I have been cogitating on the potential of the Grade 9 Saskatchewan curriculum units for Project Based Learning. The strongest case would be using the Science “Earth and Space Science – Space Exploration” as a foundation for an interdisciplinary approach that includes the outcomes for Social Studies “Time” unit, the Math “Numbers and Operations” unit and two English Language Arts units “Looking Beyond –Imagining New Worlds and The Future” and, surprisingly, “Indigenous and Norse Narratives”. As I progress through the components of PBL, I have indicated suggested tools in brackets.
Orientation would be critical as it is unlikely that any students would have had PBL experience. This could be used to an advantage though as students would understand the responsibilities they have for pioneering a better way of learning (Discovery Education videos). Carefully consideration would be given to preparing students for the perseverance and commitment required when learning is student-centric rather than teacher-centric. The Driving Question would be a daily discussion (Bubble.us).
Grouping would follow the Jigsaw Method. Students would self-select a Home group filling in a secret ballot naming a person they would work well with and a person they would not work well with. The groups would negotiate task assignment and this would determine the Experts groups (Google Docs).
Again, as it is unlikely that students would have had experience in PBL, it would be important to provide a well defined timeline that tasks and their order were clear (xTimeline). A visible checklist would be presented daily (Google Docs). As products came in, it would be critical to provide feedback in a timely manner especially if it was part of a larger process (Jing).
Although http://pbl-online.org/ManagetheProject/projectexplore/projectexplore1.html uses the term “multitasking” for clarifying everything, the first clarification would be that multitasking is a myth. (Some people may be more efficient at task-switching but it is easily proven that switching tasks is never a time saver.) As this is an interdisciplinary approach, it would be important to clarify how the four core subjects are not distinct but each is part of the driving question (Bubbl.us).
One thing I’ve noticed missing is scaffolding for actual collaboration. Like all other skills and knowledge, the ability to collaborate cannot be an assumed. After establishing collaboration guidelines, I would then move into the arenas of time management (Google Calendar), goal orientation (Google Docs), and self-regulation (WordPress).
A flowchart would be essential to manage the workflow (SmartDraw). A flowchart would also help organize the final product itself. For example, if the students are creating a Wiki, they would need to clearly design their pages. As always, the teacher must anticipate teachable moments and capitalize on these opportunities by having training ready.
As the class would have developed their own rubrics for all products early on in the process, the teacher would have referred back to them frequently as guide posts for quality work (Rubistar). As well as formative assessment of knowledge during the project, the teacher would have prepared the students for self-assessment at the end as well as peer and teacher assessment.
