Nunaka Librarian

The number one challenge I face integrating global PBL is the age of the students I work with. I am an elementary librarian who services students in grades K-5, all of the students are under the age of thirteen. Many of the web 2.0 tools limit access due to age. Many also limit my students access because they require an e-mail address. Currently our school district does not allow elementary students to access web-based e-mail accounts from within the District network. I hope to get this policy changed by showing a need to access web 2.0 tools for PBL.  The other factor that limits use is the need of parent permission slips for special projects. I do think this is important and a positive PR move but it takes time to get the slips back.

Time, the other challenge in providing global PBL in the classroom. Being an elementary teacher may have an advantage in this area because the students are in the same class all year. Middle and high school students change classes every 8 to 12 weeks. Though elementary students are in the same class all year the teachers are bound by state and national testing and curriculum restrictions. Many just do not feel they have the time to teach outside the box. 

Time is also an issue across the states and countries. Collaborating across the time lines requires a great deal of organization and flexibility to access and share at the same time. Being creative with the restrictions of global time is a real challenge.

Going global also requires a commitment of all parties involved. There is a huge risk of setting up a great project and then having one or more partners drop the ball.  Finding educators you can trust, who are organized, who are flexible and committed to the global PBL process are essential qualities needed for the success of any PBL project.

Though there are many challenges integrating global PBL I believe they are all worth it. Global PBL do not just make learning relevant, they also make teaching relevant as well.

Project-based instruction builds on student’s individual strengths, and allows them to explore their interests in the framework of a defined curriculum.

Below are links to three exemplars of project-based learning. Each with a different topic, different grade level and from a different location, but all with common design principals. All three have a driving question that sets the tone and direction for the entire PBL project. The roll of the teacher in each example changed from front and center to more of a project manager and a guide. Teachers became learners along with their students during the PBL process.

“More Fun Than a Barrel of …Worms?!” – Diane Curtis, Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barel-worms

“Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning” – Sara Armstrong, Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/geomerty-real-world-students-architects

“March of the Monarchs: Students Follow the Butterflies’ Migration” –Diane Curtis, Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

Benefits of project-based instruction that was consistent in the three exemplars include:

• Preparing students for the workplace.
• Increasing motivation.
• Connecting learning at school with reality.
• Providing collaborative opportunities to construct knowledge.
• Increasing social and communication skills. Important when working with a team.
• Increasing problem-solving skills
• Enabling students to make and see connections between disciplines
• Providing opportunities to contribute to their school or community
• Increasing self-esteem.
• Allowing students to use their individual learning strengths and diverse approaches to learning
• Providing a practical, real-world way to learn to use technology

In all three exemplars students were involved in the planning of the project. Sharing ideas about topics, giving students a voice in how and what they learn. When students are given a sense of ownership and control, they buy in. More projects are turned in and there is less trouble with discipline.  Students were given the freedom to choose different strategies and approaches for completion of the task. All three examples were student-centered environments where they can see the connection between the project and the real world. Students became self-managers. Students worked in small groups, holding each other responsible for the work and the completion of the project.

Using PBL in the classroom forces students to use their minds and to “do” the work. Students produce better individual comprehension solving problems when working with other students. Why? They learn from each other by asking questions and listening – essential behaviors for learning. When students work in groups it requires them to build broader skills than it takes to listen or watch the teacher present information. Plus, it allows students to manage each other – which they do effectively when given the opportunity.

The best part of PBL is that it prepares students as lifelong learners because they’re expanding their social and academic abilities.