NEIT2008-3M

Problem Based Learning/ Student Centered Learning
-convened by Michelle Koetke, [|School of the Holy Child], Rye NY If I have left anything out or misrepresented anything, please edit! MK

Check out [|Bob Pearlman's website on PBL]. Here's a link to a page with [|a PPT from Bob and the supporting audio in a podcast]. I ran the two together for a professional development workshop and it worked incredibly well.

Here are some samples of PBL and student-centered learning projects we've done (if anyone cn put a link to any supporting documentation on these projects please do so!): 1. Broadcast Journalism Class: Poughkeepsie Day School 2. Robotics-"Battle Bots" and students then go to a competition in FL. -Gow School 3. Integrated Period: In the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, they have an integrated period. They have a 1 1/2 hour period in their 6 day cycle called the integrated period. Students work with their specials teachers on whatever is the project/assignment is. 4. Election Project: 5th grade- Ethical Culture Fiedston. Students lobbied for a cause to donate $$ to. They had to create an ad campaign, budget and plan ad space, research the cause, film commercials, campaign and then the school voted. 5. PSA on bacteria: 9th Grade Bio - Poughkeepsie Day School 6. PBL Course- Design and Media: School of the Holy Child Year long course employing the ideas of PBL to teach the girls the art behind technology in video, print and audio arts. Project Runway: Upper School- School of the Holy Child. Students had to create a new school uniform. THey researched uniforms, write a concept of uniform design and explain how their uniform would fit in. Local designer came in an taught them how to drape using muslin. Research materials and manufacturing costs. Presented their findings to a panel of judges and the winning uniform was made by the local designer. 50th anniversary Admission video -. Students worked in teams to create an admission video for Open House. They had to research the school, create a storyboard, film and edit their movie. A panel of administrators reviewed the videos and one shown at Open House. 7. Peer editing: Gow School Students go to the SMART Board and peer review a piece. 8. Student tutorial videos 9. Analyzing AP documents for DBQ's in US History

Key points: 1. Convince the faculty the merits of this teaching style. 2. Competition is the great motivator. 3. Student-centered still means facilitated by the teacher. Students have control in the decision making procress. Students choose the way they convey how they know the information. 4. Student-centered can mean small 10-15 minute activities as well as long term PBL projects. Model for the teachers what small activities look like as well as the larger projects. 5. Curriculum has to be reviewed. Just because we have always been teaching this doesn't mean it should continue. Ethical Culture has no AP's except in math and science. 6. "Figure it out" mentality that is pervasive in colelge needs to be taught on the high school level. Student-centered learning is a perfect way to address this need. 7. Computer science is the ultimate PBL course. It's not complete until it works. Should be a requirement and not an elective in schools. Use Logo and Microworlds in the lower grades. 8. The project is the assessment - not a test. 9. What are the tradeoffs? 10. Requires a curriculum shift. Analyze what has worked best. Define educational goals first. How do 21st Century Skills fit in?