After reading this publication, I feel like I have an even better understanding of the purpose of project based learning. Of course, this may sound crazy because we have talked about, viewed, and have submerged ourselves in project based learning. However, after reading the detailed explanations about meaning and purpose of PBL, the reason behind the process seems so much more simple.
In my opinion, the most important essential of the seven was the Student's Voice and Choice. I can distinctly remember my own experiences in school with projects, and my favorite projects were always the ones that gave me the most opportunity to showcase my personality and individuality. Sometimes, all it takes is something simple like PBL to show the students that they are just as important as the topic they are studying.
Project Based Learning For Teachers
This video was a very quick and simple way of breaking down project based learning. It was very short and to the point, so it makes it easy for those teachers that may or may not understand PBL to get a fast overview. In the video, it covered the standards of PBL and discussed important topics such as the driving question, common core standards, and the overall purpose of PBL.
According to the video, while meeting standards and creating an authentic product, students should learn collaboration skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, career & life skills, and so much more. I enjoyed this video very much, and it was my favorite resource for this week.
Project Based Learning in PE
I found the idea of a project creating a fitness plan for students to be very effective. Although there is not a huge age difference between high school students and middle school students, the maturity levels are quite different. When creating the plan, I am sure this project would allow students to reflect on their own middle school years and create a plan that is healthy and effective since they were not too long in the middle school students shoes. I found this article to be very interesting because it also gives students the opportunity to Skype with professionals.
What Motivates Students?
In this video, students discuss what motivates them in school and what drives them towards success. One of the main points that I found from the video was the idea of compliments. In our EDM310 class, one of the parts of our peer editing is compliments. Compliments can play a large part in boosting the moral of students and encouraging learning. When I become a teacher, I plan to be very motivational and encouraging because I can remember those educators in my own past as a student who did not TRULY motivate me, and I feel like that played a huge part in how much I gained from their class that year.
