To Choose or Not to Choose: Creativity vs. State Standards
Often when we think of state standards, we envision teachers pouring endlessly over a curriculum, attempting to transfer the knowledge required by the state to the students in a timely manner while also trying to do so in a way that will make students interested in the content. Every teacher asks the same question: How is it possible to teach the common core standards while also keeping the needs of the students in mind? One possible answer is of course, project-based learning.
Previous learning styles were more focused towards fufilling the basics of the standards predetermined and created by the state. Standardized tests and the like are still used to assess how much information students retained that can be aligned with the core standards. While teaching the basics of common core may have been an effective method 50 years ago, because of the ever-changing society, students must leave school with more skills and tools in their minds in order to even being to enter, and even change, the society in which we live.
Using PBL as a way to teach single subjects to fulfill common core standards at first may seem counterproductive. Isn't the entire idea of PBL to invirogate the minds of the students, and to help them think critically? So why then, would we use something as detailed and productive as PBL to assess and evaluate performance in only one subject?
Besides being time-consuming, teachers will not be helping students gain these 21st century skills for global competency if they conduct a PBL lesson for each subject and for each common core standard required for a grade. Which of course, is why PBL is most effective when several common core standards are addressed and evaluated throughout the journey of a project in PBL.
Using PBL as a way to teach single subjects to fulfill common core standards at first may seem counterproductive. Isn't the entire idea of PBL to invirogate the minds of the students, and to help them think critically? So why then, would we use something as detailed and productive as PBL to assess and evaluate performance in only one subject?
Besides being time-consuming, teachers will not be helping students gain these 21st century skills for global competency if they conduct a PBL lesson for each subject and for each common core standard required for a grade. Which of course, is why PBL is most effective when several common core standards are addressed and evaluated throughout the journey of a project in PBL.
Bridging the gap betwen Common Core and PBL is not as daunting of a task as it appears. While it may require a bit of brainstorming to make connections between seemingly unrelated subjects (social studies and physics, anyone?), a good place to start is by studying your state's curriculum. Here is the one for the state of Maryland:
Below is a 4th grade standard for history:
Any lesson created that teaches the standard to a satisfactory level will not allow choice or creativity...and most importantly will not be geared towards several subjects. Below is a PBL lesson that one might use to satisfy the standard:
Although the project above requires revisions (it must be edited to achieve global competency), it can still be utilized and expanded upon to include multiple standards. It does though, make use of the standards for 4th grade Speaking skills (the trial) and Reading skills (comprehending a letter written by the chosen American spy). But to create a more well-rounded project, more standards can be fulfilled.
In order to satisfy the standard for 4th grade Visual Arts, students can analyze a painting from the Revolutionary Era which depicts their chosen spy, or create their own collage to express and exhibit the life of the spy. For the Math standard, students can research the midnight ride of Paul Revere during the Revolutionary War and calculate the distance of his ride and how long it took him to reach each of his stops, given the map of his route and his speed on horseback.
In order to satisfy the standard for 4th grade Visual Arts, students can analyze a painting from the Revolutionary Era which depicts their chosen spy, or create their own collage to express and exhibit the life of the spy. For the Math standard, students can research the midnight ride of Paul Revere during the Revolutionary War and calculate the distance of his ride and how long it took him to reach each of his stops, given the map of his route and his speed on horseback.
Approaching common core and PBL should not be intimidating. There are endless possibilities when it comes to what standards and activities can be used within a project. The key is finding the correct balance and making sure to tie it in to the intial driving questions and objectives trying to be reached. Once this is achieved however, students will have gained valuable skills on global awareness and will have learned the information mandated by state in an exciting manner, and at their own pace.
How to Add Global Competency
Adding more instances of common core to a lesson is often not enough to create an effective PBL. Making sure to add a level of global awareness and global competency will help with the legitimacy of the lesson as well as the information the students draw from their experiences. Below is a link which addresses the need for global competency, but for 9th through 12th grade. The ideas presented though, can be adapted for younger grades as needed, but the basis concept is still the same.
Using the "American Spies" example provided above, adding global competency to this project may include collaborative groups. An activity may include trying to find out the perspectives of others, such as the perspectives of the chosen spy. What may have made an American choose to become a spy for the British enemy? How did other Americans specifically view this person, and how was this view different from the British's view? Global Competency must allow students to explore other possibilities outside their realm of school, and even national borders. Perhaps researching from the British's perpsective on the war may give more insight to it. There are many opportunities that a teacher may capitalize on when it comes to global awareness, but the key is understanding when to take the chance to do so.
An Effective PBL with Common Core
Finding projects that are already aligned with several aspects of common core is possible through searching the internet. I came across this great project which, even though it leaves a lot of room for a teacher's input, includes several common core standards in the project description, such as geography (through map-making and tracking), environmental science (weather and climate changes), and biological science (life cycles, and ecology).
At first glance, one would not expect to find a lesson about monarch butterflies that incorporates several aspects such as the ones I discussed above. That is often a hidden secret about PBL lessons...the best ones in my opinion, incorporate standards without being consciously aware of doing so. Even the littlest activities or assignments that make use of other core knowledges have a great impact on the child's ability to understand more abstract topics that would not otherwise be connected to a simple lesson about monarch butterflies.
Below is a video of the project being done in class, as well as a link to the Journey North website, which hosts the information for the project to be completed.
At first glance, one would not expect to find a lesson about monarch butterflies that incorporates several aspects such as the ones I discussed above. That is often a hidden secret about PBL lessons...the best ones in my opinion, incorporate standards without being consciously aware of doing so. Even the littlest activities or assignments that make use of other core knowledges have a great impact on the child's ability to understand more abstract topics that would not otherwise be connected to a simple lesson about monarch butterflies.
Below is a video of the project being done in class, as well as a link to the Journey North website, which hosts the information for the project to be completed.
Getting started: PBL on the Web
Finding resources on the internet is an easy task because there are simply so many valuable articles, pictures, and videos that exist on project-based learning! Through my PLN research, I have become very familiar with several fantastic and helpful websites that provide templates and criteria for PBL, examples of how it fits in with common core, and websites hosting numerous actual PBL lessons. Below are some of the most informational ones I found.
Criteria/TemplatesHaving the correct criteria to create and assess a PBL lesson is imperative for teachers to have because students must be able to understand what the assignment entails and how the teacher has set it up so their evaluation can be accurately represented through their final product. Templates are a way for the criteria to be put in a more organized and easy-to-use format, because it allows for the teacher to have a loose set of guidelines with which to create his or her own PBL, or revise others for specific classroom use.
I see myself referring back to these criteria because not only can they properly assess the quality of a PBL, but provide me with examples of what an effective PBL should look like. As a new teacher, I anticipate PBL templates will help me greatly with this task, especially when it comes to assuring myself that I have created a PBL which promotes global competency |
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Common Core and PBLThe biggest advantage of using the internet to find information about aligning common core with PBL is that so many educators are discussing this topic. There is always information available for those teachers who wish to find more connections between the two, or even just those who are interested in how other schools around the nation are working through the concept.
These articles and blog posts do a great job of introducing the gap, and of explaining how exactly teachers can make the most out of PBL. My favorite resource out of these is the 45-minute Webinar below. The speakers discuss how to create PBL through common core, and also how to address the need for 21st century skills. Along with this, the webinar is presented in a format which is easy to understand and follow along with. It is worth checking out! |
Complete LessonsFor those teachers who wish to get ideas for possible PBL lessons, or those wanting to expand on pre-made ones, here are several websites that they may find useful..I know I did!
By far, my favorite resource from my entire PLN this cycle is the PBL Co-Laboratory, which can be found below. After registering, one can explore PBLs made by other professionals, and start sharing one's own. The best part is that the PBL lessons hosted on this website are complete, can be downloaded with all the proper documents, and were made through collaborative efforts from educators on the website!! This is a one-stop shop for PBL. All it takes is signing up for a free account, and you have an unlimited number of lessons literally at your fingertips.
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Mrs. O's House, and the Learning Review free PBL lessons I linked below are extremely helpful, but not necessarily completed lessons. Many of the ones on the Mrs. O's website, while considered PBLs, lack the connection to several common core standards. Having this as a resource is still an advantage because it allows a teacher to get an idea of the type of lesson to be done, while providing a framework to make revisions.
Even Apple is offering tips and guides on how to create PBL lessons. On the link provided below, Apple includes a research paper that supports PBL (they call it Challenge-Based Learning) and several case studies of schools that successfully implemented the program.
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