Thing #13 : PBL in your PJs – Online Conferences
I really hit on some duds before I found Oh the Possibilities by Lisa Parisi. She taught a class on Project Based Learning (PBL) and how to make your classroom a PBL one without going insane. What spoke to me was the idea of playing to each child’s strength. This reminds me of Mel Levine’s Schools Attuned Program and makes so much sense. If there is one thing that is true, it is that everyone learns differently. Instead of micro-managing your students, you can tell them what to do, not how to do it. By doing this, teachers are assured to receive a variety of projects.
The speaker suggests as a beginning, have all students do one type of Web 2.0 tool – VoiceThread, for example. Everyone will learn it, but there will probably be one or two students who really love it and become “experts”. Keep a list of which student loves which tool. Then, the students can help inspire their classmates to learn. It made so much sense. I loved when she said the key to a successful PBL classroom is to keep the teacher away from being the expert on each tool.
STOP BEING THE ONLY EXPERT – MAKE YOUR STUDENTS THE EXPERTS!
It makes the experts feel fabulous, but it also makes the students who needed support feel less intimidated to ask a peer. And, it takes the stress off of the teacher to teach it over and over again.
One other item of note was her suggestions regarding the rubric – clear idea of what you are wanting them to learn and why – not just what you want the project to be.
I REALLY like online conferences because I started a good ten or so before I watched this one. You’d never in good conscience enter an actual conference room, listen for two minutes, and get up and leave when you realized you didn’t care for the speaker or the material. But, no harm done here! And, I multi-tasked like you wouldn’t believe while I was listening which maybe I shouldn’t mention, but it was great! And, I am in my PJs!
Photo Credit: Rainy Saturday by nashthebean - http://flickr.com/photos/nashthebean/132853552/in/set-1233726/
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Something I hope our faculty (and you) will consider: how can we model best practices and share our results with colleagues here (and around the world) with online conferences such as k12?
I’ve found that subscribing to the presentation podcasts through iTunes to be effective in getting through some long runs…I just can’t take notes!
PS: Simply put, I love your focus on Parisi’s “let the students become the experts.” I am guilty of this, no matter if the “student” is a faculty member, one of my children, or a student here at school. I need to “let go” and let them LEAD. I believe it so deeply, I now need to act on it! Thanks for the reminder.