My actions, thus far, have been fairly effective. I say fairly because I did not anticipate my students having any difficulty adjusting to my GAME plan, but am now seeing some. They are not accustomed to this type of self-directed learning and getting them to understand their roles is proving difficult. They are slowly coming around though. By providing them with authentic learning environments and collaborative group work experiences, I am seeing my students become more motivated and engaged in their learning. I am still doing a lot of scaffolding and students are hesitant to take control of their own learning, but I am confident that will dissipate with a little more time.
The theory of Problem-Based Learning is a valuable instructional tool that I have learned about this week and I am looking forward to applying it to my classroom. PBL is an effective way to enable my students to be more confident self-directed learners and, hopefully, less hesitant to take control of their own learning. I have also learned the benefits of integrating technology into the classroom. Technology can make using PBL in the classroom much easier. Technology can be a great motivator and can keep students engaged. There are many digital tools available to enhance student learning in my classroom.
I still have much to learn, however. I have not yet tried implementing PBL in my classroom and have some concerns and challenges that I will face. Making sure that I am presenting my students with quality problems that are neither too broad nor too narrow is a problem that I will face. I will learn how to do this through experience, I am sure. I will also have to learn more about the variety of technology that is available. I am becoming very familiar with blogs, which I believe is a great instructional tool. I am also learning more about wikis and podcasting. I would like to learn as much as I can about the different technologies and how they can be beneficial in my classroom.
To adjust my GAME plan to meet my current needs, I think I will just need to be more specific. I need to specify what types of assessments I want to use to monitor student learning. I also want to incorporate using a rubric for evaluation of student learning. I think the GAME plan is working pretty well so far and I don't think it needs any adjustment, just a little more specifications.
I have also observed some students are not as good at self-directing as others. I find some students need constant feedback and monitoring. I find check lists helpful for students and myself. It gives students a visual aid to determine what they have done and what is left to do. Rubrics are great to set expectations and grading but often the wording overwhelms the student who is easily distracted in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHi Trisha,
ReplyDeleteTeaching our students to be self-directed learners doesn’t come without cost. We know the value and importance of being a self-directed learner nowadays, however we can’t just expect our students to transform into self-directed learners overnight. They’ll have the right mindset, the right mentality, the complete comprehension and appreciation of the importance of self-directed learning. To achieve all these require a considerate amount of time to instill our students with this quality.
Last year I have G9 students for PBL and yes similar to your situation now they were rather challenging to get through however with our persistence. Like your said they’ll come round with a little more time. This year I am happy that I am working with G7 students, their mindsets are still flexible, I find it much easier to work with them in terms of being a self-regulated learner. I think creativity will only blossom when there is no constraint on the cognitive level.
You are very right in pointing out that presenting to our students a ‘quality problem’ is what the essence of doing PBL. Without a good question, students literally be wasting time…As for the assessment part, I think it will be good to use as many different format of assessment as possible with your students. Encourage them to use more variety of tools in their presentations. You will have to prepare the rubrics though for the assessment but I am sure you’ll be able to come up with specific requirement that you want your students to achieve and upon which stage of the PBL.
Anyway, good luck with your GAME plan Trisha!
Sarah
Some of my students have trouble taking control of their own learning. They require more assistance and guidance than others. I have had my students working in groups and I encourage them to seek the assistance of their group members before consulting me. I think that gives them more confidence to see what other students are doing and it encourages them to also try things on their own rather than look to me for all the answers. Rubrics are definitely a great way to keep students on track and it gives them the assurance that they need to be sure that they are on the right track. Having student conferences could also be a great way to assess their progress and help point them in the right direction if they need it. Using different technology in your classroom will be beneficial to your students and they will be more engaged in activities. The best way to learn how to use different tools in the classroom is to use them. You can always use your experiences and learn from them to make your lessons using technology better each time you do it. Good luck with your GAME plan!
ReplyDeleteJenee, Sarah, and Danielle,
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the positive comments. It certainly helps to have such great support and to know that other teachers go through the same difficulties that I do. It is kind of a confidence booster!! And that you for the suggestions! I love hearing from all of you! It always helps!!