problem&(project-based (learning(( for(high(ability(learners( · pbl, with its emphasis on both...

Problem & Project-‐based Learning for High Ability Learners

Alicia Cotabish, Ed.D. University of Central Arkansas [email protected]

Practices

Student Portraits

Science & Engineering Practices

Relationship & Convergences: NGSS, CCSS Math, CCSS ELA, and NAGC PreK-‐12 Gifted Programming Standards

PBL, with its emphasis on both significant content and 21st century competencies, addresses these new standards in several important ways. David Ross, director of professional development for Buck Institute for Education, offers this analysis about the alignment of PBL and the CCSS/NGSS:

Everyone knows that content is king and Common Core wears the crown. Significant content is one of our eight Essential Elements of PBL. Make an easy connection: Significant Content = Common Core. Now let’s use a shorter word. When designing a rigorous, relevant, and engaging project, Common Core is the “what.” But what about the “how?” In our minds the answer is obvious: PBL is the solution for Common Core implementation. PBL is the “how.”

Problem-Based Learning

�  Inquiry-based � Learner centered � Real world problem � Teacher as tutor or coach � Emphasis on collaborative teams � Alternative assessments

Problem-Based Learning Roles

Role of Teacher As coach: –Presents problematic situation –Models, coaches, and fades –Engages in process as co-investigator –Assesses learning

Role of Student As participant: –Actively grapples with the complexity of the situation –Investigates and resolves problem from the inside

Students are presented with a

messy, ill-structured problem

Well-Structured Problem vs. Ill-Structured Problem

You have two dozen oranges in your store. Mary comes in and buys six. Charles thinks about buying six but then changes his mind and gets a dozen. If Teresa buys four oranges and Ryan buys two, is Brenda justified when she complains to you about not being able to find any oranges in the produce department.

You are the owner of the local food co-op. Your favorite customers have all come in complaining about the insufficient supply of oranges. What should you do?

Gallagher, S. A. (2001)

How Does an Ill-Structured Problem Differ from a Well-Structured Problem?

�  Ill-structured problems are generative �  No single formula exists for solving an ill-structured problem �  The problem may change as new information is found. �  Students are never 100% sure they made the right decision.

Gallagher, S. (2001)

Contd. After Students are Introduced to the Problem Questions they consider may include: –Are you sure of the facts? –What else do we need to know? –Where can we find the information that we need? –When can we get this information? –How will we get this information? –How can we evaluate and justify this information? Ed.fnal.govtrc_new/tutorial/pbl.html

6 STEPS for Problem-based Learning 1. Meet the Problem 2.  Identify the “What’s” 3.  Gather information 4.  Possible Solutions 5.  Determine Best Fit Solution 6.  Present the Solution *May require additional action to implement

Identify the What’s Once students have defined the problem, they can begin to break it down.

Need-‐to-‐Know-‐Chart What Do We Know? What Do We Need to

Know? How Can We Find Out?

Gather and Share Information

�  Students typically work in collaborative groups of 3-4 �  Student groups can assign research tasks to individual

group members. Each student needs a specific role. �  Students and class as a whole continually revisit the

problem

www2.waterforduhs.k12.wi.us/staffweb/.../pbl%20presentation.ppt

Generate Solutions

Learners recommend solutions based on the information they have gathered and justify their solutions with evidence.


Determine Best Fit Solution

Is it affordable?

Will it help my problem?

Is it save for the environment?

Solution1 don’t buy them

yes No Yes 2

Solution 2 Put in only certain baths.

Yes Yes no 2

Solution 3 Lysol spray

Yes Yes ? no 2

Solution 4 PSA

Yes Yes Yes 3

Present the Solution

Last but not Least… Debriefing the Problem

Reflection is an essential part of the learning process. Consider the following questions as a way of providing closure: –Were the strategies you used to solve the problem effective? What would you do differently? –What is the foundational or “big” issue at stake? –What did you learn academically? –What can you do now that you didn’t think you could do before?


Step 1: Meet the Problem Students meet the problem, “the mess”

Extreme erosion on the banks of a creek. Mountain Park Elementary, Searcy Georgia

Katy Searcy, TAG Teacher

Step 2: Identify the “Whats”

Step 3: Gather Information City Environmental Division Environmental Specialist Erosion

Step 4: Possible Solutions �  Post “Danger” signs at the creek �  Plant trees and shrubs to help stop erosion

� Do nothing; you can’t stop erosion. It’s a natural process.

� Ask the city to provide canvas shelters from one tree to another, above the eroding banks.

Step 5: Determine Best Fit Solution

Step 6: Present the Solution Plant trees and shrubs

What trees and shrubs are native?

What is the cost?

How will we raise the money?

Resources

� http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1098783 � Password: pbl

Project-‐based Learning

Project-based Learning Alignment Many of the draft Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) align with practices common to 21st century Project Based Learning. For example, look at what students are supposed to learn how to do in the “Science and Engineering Practices” section: 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining

problems (for engineering) 2. Developing and using models 3. Planning and carrying out investigations 4. Analyzing and interpreting data 5. Using mathematics and computational

thinking 6. Constructing explanations (for science) and

designing solutions (for engineering) 7. Engaging in argument from evidence 8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating

information

Essential Elements Essential Elements of Project-based Learning include: �  Significant Content - At its core, the project is focused on teaching students important knowledge and skills, derived from

standards and key concepts at the heart of academic subjects. �  21st century competencies - Students build competencies valuable for today’s world, such as critical thinking/problem

solving, collaboration, and communication, and creativity/ innovation, which are taught and assessed. �  In-Depth Inquiry - Students are engaged in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, using resources, and developing

answers. �  Driving Question - Project work is focused by an open-ended question that students understand and find intriguing, which

captures their task or frames their exploration. �  Need to Know - Students see the need to gain knowledge, understand concepts, and apply skills in order to answer the Driving

Question and create project products, beginning with an Entry Event that generates interest and curiosity. �  Voice and Choice - Students are allowed to make some choices about the products to be created, how they work, and how they

use their time, guided by the teacher and depending on age level and PBL experience. �  Revision and Reflection - The project includes processes for students to use feedback to consider additions and changes that

lead to high-quality products, and think about what and how they are learning. �  Public Audience - Students present their work to other people, beyond their classmates and teacher. Buck Institute for Education (n.d.) (http://bie.org/about/what_pbl),

The Two PBLs

Map the Project Resources:

School

Technology

Materials

Community

Knowledge and Skills

Already Have Need

Teach before the project

Teach during the project

Common Bridge Design Challenge �  Typical: Students are asked to design an effective bridge with

toothpicks, or digitally using software. �  To make it a Project-based Learning experience, teachers would want

to: 1.  map out learning goals, 2.  consider how students will demonstrate what they have learned, 3.  craft a driving question, 4.  consider assessment strategies, 5.  and plan for a culminating event. Good entry events (scenarios) set the stage for the learning experience.

Entry events should be novel and/or memorable, and spark students’ interest.

Entry Event Example City officials want to extend a bike trail across the river utilizing a bridge design. A two-lane bridge exists but a bike path is not part of the current design. Students are to design a bridge or redesign the existing bridge in order to accommodate a bike trail, and present their design to city officials and/or engineers.

To increase student interest, consider: �  video clips from website such as YouTube �  provide a simulation activity from an interactive science website �  conduct a live or virtual field trip �  invite a guest speaker or expert to introduce the entry event �  include a primary or secondary source document �  showcase music or artwork to support the entry event

Driving Question �  Combined with driving (essential) question, the entry event spurs the "need

to know." A Driving Question for the current example could be:

What makes a bridge strong? How do you design a sturdy bridge?

Example Contd. �  Components will enable students to answer their questions through research, community

outreach, and internal and external resources (e.g., consulting with architects, bridge experts, engineers, city officials).

�  Final product or performance will demonstrate what they have learned through the process

(e.g., students could make recommendations for retrofitting a local bridge to accommodate the bike trail and present this information to city officials and engineers).

�  Differentiation can occur (content, process, product, complexity)

Complexity example: Ask advanced learners to apply systems thinking as they attempt to reverse engineer a

retrofitted bridge.

To elaborate on mathematical practices, advanced learners could use theorems about congruent triangles to design a safe, sturdy bridge.

As part of a class activity on categorizing, Olivia Reid’s Grade 4 students brainstormed lists of different toys and then grouped them into categories. During the process, students made comments like “Oh, I had one of those when I was four,” or “In daycare, I always rode on the red truck.” Responding to the children’s comments, Olivia asked her students to think about their favorite toy at each age. With their parents’ help, each child listed a special toy they had at each age and wrote about why it had been their favorite. They used this information to create a personal Toy Timeline.

The class then compiled their lists and developed class graphs for each age, with toys represented in categories. They discussed the results, considering the various stages of early childhood development and how different toys might interest a child at different stages. For example, they concluded that the favorite toy category at age two was stuffed toys because “Two-‐year-‐olds like to squeeze and chew and sleep with them. It makes them feel better to hug something.” The compiled class data went into a class Toy Book.

With the students’ interest in toys piqued, they went on to research the toys their parents had loved. They began to research the history of toys, using the library and online resources. They checked out the local historical museums. They collected photos and examples, set up a class display, wrote about the toys, and even played with them.

Students discovered that many toys—like the yo-‐yo, which started out as a weapon—have long and interesting histories. Throughout the unit, a favorite activity was making some of the toys. One student discovered that a popular young child’s toy, the Weeble® (a small roly-‐poly doll with no appendages that can be pushed over and rocks back up) was actually a modern version of an ancient Japanese Daruma doll, which in turn represented the story of a holy man who meditated so long his legs shriveled up.

They discovered that traditional Daruma dolls were made by hand and that, as Japanese girls and boys would paint their own dolls, they would paint one eye, make a wish, then paint the other when the wish came true. In addition to making their own Daruma dolls, some students became interested in learning more about Buddhism, and others researched the toy company that had used the idea of the Daruma to develop and sell Weebles®.

In researching the company that made Weebles®, they discovered many familiar toys made by the same company. Students started making lists of toys and the companies that made them. A group of students were interested in toy ads on television—especially those shown during Saturday-‐morning cartoons or after-‐school kids’ specials.

They developed a Saturday-‐morning toy ad survey: they asked their classmates to watch TV on a Saturday morning and list what toy ads were shown, what toy companies sponsored the ads, the number of times an ad was shown, and a brief description of the ad. The following Monday, the teacher and students had a discussion about the ads, their frequency, and the messages they were giving to the children.

At the same time, one student discovered newspaper articles about a workers’ strike at a national toy company—one in support of

the toy company and one outlining the workers’ perspective. Several students investigated the company in more depth, discovering that it was a parent company for five large, seemingly independent toy companies. Looking back at their Saturday-‐morning toy ad data, they realized that all the ads, while appearing to be representing different companies, were controlled by the same parent company. Further, they discovered that the workers—mostly immigrants making minimum wage with no benefits—were striking for safer and healthier working conditions. They also found out that the company had been cited in the past with numerous health and safety violations. During the daily meeting time, a number of students expressed their growing sense of upset with the behavior of the toy company. They wanted to be able to express their opinions and feelings.

As a whole-‐class group, the teacher and students talked about different ways that people (citizens) can express their concerns and feelings. They decided to write letters of complaint to the company and letters of support for the workers, and to develop a videotaped news report about the toy industry for the school video system. In addition to information and analysis from the toy ad surveys and some interesting toy histories, the report would include a section on the labor dispute, the issues of the workers, and the profit margins of the company. The teacher and students explored ways to express a concern both in writing and in speaking, and the effects that different ways of wording a concern can have on the audience.

Another group of students started comparing toys—their quality, durability, and price—as well as examining the kinds of problems they personally had encountered with certain toys. They made comparisons, decided which toys were the best value, and presented their information to the whole group. These findings were also included in the Toy Report for the newscast. Still others wrote up their complaints and concerns about specific toys, made suggestions for improvements, and sent the letters to the toy manufacturers, often receiving responses from the companies.

Since the central topic of this unit—toys—is not a part of any specific curriculum guide, it was important that parents and school administrators could see how the work was addressing the learning outcomes. Uninformed visitors to the class would see many students making and playing with toys as well as engaged in writing, reading, talking, and even arguing with each other. Therefore, the teacher was careful to articulate clearly the learning expectations for the students.

Aspects of the Toy project can be seen to address most of the NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts (see page 21), but the standard that the project most exemplified was

Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-‐print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

The topic, although not prescribed by any curriculum guide for a Grade 4 class, allowed the students to become passionately involved in all aspects of this standard.

In this project, students were involved in researching topics of personal interest. They used many sources of information, including their own experiences. Students were excited to uncover unexpected connections between toys and history, the world of television, business, psychology, and other fields of adult endeavors. In addition, students, in discussions with the teacher, became more aware of how different people use language for different purposes.

Other Possible Topics for Students �  Here are a few questions that can help jump-‐start brainstorming:

�  How can we limit food waste in the school cafeteria? �  How might we better control the area deer population? �  How could we improve access to healthy food in our community?

�  How could we track and protect local plant or animal species? �  How could we improve school attendance? �  How might we limit cold and flu transmission among students? �  Is there a better way to manage school traffic during pick-‐up and drop-‐off times?

Think-Pair-Share

Project-based Learning Assessments

Group Product

Individual Work

Multimedia Presentation

Classroom Discussions Collaboration Research

Written work Graphic Organizers

Oral presentation

Questions?

Thank You! Alicia Cotabish [email protected]

Additional Resources: https://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1234227 Password: GT Resources

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