There are three levels to classroom discussion. The first is teacher to teacher. In this form, teachers collaborate together, taking every opportunity to work together, sharing ideas and resources. The second is student to student discussion. In this, students should be talking about their learning experiences as they unfold- within their teams as well as across teams. When students explain their thinking, it gives everyone the opportunity learn from and challenge one another. The third is teacher to student, which entails an announcement of some form or whole group lessons to introduce a new concept or demonstrate a skill that all students need to understand how to progress. In PBL, teacher to student can be used through project management tools, like project Web sites, blogs, online calenders, or online project work spaces.
When students are in the middle of a project, we as teachers can help our students to focus and adjust by checking in. Based on the information you want, you can ask questions based on different approaches. For example, if you wanted to focus on Procedural aspects, you can ask questions such as "are we on schedule? do we have the right materials? when's the best time to schedule various activities?" These questions will help reinforce progress towards milestones and deadlines, and also remind students of the project calender and monitor students' project logs and checklists.Another approach you can focus on is Teamwork. By asking questions like "how are team members doing? is one student carrying too much of the load for the whole team? Are students able to manage conflict themselves, or do they need my help?" By asking these question we can assess team dynamics and create open dialogue about the team. A third approach is Understanding. You can spend time observing teams at work, listening to student conversations and asking probing question in order to see if students are on track, making progress, and are able to go beyond expectation. The last approach is self-assessment. Asking question that encourage self-assessment and reflection can help students to describe challenges or frustration, ask questions they may feel uncomfortable asking in front of everyone, or sharing their excitement.
Optimizing technology is very useful for students. Students respond very positively to the experience of learning through technology. When teachers maximize the potential of technology through examination such as helping them focus on the learning goal; helping them to stay organized; using technology to expand their horizons by connecting to outside experts or a broader community; and by having technology be equally accessible. When technology is optimized, students gain greater benefits, new insights, and authentic feedback.
When keeping a project moving, 21st century skills must be employed. For example, teachers must act as project managers to troubleshoot any challenges or problems that may arise. For example, Anne Davis, a teacher in Georgia tried to match her fourth and fifth graders to high school mentors. When it came time to publish their writings, her students froze. Mrs. Davis talked to another teacher on the high school end, and he talked with his students about reassuring the younger students. This really eased the way for the project to continue with success. By using conversation in the classroom as an instruction tool, you build your community of learners. Another 21st century skill is teamwork. If a teacher detects trouble, they can help their students to learn to manage their own team conflicts. An excellent way to do this is to make teamwork a focus of formal assessment.
This chapter on keeping the project moving really applies to our PBL on food preservation.When we are discussing making any project, we need to continue to ask our students questions to see if they understand. We need to check in with our students to see if we can do anything to help, and then adjust our teaching accordingly. When we vary classroom discussions, we can help students to grasp information, especially when we are teaching about food preservation, which can be difficult for many students to conceptualize. By optimizing technology and using 21st century skills, we can strive to help our students achieve.
I like how you discussed making teamwork part of a groups formal assessment on a project. This helps force the students to work together even in they aren't best friends or if they hit some bumps in the road. Doing something for a grade is usually incentive enough to get students to do what you want or expect them to do.
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