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Activity 2: Reflection Activity

Reflection and writing: 2 hours

 

2 hrs



 

  • How will project-based learning affect my teaching?
  • What will happen if I adopt a project-based approach in my classes or in my school?
  • What fears do I have?

Project-based learning may encourage educators to move away from the tried and trusted (but not necessarily effective) ways of teaching which most of us are used to. We may be accustomed to short, teacher-directed lessons, with individual responses from the learners – and will move towards longer-term, learner-centred practises, that may involve:

  • more than one learning area;
  • learner-centred activities;
  • learners working in co-operative groups;
  • using multiple sources for the gathering of information;

and almost certainly does not end with a simple activity that can be “marked.”

For many educators, this is new territory, requiring a paradigm shift before even contemplating it.

This activity aims to look at some of your personal responses to project-based learning – whether it is something you have been familiar with, whether this is brand new, or whether you are somewhere in between.
Activity
  1. Using the key aspects you worked with in Activity 1, choose 6 key aspects and reflect on these questions for each them:

  • Are you making use of this aspect of PBL?
    (eg if your Key Aspect is: "PBL is based on an Information process" - Do your learners have the opportunity to gather, process and present Information?)
  • If you are – how is it going?
  • If you are not, what would happen if you did? What changes would you have to make in your classroom organisation?
  • What fears and/or possible problems does this aspect of PBL raise for you?

Click here to open the Reflection Activity Template and write your answers to the questions.  Save the template in your personal folder as Relection Activity.

  1. Participate in an online group discussion in which you discuss these questions with your group.
  1. In your e-diary reflect on the most difficult change you will have to make if you implement project-based learning. Do you have a solution to this problem?

ASSIGNMENT 1

This assignment should be attempted once you have completed Activity 2

What to do:

Consider the key aspects of Project-based learning and reflect on your current practice in each of these areas. Describe the reasons for your current practice and what you consider the constraints to be that prevent you from implementing a project-based unit of work. Describe your plan to overcome these constraints.

Use a word processor to write this document. It should have no fewer than 500 words.

What to submit:

Save your essay as <your_student_number>-Elective9-PBL
e.g. 205654321-Elective9-PBL

Send this saved document as an attachment in e-mail to your tutor (using the subject heading "Learning with Projects - Assignment 1").

 

 

 

NEXT

Once you have completed this activity, click here to move on to Activity 3: PBL and Higher Order Thinking.
 
Learning with Projects
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