HTH 216: Advanced Project-Based Learning
Fumbling Practice: An inside view of a teacher’s journey with Project-Based Learning
Realization Hurts:
Every year during the sunset before the first day of school, I get in my truck and drive out to the beach to meditate, to find peace and strength, clear my mind, and focus my energy towards the daunting task ahead of me, educating thirty-one young minds. For years I’ve tried to better myself as a teacher, to change my craft to match those who inspired me, but I just continued the same practices with little change, producing the same mediocre results. The passion inside me didn’t match the outcome of my efforts and it wasn’t until I started my work with the High Tech High Graduate School of Education, that I realized my mis-education as a teacher. What I thought were “best practices” were in fact the same “eat-it-up” and “regurgitate” strategies that I hated as a child. I knew what I wanted for myself and my kids, but the resources around me just led me back to the same song and dance, a slow insipid waltz to nowhere. HTH has opened my eyes to a new form of our craft, and now more than ever, I am inspired to break down my walls, and bring experiences to my kids that truly connect them to the real world.
Catalyst for Change:
The revolution against how I was prepared to teach has changed everything I do. My practices have been revised, and I feel more and more like a first year teacher…a little confused, highly motivated, and ready to try everything that I am soaking up. I started to create an action plan for myself on how and when I am going to apply what I am learning. In my inquiry journal, I created a section titled, “A Systematic Approach to Revolutionize My Teaching”. Its purpose is to organize my thoughts, and create a sensible plan to implement new ideas. Without it I think would’ve drown in a sea of awesome ideas and innovative practices.
The catalyst that launched my transformation is a simple yet beautifully balanced practice called Project Based Learning (PBL). A neophyte to this type of teaching, I tried to wade through my confusion and misconceptions of what it was, and how it should be implemented. One of the beauties of the HTH Teacher Leadership Program, is the balance of HTH and non-HTH teachers. I am able to seek support from those who are constantly engaged within this world, and also from those who share my same “fierce wonderings”. As I learned more about the power of PBL, I came to a pivotal realization, that this practice is the key to match my passion for teaching with the practices I would like to engage in with my students.
Fumbling Practice:
My initial thought about PBL was that it was just like my past practices with projects, the result of a culminating activity. But after reading some literature by Ron Berger on crafting “Beautiful Work”, and engaging in a few meaningful conversations with my colleagues from HTH, I realized that PBL is much more than students creating. The real value lies in the process. Through open conversations with my students, three core values emerged from our first attempts with PBL: Multiple revisions equals Beautiful Work, Choice allows for multiple access points, and Interactive learning creates buy-in and motivation.
Our bitter nemesis wasn’t the lack of organization or resources, for us, it was time, trying to start and implement a project during a school day that has already been squeezed dry. The system in which my students and I are a part of, isn’t conducive to this type of learning. Our backs are against the wall, and in front of us is a looming barrier of textbooks, assessments, and a contrived curriculum that is irrelevant to my students lives. In order for us to engage in this practice, we need to re-prioritize our academic day. After a few creative rearrangements we were able to find the valuable real estate that we needed, and we set forth on our first adventure with PBL.
I started our project heavily structuring everything, from what my students were going to do, how they were going to do it, and even down to who was going to do what. That’s where I first fumbled, landing me flat on my face and back to ground zero. I became my own nemesis, learning that bad habits were hard to break. Luckily for me, shortly after my stumble, Ron Berger was scheduled to meet with our Advanced Project Based Learning course at HTH. Throughout the night, I felt like Ron was speaking directly to me, addressing my struggles, and the major learning that I came away with that night focused on his ideas around “Original Research”. I learned that posing a thought-provoking question to students could lead to a flurry of possible solutions, which in turn could lead to authentic inquiries born and developed by students.
Promising Progress:
The next day, I threw everything out the door, and started over in an attempt to move my students towards creating their own “Original Research”. I posed this question to my students: How can your group contribute to the conservation efforts of endangered species? The brainstorms started immediately, and my students jumped into an inquiry frenzy that took over our classroom. My reaction was to jump in and focus the chaotic shouting of idea after idea, but instead, I stepped back and watched the beauty unfold before me. PBL has brought forth a re-education of my teaching, a transformation of my classroom, of the way we, both teacher and students, learn together. I may not fully understand how and what are the best ways to go about implementing PBL, but learning along side my students has created an organic movement that is leading us to dive deeper into conversations, curriculum, and reflections.
