Building Our PBL Muscles

While I was employed in the Professional Development Center in Austin ISD, I had the privilege of working with the professionals at the Institute for Learning (IFL).  They are consultants in the areas of best practices and learning research.  They describe themselves in the following way:  "Located at the Learning Research and Development Center of the University of Pittsburgh, the IFL works closely with both researchers and educators to translate research findings into practical actions that teachers, administrators, schools, and districts can implement to help close the learning gap and promote high student achievement."  One of the IFL's most important contributions to teaching/learning, in my opinion, is their clearly articulated Principles of Learning.  Of their nine principles, the most difficult one for teachers to embrace, thus far, is the principle of "Learning As Apprenticeship."  In a nutshell, this principle holds valuable the practice of organizing learning environments so that students operate much like the apprentice would while learning a skill/profession.  The emphasis, obviously, is on hands-on instruction.  If you would like to read more about the nine Principles of Learning, you can start here:  http://ifl.lrdc.pitt.edu/ifl/index.php/resources/principles_of_learning

In my current professional reading, I have come across a good number of articles highlighting the importance of project-based learning and problem-based learning as the standard best practices in classroom instruction.  At first glance, the two strategies seem basically the same.  In actually, their differences are subtle, but important.  A research article published online by the All Ireland Society for Higher Education (AISHE) in affiliation with the International Consortium for Educational Development, defined them best (at least for me).  Project-based learning is focused on a long-term group activity that results in a product, presentation or performance.  End products tend to be elaborate and require a great deal of planning.  Problem-based learning is "both a curriculum and a process" whereby problems are carefully designed by the teacher and solved by the learner.  While solving the problem, necessary skills and knowledge are built as a natural part of the process.  The end product is not nearly as important as the process that the students use to solve the problem.  Both are learner-centered approaches that require the teacher to take the role of facilitator or coach, rather than sage.  Both rely heavily on assessments for and as learning.  Furthermore, both are touted with developing more active and motivated students who assume more responsibility for their own learning that those in traditional classrooms.  This article also goes on to define the important features of the design stage of the lessons:
1.  Clear guidance about how to begin the project
2.  Detailed/written project specifications & project guide
3.  Careful piloting/testing of the projects to establish reasonable expectations of time
4.  Collection of sample projects as exemplars for students

To read the full article, go to:  http://www.aishe.org/readings/2005-1/donnelly-fitzmaurice-Collaborative-Project-based-Learning.html

I'm guessing that by now, you see why I feel that the IFL's work with "Learning As Apprenticeship" is ringing true to me even in my development as a student of learning today.  With PBL, students learn to think like scientists, mathematicians, writers, historians, etc.

Peter Skillen, respected Canadian educator and consultant, published an article in the July edition of Mindshift, attempting to demystify the characteristics of PBL.  I found this graphic quite helpful.

He also asks some really poignant questions related to each area on the continua that teachers can use as their classroom practice begins to evolve in this direction:
Trust:  Who is in control and who's passion is being ignited and honoured with this project/problem?  Who is responsible for setting the goals? (The obvious answer is 'the students.')
Questioning:  Who is asking the questions?  (Students)
Collaboration:  How much interdependence do the students have with one another?
Content:  Are there natural links to other domains that provide context?
Knowledge:  Are the students constructing their own new meanings and understandings or are the regurgitating what they have found in their research?
Purpose:  How authentic is the project or problem?  Are students being scientists, historians, writers, etc. or are they merely "studying" science, math, history, etc?

That last question is the one that I hope you will keep with you as you finish reading this article.  It certainly is the one I will keep with me as I observe, evaluate and learn from Ashbury classrooms and teachers.

If anything here has piqued your interest and you would like to learn more about this together, I would be happy to create a Professional Learning Group with this as its focus.  Please let me know.