Thursday, September 17, 2015
Navigating the Intricacies of PBL Through Flexible Grouping
After reading this article I have realized that this first activity I am trying with my Physics students I should have been a little more specific in the task that I had them accomplish. I should have had each student build their own car instead of two so that I could see how they worked independently and where their strengths and weaknesses are. When classes are so large and you have them for such a short time it is hard to really get their personalities and abilities to come out until a few weeks into the semester. I personally choose activities on the 1st couple of days of school to see what they remember from past science classes as well how they interact with other students. I did use the exact lesson Chris Burras did with the pipe cleaners on the 1st day. It was amazing to see that the students wanted to know everything we did and worked really hard. I offered some bonus points on the lab safety test for the tallest tower. The one in my Physics class was taller than anyone's in the PBL class.
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Thank you so much for your comments! I appreciate that you are working to apply the things you are ready to your practice. THIS is what inquiry based teaching and learning is about. No, we don't have it all figured out but we are willing to adapt our plans and strategies based on the needs of our students. This adaptability and flexibility is needed to innovate, it's also needed of teachers working to promote innovation.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think we are too hard on ourselves as educators, holding up a particular model or way as the standard. The article about flexible grouping is simply one story of success...not THE way. The main point from the article is for educators to feel the freedom in adapting the structure of their class in order to best meet the needs of their students. In the end, isn't this way personalized learning and differentiation is all about?