I found Barell's 10 steps for organizing lesson concepts and ideas extremely helpful for the purpose of teaching and planning, particularly with regard to collaborating with another teacher. Since designing and writing a unit for the main purpose of teaching using problem-based learning and models, in an effort to employ problem solving as the authentic strategy and method for teaching concepts to students, is relatively new, I thought the practical information Barell provided quite useful. These steps ensured that problems were provided, student would be guided through an inquiry process, and consistently engaged. The various steps were easily amended as needed, which isn't always the case with some lesson formats. While I understand the importance of teaching inquiry, I found using the examples provided by both Barell and Jonassen to be helpful with choosing appropriate essential questions and mindtools. Students were not being spoon fed information or simply looking for information on a topic and copying it. I found the step involving creating a web particularly helpful for narrowing down and pinpointing exactly what topics the unit would include. I used this for moving from step 2 to step 3. I would not change the introduction activities, which included creating a knowledge chart, reading Just a Dream and viewing an ecological DVD on natural resources. Nor would I amend the objectives, essential questions, long-term strategies, learning experiences, assessment, reflection, and transfer and application components of the unit. I liked the way this unit flowed and how the components were divided between two teachers. Students are more excited than usual because they are learning about a system from two teachers and making connections regularly. They are constantly sharing what they learned in each class. This helped to emphasize the importance of collaboration. The essential questions provided guidance for the task and mindtool activity, which we have yet to complete since we are still creating the survey. Hopefully the database will be completed by the end of next week. While this tool is quite simple to create it will provide quite useful information that should be easily understood so students can take the next step and use what they learn to acquire conceptual change. Because students will be building this model they will be constructing their own knowledge, one of the primary goals of PBL. They are looking forward to creating the database and their plan for making our school more “eco-friendly”. We’re calling it the greening of Reilly.
I would, however, provide additional practice with creating a database prior to this lesson because creating a survey, and gathering the information needed to create the database in addition to inputting all of the survey responses into it is quite a monumental task. One that had to be divided up into several lessons due to the fact that I was teaching this part of the unit and only see students once per week for 40 minutes, at which time they also circulate books. Especially when students have not engaged in this type of learning experience and we're completing this lesson bit by bit due to scheduling. I would like to see this class at least 3 times per week for 2 weeks in order to complete the lesson adequately. As it stands, we are in the 4th week of the lesson, but I have only worked with this group twice due to illness and ISAT testing. The classroom teacher has contributed to much of the introductory components of this mini unit. In the future I would plan it so that the unit has been completed prior to ISAT testing or begin it just after testing has ended, which might be better actually because then we can focus on it in April during national poetry month and Earth day. Furthermore, I would also spend more time on the Environmental Heroes book, or at least acquire another copy or two.
Ultimately, this mini-unit provided an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful learning in conjunction with the inquiry process because they are asking questions, analyzing, investigating, collaborating and sharing information about a problematic situation, which will lead to conceptual change and enduring understanding. A bonus just happens to be that they will also be making a difference in our school community. I personally think this unit scores high in the transfer category.
SOURCES:
- Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
Problem-Based Learning
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/pbl/info.html - Davidson County Schools
Project Based Learning
http://davidson.k12.nc.us/pbl/pbl.htm - Saskatchewan Schools
Best Practices
http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/bestpractice/index.html
BP map - http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/bestpractice/sitemap.html - New Horizons for Learning - Thinking Skills
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/thinking/front_thinking.htm - Central iSchool
http://www.centralischool.ca/ - Baltimore County Public Schools
Elementary School Research Models
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/elem.html - P16 Science Education - Akron Global Polymer Academy (AGPA)
Best Teaching Practices
http://agpa.uakron.edu/p16/best-teaching-practices.php
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