Seminar Question (Week 11)

Weekly Topic: Project Based Learning (PBL) and Internet Communications

Focus Question: à

Why should teachers use Project Based Learning (PBL) in the Classroom ?

As teachers our aim to nurture students who become life-long learners. One way to achieve it would be to use PBL approach. This approach is actually a model for classroom activity that shifts away from the classroom practices of short, isolated, teacher-centered lessons and instead emphasizes learning activities that are long-term, interdisciplinary, student-centered, and integrated with real world issues and practices.

· Content à Allows teacher and student to focus in depth on central ideas and

salient issues.

• Conditions (environment) à prompts students to collaborate while at the same

time support self-directed learning.

• Activities à Encourages students to actively search for answers and slove

problems.

• Results à helps students to develop skills for productive work and integrate then

into life-long learners.

Sub-questions: à

1. As Teachers what are the main changes faced as compared to traditional styles?

· More coaching and modeling (less telling)

· More finding out along with the students (less being the expert)

· More teamwork (less privacy and isolation)

· More performance-based assessment (less knowledge-based assessment)

· Integrates real world issues and practices.

v Curriculum: comprehension of concepts and principles instead of knowledge of facts

v Scope and sequence: follows student interest instead of fixed curriculum

v Teaching role: Finds and learns along with the students instead of being an expert.

v Focus of assessment: demonstrates of understanding instead of reproduction of information

v Materials of instructions: data and materials developed by students instead of teacher-developed exercises and worksheets and activities.

v Use of technology: directed by students instead of administered by teachers

v Classroom context: students construct, contribute and synthesize information instead of students receiving information.

v Student role: carries out self-directed learning activities instead of carrying out given instructions.

v Short-term goals: understands and applies complex ideas and processes instead of just having the knowledge of facts, terms and content.

v Long-range goals: produces students who have the disposition and skills instead of students who have the knowledge to perform successfully on standard achievement tests.

2. What are some of the problems a teacher might face while integrating PBL methods in the following areas :

_Time_:_Investigations and discussions often take longer than anticipated.

In-depth exploration of ideas take longer than more familiar broad and

superficial surveys and concepts.

Curriculum Guidelines:_Teachers need to select driving questions carefully so that

the students learn the content stipulated in curriculum

framework.

_Classroom Management:_Students need the freedom to talk together about their

investigations, but the teacher must maintain order so that

students can work productively.

_Control:_Teachers often feel a need to direct lessons to insure that students get the

right information.

_Support of student learning: _Teachers frequently give students too much

independence without adequately modeling thinking,

structuring the situation or providing feedback.

Technology : Teachers who have not used technology as a cognitive tool have

difficulty incorporating technology into the classroom.

_Assessment: Teachers have difficulty designing assessments that tap students

understanding. The artifacts (product) they ask students to produce do

not always require students to synthesize information or generate new

conceptual representations. And evaluating then can be difficult.