Project Based Learning PBL

Yesterday I attended #edcampsv (http://www.edcampsv.org/) at Palo Alto High School. There was an incredible energy in the library the moment I walked in.  Participants were anxious to get to their discussion sessions and with lots of interesting options I decided to attend the PBL discussion in room 204.  I'd guess there were about 20 people or so in the room to start.  I decided to attend this session because I've tried PBL like projects in my classroom in the past and have been astounded by the increased student engagement over traditional lesson delivery.  As much as I would have liked to have had the whole day follow a more PBL like format, it didn't seem possible with such a huge emphasis on test prep and improved test scores mainly due to NCLB.  Specific curriculum was required to be taught and presented with the supporting materials that accompanied it.  Even though there is still debate over how effectively the new common core standards can be implemented it seems like a PBL structure would naturally support standards emphasizing cultivating 21st century learners.  All of the teachers in the room who use PBL were passionate about the process and those who spoke eluded to the notion that there are some challenges to facilitating a PBL classroom, but the effort involved is worth the outcomes.  One of the main pluses I heard repeated many times was the lack of discipline problems in the classroom.  When students are engaged in an inquiry process that they have a voice in designing they are motivated to collaborate and work with a team to experience and celebrate success.  Two other ideals key to effective PBL implementation mentioned were reflection (often via blog) and motivation.  The book Drive by Daniel Pink was mentioned a few times and I ordered a copy http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805.  It was awesome to spend a Saturday with teachers passionate about improving teaching and learning practices.  I'm looking forward to attending another event soon and I'm inspired to apply some of the ideas I heard to my teaching day.

Smarter Balanced and insufficient infrastructure...

At this week's staff meeting we looked at the Smarter Balanced training tests and scheduling for the field tests 3rd through 5th graders will be taking at our site this spring.  Some teachers who had not spent much time looking at the new assessments were surprised at the rigor of tasks students will be expected to complete.  Especially the lengthy compositions requiring students to construct two to three paragraphs or more.  The shift from multiple choice scantron testing to computer based testing requiring students to navigate multiple types of questions and tasks is going to be interesting for sure...if students are actually able to access the tests.  During our hour long staff meeting, using the Smarter Balanced secure browser, not all of the teachers in attendance could get logged in at the same time.  There were only about 10 teachers present.  I'm not sure if it was a bandwidth issue or what, but if 10 teachers can't have access at the same time, what's going to happen when 60 students are trying to access the system at the same time!?

Accelerated Innovation

Yesterday was a great day for thinking about the future and realizing the possibilities of applying educational technology beyond school.  In the morning I attended a great meeting at the San Mateo County Office of education (http://izones.org/#) which consisted of teachers, administrators, stakeholders, and other individuals and organizations that want to see an accelerated integration of technology in school and beyond.  Technology that students will inevitably need not only to be comfortable using, but to be competitive and successful problem solvers in the future.  A group of students from The Bayside STEM Academy (http://stem.schoolloop.com/) did an incredible job showcasing what engaged and energized students are capable of accomplishing.  They wanted to talk, they wanted to share, they were comfortable presenting in front of adults and they were proud of their accomplishments.  They had already used design thinking (http://dschool.stanford.edu/) to tackle problems and develop solutions for their projects and they were excited to discuss upcoming projects they'd be working on.  The premise of the meeting was not only to showcase the incredible things students are accomplishing, but to help create a network of educators, administrators, and anyone else with a vested interest in students succeeding in a growing technological world.  Ideally through this network those involved would give and get ideas and help support efforts accelerate innovation in our schools and beyond.

Back at school I met with my afternoon classes and my head was spinning thinking of more and better ways we could be using technology at our school site.  One small step I am taking is creating a TED-Ed club consisting of 5th graders that will meet  one day a week after school.  http://ed.ted.com/clubs 

In the evening we hosted a parent technology information meeting.  I work at a Title I school and overall the demographic is low income. There was a promising turnout of about twenty parents and they were very appreciative to find out what technology their children are using at school.  They were also receptive to hearing about programs students could be using at home too.   It was informative for me to see the lack of internet connectivity some students have at home.  We were able to help some parents who didn't have email accounts set up free ones.  Over all I thought the meeting went very well and we are going to host two to three more meetings before the end of the year.  Having parents involved and invested with what's happening at school will also help bring accelerated innovation beyond the classroom.

Not a bad short week!  Now looking forward to enjoying the long President's weekend!

Thoughts on tools for implementing CCSS

"Best practices" is an educational buzz phrase I've heard tossed around  for many years. It makes sense. Take what's working, concentrate your efforts there, and enjoy seeing students grow and flourish.  But it seems like next best curriculum materials are initially clamored over, with professional development days tossed together highlighting potential sure fire results and then as quickly as these fixes emerge they sink back into abysm as another curriculum contender surfaces and the cycle repeats.

During the sixteen years I've been teaching, no doubt, there has been some strong curriculum adopted. Unfortunately such curriculum loses support when a trendy new fix emerges.  With all  the hype and controversy surrounding the new common core state standards, I think techniques and tools are going to be the ticket to disseminating growing and dynamic content with students.  It seems like teachers and students will be able to wade through vast arrays of information together while collaborating and concluding together what is most important and needs to be delved into further for deeper understanding.

The idea of students driven to guide their own learning is utopian for sure.  Striking a balance between developing foundational skills that need to be explicitly taught while helping students figure out which way to adjust the rudder, pointing themselves on course for their future, seems like it may be the challenge of really getting the CCSS widely accepted, off the ground and running. 

With solid tools and techniques in place for sharing content and curriculum adapting to the new CCSS may seem less daunting.  As I've been working with a 5th grade student I've seen the value of using an  app like frolyc.com to quickly create lessons that are both personalized and high interest along side lessons that are necessary for building foundational skills. 

My high school English teacher, Mr. Rex, would put a different quote on the blackboard everyday to discuss (yes...I said blackboard...the kind with chalk, not blackboard.com) and this is one that always stuck with me:  “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” 

― Pablo Picasso

It speaks to the need for a foundation and what you can build on it once it's there.