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"Cell"-ing Project-Based Learning to 7th Graders
What happens when you ask 7th graders to provide a plan and a sales pitch of how to use an undeveloped piece of land, and ask them to connect it to the parts of cell?
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That's right! A proposal for a theme park, with a working, miniature ferris wheel! Representing a part of a cell!
When the 7th grade science PLC at Four Oaks Middle first considered project-based learning this year, they had some fears.
When the 7th grade science PLC at Four Oaks Middle first considered project-based learning this year, they had some fears.
How do we combine all of our ideas for this project?
How seriously will students take the project?
How do we get students to not depend on us for the answers?
But what they realized was that once the teachers let the students drive their own learning, students stepped up to the plate.
Students were given the following "hook":
Teachers provided students with a timeline and multiple rubrics to drive their process. They also supported them with graphic organizers to support them in connecting different organelle's functions to those of other types of structures (i.e. a city).
To provide even more structure, and some relevance, they framed each group's "presentation" as if it were a Shark Tank-like pitch.
Community members were even invited in to serve on the "Shark Tank" panel. School Board members, Central Office staff, area principals, and even the town mayor served as panel judges.
And goodness, did they blow us away with their ingenuity! Ideas included...
Animal parks...
Theme parks...
A movie theater...
Farms...
Farms...
And convenience stores (one with a Bojangles'!).
And their presentations? Well, see for yourself below.
We asked all 3 teachers, Ida Robbins, Caitlin Beausoleil, and Michael Winters, to give us some of their thoughts in hindsight as they reflected on their first PBL experience with students.
Q: What does a typical day look like in your classrooms?
A: A typical day in my classroom would mostly be teacher facilitated. We implement student inquiry learning from time to time, but out of fear of students not getting the correct information we would not plan this much. However, after this project it has changed a lot of our opinions about this style of teaching. While implementing the PBL unit, a typical day changed from being teacher facilitated to student centered. Students had more choice in their learning and more hands-on experiences. Students were able to come into class toward the end of the unit and get started for the day. They did not need any instructions on what they were supposed to be doing.
Q: What was the biggest hurdle in this process?
A: The biggest hurdle was trying to get the students to see the big picture and not giving them the answers when they were struggling. Moving from teacher facilitated to student centered learning was a struggle for both teachers and students. Initially, students wanted to be given the answers, but as we progressed through the project, this got better and they started trying to figure it out on their own. The biggest hurdle during the planning process was putting all the different ideas together into one.
Q: How did you provide feedback to students as they worked in their groups?
A: At the beginning of the project, students consistently wanted to be given answers. The teachers would ask guiding questions along the way to get the students to think for themselves and not rely on the answers being given to them. Teachers would meet with each group individually giving them verbal feedback to make sure the project was progressing successfully. Students were also given the opportunity to present their projects to classmates and get feedback before presenting to the panel.
Q: What surprised you most over the course of this process?
A: The most surprising thing was how well the students did on this project. Going into it, we all had our concerns about how serious they would take the project given the student centered nature of the project. However, after being given the opportunity, the students stepped up and did a great job.
Q: Will you do this again? If so, is there anything you would change?
A: Yes, we will definitely do this project again. One of the main changes we would make is to include buffer days, if the groups are not quite ready to present.
We would also spend more time teaching the students how to present properly. We expected this to be a challenge, however, it was a bigger challenge than we anticipated.
In short, was it perfect the first time? No. But was it worth it? Yes.
Every big idea probably won't always turn out perfectly the first time. But when we step out of our comfort zones and let the students own the learning, we just might be surprised how comfortable this approach becomes for all.
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