PBL in the Classroom

At the Auburn Early Education Center (AEEC), Principal Dr. Lilli Land says, “Technology has taken us to another level.” After watching Dr. Land’s students and staff showcase their talents in the short documentary on Edutopia.org it is clear that the constructivist theory is alive and well at this school. The kindergartner’s within her building glow with enthusiasm while preparing to go on a fictitious trip to Brazil, or while planning a funeral for the class praying mantis, or while sharing personal stories and then writing about them, or even while learning the meaning and usage of the alphabet. In almost every activity shown, students are engaged in project and/or problem based styles of learning. When faced with problems, the students at AEEC go the extra mile to find a solution. This school is beaming with students, staff, and parental support that have formed a true community of learners, thinkers, and problem solvers. Watch this short video and see for yourself:

Another great constructivist approach to teaching and learning that I read about this week, in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, was exemplified by fifth grade teacher Mrs. Omar. In her attempt to meet her school district’s benchmarks for Social Studies and Economics, she did a simulated activity where her students learned about savings, investments, and interest rates through trial and error. Using Microsoft Excel, she created an interactive savings and investments spreadsheet which showed her students the results of multiple options they could choose on how to save a “recently inherited $10,000”. Each option left the student with a certain amount of money after a time period of 30 years. While it might not happen in the form of a $10,000 inheritance, each fifth grade student in Mrs. Omar’s class is likely to remember this lesson when they are presented with a real life, money/investment decision.

This week I also took some time to explore a problem based project/game, called “Astro-Venture: Design a Planet.” This game made me, the user perform several tasks before finding out if my newly created planet was suitable for human life or not. After roughly ten tries and 40 minutes, I finally created a planet (just the right size) that orbited around a red dwarf star (at just the right distance). Additionally, my planet contained volcanoes, tectonic plates, water, and plant life, all vitally important aspects of a planet capable of inhabiting humans and animals alike. This NASA created simulation provided me with tutorials prior to construction. During the game it provided me in depth explanations about any choices I made along the way, but never quite gave me an answer if I was right or wrong, until the very end. I had to do quite a bit of trial and error, before I figured out what my planet really had to have. The simulation was very in tune with a problem based project, and would fit very well into any planet unit.

All of the activities I read about, watched, and played this week tie-in quite well with the constructivist and constructionist theories taught this week. To me, project based and problem based learning makes a lot of sense, especially when trying to connect instruction to technology. In my own classroom I am always looking for ways to do this, but often find that time plays the largest factor in not being able to create and carryout more PBL projects. If time were not an issue, PBL’s would be an exceptional ways for children to learn, think, and problem solve.

While time is not always on my side, I do think it is important to find ways to sneak various components of a PBL unit into a smaller lesson when applicable. For example, in a math class my students might be studying the order of operations for the first time. In the past I have always introduced this lesson with a problem on the board that must be solved using the order of operations. Each student then answers the problem on their own. Once everyone is done I quickly collect everyone’s answer on the board to show them how many answers a class of over 25 found, for what seemed like a fairly simple problem. This specific type of math problem, at the fifth grade level, certainly gets the attention of each student in my class, and focuses them for the upcoming lessons where we explore order of operations. In some ways, it is almost like a mathematical way of doing a KWL. On a fun side note, my students love when I find music videos on YouTube or TeacherTube. Both Mr. Duey and Mr. Q.U.E. are very popular. Click on the image below to check out Mr. Q.U.E. rap about the order of operations (you have to watch a quick ad before it begins):

Problem and Project based instruction (constructionist and constructivist theories) will always have a place in my classroom. In the past three weeks I have also come to realize that so will behaviorist and cognitive theories. I am not one to seek a “happy-medium” instructional strategy, because it is only through my current Walden University course that I have come to realize how many variations of teaching theories I use. Is one more effective than another? Maybe, but as a professional I am always tweaking my teaching strategies to meet the needs of each child in my room. On this particular day, I can say that along with the previously studied theories, constructionist and constructivist learning theories definitely have a place in my classroom.