language arts class to write a letter to the principal. (I was hoping they would make a presentation, but the teacher wanted them to write a letter.) This project had a real world application. It was my first taste of doing this with any students. It was great.
I have really started to think of other ways that I can incorporate project based learning & creativity in my lessons. Many different ideas have popped in my head but I need to flesh a lot of them out. My biggest concern with project based learning is my students with special needs. How am I going to address their needs? I do not get any extra help from paras or special educators during my class because it is a “special,” so I need to really think and structure the activities to fit their needs, but I’m just not sure how I’m going to do that without making it too easy for the high flyers. I guess that is going to be a big part of the pre-planning that is the work intensive part of project based learning.
I really like and believe in the processes of inquiry based learning and project based learning. Because of this, I will not let what I am perceiving as barriers get me down. My challenge is going to be to do some creative problem solving of my own. The research and my PLN is going to help me in accomplishing this goal. I look forward to the rest of the class to see how I am going to do just this.
Chu, Samuel Kai Wah, et al. "Collaborative Inquiry Project-Based Learning: Effects On Reading Ability And Interests." Library & Information Science Research (07408188) 33.3 (2011): 236-243. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
Darling-Hammond, Linda. "Teaching for Meaningful Learning." Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding. By Brigid Barron. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008. N. pag. Edutopia. Web. 28 Aug. 2014. <http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf>.
Gallagher, Shelagh A., Hilary Rosenthal, and William J. Stepien. "The effects of problem-based learning on problem solving." Gifted Child Quarterly36.4 (1992): 195+. Educators Reference Complete. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
Savery, J. R. (2006). Overview of Problem-based Learning: Definitions and Distinctions. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 1(1).
Project-based learning and inquiry based learning can be very powerful in teaching students both skills and content, but it doesn’t just happen. Scaffolding and pre-planning has to happen for students to be successful. This help support the learning of critical thinking skills, self-direction, and teamwork (Savery 8). If teachers take the time to do this very important training on the process students will be able to transfer this knowledge to new problems that they face. While I was doing my research on the UVM databases, I came across an article that used problem based learning with gifted students. In this case study, the researchers test 2 groups of students on problem solving skills. The students who had received extensive training on problem based projects out scored the control group on being able to transfer their skills to a new situation (Gallagher 198). This is great for their school work, but it will crucial in their future professional work. As Barron and Darling-Hammond say in the article we read the first week, the top ten jobs today (really 2008) did not exist in 2004 (3). Without knowing what jobs will be in demand in our student’s future, teaching them skills that transfer to any problem or topic is the way that we can prepare them.
Teachers need to know how to teach project-based and inquiry-based projects. One way to do this is using their own personal learning network or PLN. There are many ways for educators to stay up to date on best practices and emerging technology tools that will help with PBL and IBL. There are the traditional ways such as classes, books, professional journals, and support from peers, but there are increasingly more flexible and in the moment ways to receive help with your instruction. This can be done digitally. Some of these resources such as Twitter and Google+ allow educators to connect across the globe. This can help with boosting our own knowledge but also to connect classrooms in meaningful ways. Part of both PBL and IBL is for the project to be authentic to real world situations. By connecting to other classrooms around the world, students can work on real world projects, understand different perspectives, and learn to work collaboratively. All skills that will benefit them in the future.
The PBL and IBL process is wonderful in getting students to learn valuable skills, but it is creativity and passion of both the students and the instructor that makes the learning engaging and worthwhile. While old school ways of educating have really tried to streamline kids, it happened to dampen student’s creativity. But we know that those who have made significant changes in our world were very creative and imaginative. The theory of relativity would never have been discovered if Einstein didn’t use his imagination to ride a beam of light. To get our students to make significant discoveries of their own, we must encourage their imagination.
The research piece that I did in week three was also about motivation. The study though was seeing if teaching with the inquiry model would increase student’s motivation to read on their own. Although reluctant readers were still reluctant, all groups of kids were more apt to want to read more on the topic that the class was studying through inquiry. This suggests that the teacher, using inquiry, was able to awaken the student’s interests and passions, thus making them want to learn more about the topic. This is important in that as educators we need to see that students ARE readers, even those that are traditionally reluctant. Students will read if their interests are piqued.
The past three weeks have been good for me in my own practice. A lot of what we covered, I had studied previously. Especially inquiry as this is the majority of the library standards. But it has been really good for me to revisit it. My first job as a school librarian was a long term sub in a middle school library. There I got to participate in best practice in libraries. I was a resource to students and teachers a like and I actively helped teachers teach the inquiry process. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. My current job is just as enjoyable but it is not as integrated into the rest of the school. I am a specials teacher, teaching each class once a week. Occasionally teachers will ask for resources. Students tell me they are doing a research project for a class, but the teacher never had a conversation with me about how I can help teach the skills the students will need. When I ask the student what resource they are using to find information, I shudder as they say, “We just googled it.” I admittedly love Google, but do not think my fifth graders have the skills to find accurate information with it yet. The students are learning some inquiry skills but it is disjointed and depends on what teacher the student has. Although I do not get to regularly collaborate with other teachers (four times in the last three years), I see this current situation as a challenge to overcome. The work of the last couple of weeks has helped to awaken that desire. I want all of my students to be lifelong learners!
The good side to my jobs coin is that I see every student! I have a chance to develop all of those inquiry skills in all of the students of the school. Also my curriculum and inquiry and project based learning are content neutral. They can be used with any topic or subject. This works with my passions because I can choose a topic that I’m passionate about to have the kids practice using inquiry based learning skills. Or I’ve let them choose the topic that interests them the best in true inquiry fashion.
I haven’t really played with project based learning before so I’m really eager to do this with my students. I think this might be my opportunity to collaborate with other teachers. I’ve already been able to hook one teacher with helping with a student project. The students are concerned that our school stopped doing morning announcements over the loudspeaker. These were stopped to reduce the number of interruptions during the day, but the students felt they were an important part of their day. A small group came to the library to define the problem and then to start to gather some data. We developed a survey to get the opinion of the rest of the students. After they collected this data, they went back to their language arts class to write a letter to the principal. (I was hoping they would make a presentation, but the teacher wanted them to write a letter.) This project had a real world application. It was my first taste of doing this with any students. It was great.
I have really started to think of other ways that I can incorporate project based learning & creativity in my lessons. Many different ideas have popped in my head but I need to flesh a lot of them out. My biggest concern with project based learning is my students with special needs. How am I going to address their needs? I do not get any extra help from paras or special educators during my class because it is a “special,” so I need to really think and structure the activities to fit their needs, but I’m just not sure how I’m going to do that without making it too easy for the high flyers. I guess that is going to be a big part of the pre-planning that is the work intensive part of project based learning.
I really like and believe in the processes of inquiry based learning and project based learning. Because of this, I will not let what I am perceiving as barriers get me down. My challenge is going to be to do some creative problem solving of my own. The research and my PLN is going to help me in accomplishing this goal. I look forward to the rest of the class to see how I am going to do just this.
Works Cited
Chu, Samuel Kai Wah, et al. "Collaborative Inquiry Project-Based Learning: Effects On Reading Ability And Interests." Library & Information Science Research (07408188) 33.3 (2011): 236-243. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
Darling-Hammond, Linda. "Teaching for Meaningful Learning." Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding. By Brigid Barron. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008. N. pag. Edutopia. Web. 28 Aug. 2014. <http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf>.
Gallagher, Shelagh A., Hilary Rosenthal, and William J. Stepien. "The effects of problem-based learning on problem solving." Gifted Child Quarterly36.4 (1992): 195+. Educators Reference Complete. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
Savery, J. R. (2006). Overview of Problem-based Learning: Definitions and Distinctions. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 1(1).
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