Problem Based Learning

I liked the video clip “Beginning the journey Five-year-olds drive their own PBL projects.” I thought the students were very engaged in their learning, well behaved and interested in the subject matter. I think these factors were fostered because of the use of technology, small groups, and the opportunity to explore through hands-on applications.

Although I must say, I am slightly bothered by this clip as well when I start to think how I can apply these concepts to my classroom. The teachers in the video worked with students in groups of 4 to 6 and their school had the adequate amount of technology to support learning. Since these students were young, teachers needed to do most of the “research” on the internet but the students were able to take part in the process. I have a classroom of 22 six-year olds and I don’t have access to a Smart Board. I can access the internet and display it on the large screen in the front of my classroom, but because our school doesn’t have a very good firewall/filter, I am always leery about doing live searches with my students in fear that something inappropriate might become displayed on the screen.

I do think that engaging students in these real-life applications and simulations is imperative to their academic and social development, but I wonder if those teachers have a curriculum dictated by their district to adhere to. The reason I think that is because it seemed as if topics were chosen from students interests. Today most school districts decide the curriculum, so I am wondering how to make the best of these worlds meet. I was shocked at the resources the school had available (the mock airport, security check, control station and cruise ship). That must take a lot of planning and preparing on the teachers part! My hat’s off to them!

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the clip. The idea of incorporating technology to make learning more engaging and authentic is so important to today’s children. When students are interested in what they are learning, and they discover the tools that can help answer their questions and find out information about things they wonder about, it will surely create a path of life long learning. I think project-based units are a great way to enhance any curriculum. This concept can easily be applied to science and social studies curriculums in any grade level with connections to reading and math. When young students are given a topic, they immediately form thoughts and questions about it. Project-based learning when combined with the use of technology can make learning fun and memorable for students.