There is a wealth of information on the internet about PBL. For an assignment for Mindlab Maire Bowler and I completed a literature review on this topic. Essentially we wanted to find out what research had been completed around PBL and how it enhances self regulated learning.
Reading all this literature gave me a much improved understanding of and a great enthusiasm for Project Based Learning.
Up until now I struggled to find differences between Genius Hour, Passion Projects, 20% time, Problem Based Learning and Project Based Learning and Inquiry Learning.
This has been something that has been playing on my mind for a while. At St Francis we are beginning to talk about implementing a different approach to delivering the curriculum. We want to increase student agency - so a passion project approach excites me however there is a tension that exists - How do we cover curriculum areas if the students are always able to follow their passions? As soon as we enforce a learning area around it - it negates the Passion Projects approach.
20% time also presents the same issues for me. Can we disregard the need to cover the curriculum and allow students to work on "whatever they want" for 20% of their time at school. This does not sit well with me at all.
Enter Project or Problem Based Learning
Project/Problem Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. (retrieved from http://bie.org/about/what_pbl)
Using a project based Learning approach teachers craft a driving question - this can be in any curriculum area. Vincent (2014) states that this question sets the stage for the project by creating interest and curiosity.
"Driving questions pose simply stated real world dilemmas. They pose predicaments that students find interesting and actually want to answer. The question drives students to discuss, inquire, and investigate the topic. It should push them toward a production or solution. In the process of investigating the question and sharing their answers, students learn important content and skills."
(Vincent, 2014)
In PBL students work to create a product or presentation as their response to the driving question. This could be in any curriculum area. e.g.
Mathematics
How do we as students teach a year 4 group of students what they need to know about fractions?
Reading all this literature gave me a much improved understanding of and a great enthusiasm for Project Based Learning.
Up until now I struggled to find differences between Genius Hour, Passion Projects, 20% time, Problem Based Learning and Project Based Learning and Inquiry Learning.
This has been something that has been playing on my mind for a while. At St Francis we are beginning to talk about implementing a different approach to delivering the curriculum. We want to increase student agency - so a passion project approach excites me however there is a tension that exists - How do we cover curriculum areas if the students are always able to follow their passions? As soon as we enforce a learning area around it - it negates the Passion Projects approach.
20% time also presents the same issues for me. Can we disregard the need to cover the curriculum and allow students to work on "whatever they want" for 20% of their time at school. This does not sit well with me at all.
Enter Project or Problem Based Learning
Project/Problem Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. (retrieved from http://bie.org/about/what_pbl)
Using a project based Learning approach teachers craft a driving question - this can be in any curriculum area. Vincent (2014) states that this question sets the stage for the project by creating interest and curiosity.
"Driving questions pose simply stated real world dilemmas. They pose predicaments that students find interesting and actually want to answer. The question drives students to discuss, inquire, and investigate the topic. It should push them toward a production or solution. In the process of investigating the question and sharing their answers, students learn important content and skills."
(Vincent, 2014)
In PBL students work to create a product or presentation as their response to the driving question. This could be in any curriculum area. e.g.
Mathematics
How do we as students teach a year 4 group of students what they need to know about fractions?
Writing
How do authors turn small moments into a big story?
Social Sciences
How do communities change over time?
Essentially a project or problem based approach is an inquiry approach and a deep learning task approach but on a larger scale. Where a deep learning task might take a couple of days a project or inquiry may take longer. I can see this working in so many areas of the curriculum.
Still some more thinking to do on this.
Should we teach problem, project, or inquiry based learning or can we do all three?
What are your thoughts?
I agree with your thinking about the differences among the types of innovative learning practices Jo. I think that project based learning is quite different from the aforementioned genius hour, passion projects, 20% time etc in that while all methods need to be teacher scaffolded, the ones mentioned are chosen and run by the children. My thinking is that project or problem based projects are the same things, (perhaps the starting standpoint of project or problem may depend on the curriculum area that the driving question is derived from, but essentially they are the same.) The difference is that problem / project is launched by a driving question that is teacher directed and the essential understandings required that become part of the outcome are more likely to be constructed by the teacher (probably co constructed with the students). I want to do some more research on this as you have raised a good provocation for me 'what is the difference between PBL and Inquiry?' My gut feeling is that the difference is that inquiry is more likely to need to follow a set process, but more importantly inquiry comes essentially out of the social sciences and does not necessarily cross curricula. I will delve deeper into this distinction and continue this conversation when I know!
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/rbI2dmCdVqI
ReplyDeleteAn interesting video. Despite voices being a bit hard to follow. Inquiry is driven by a driving question and follows a process. This process is open to interpretation by teacher/school. Often the Inquiry Process can unfold as Project Based learning depending on the objectives/LO's and skills that the teacher is wanting the students to develop. Both can be student lead but also teacher lead. In saying that both can be facilitated and the teacher role is more that of a coach. I am unsure if there is a huge difference between all three or whether it is more semantics or the way that they unfold within the learning environment. All three need clear guidelines otherwise they fall into the "breakout" or "passion project" area where the topics are selected by the children and can be hard to teach specific skills. I can see Inquiry/Problem/Project learning changing depending on the intended outcome for a particular curriculum area.
Gorgeous voices! But I think I agree with what they are saying. It is more about the strategies that the teacher is using, all three may involve children solving problems (but not necessarily as inquiry or projects may involve finding out answers to questions).
ReplyDelete