Brain Power
3/2/2019
Project-based learning focuses on preparing students to become successful in school and in life. Academic content and 21st century skills are the heart of any unit. Target Content: NGSS Standard: 4-LS1-2. Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on systems of information transfer). Target Skills: Students are expected to collaborate with a parent, create an activity that will answer the driving question, and present their product to the community. How were student learning and engagement maximized?
Students were deeply engaged and motivated because of the authenticity of this project. Students learned from content-area experts who shared their expertise on brain development, human anatomy, and the senses (specifically the eyes). These experiences challenged the students to go deeper or farther in their thinking. The experts were also able to bring models that doctors used in the real world.
Special THANKS to Dr. Botson (rheumatologist), Dr. Lorenz (ophthalmologist), and Dr. Howard (psychology professor) for generously sharing their time and expertise.
This project provides opportunities for sustained inquiry all throughout the unit using different information sources beyond the traditional idea of "research" - searching a website. Aside from consulting the experts, students also used multimedia, Brain Games, to gather more information and ideas.
Project Based Learning gives students real ownership of their work because they are given the choice and voice on their project. For this project, students' partnerships depended on student requests. Students were asked to choose 3 students they want to be partner/s with and the reasons why they think they would make the best partner/s for a quality project. Students were also given the autonomy to choose the activity they're going to present, as long as it answers the driving question.
Because students were given the choice and voice, they held themselves accountable in their work.
With Project Based Learning, students do not just receive feedbacks from teachers. Peer critique is a part of the process. Students were taught how to give and receive constructive feedbacks that will help them improve their project and learning.
What are the evidences of learning?
Public Product
Students had to present beyond the classroom which motivated them to produce high-quality work. 4th and 5th graders presented at the Loussac Public Library where they had parents from the Anchorage community as their audience. The social learning aspect is maximized because aside from presenting, they had to discuss and answer questions from strangers. Students had to include the following in the presentation: 1. Explain the process of information transfer (senses-brain-response process) 2. Teach the activity 3. Explain how the activity helps the brain
Here are some feedback from the audience:
Let's go back to the heart of this unit: the content knowledge and skills students are expected to learn. In this unit, the specific learning objective is for students to be able to demonstrate the following:
Evidences of learning include checkpoints, formative assessments, public presentations, and summative assessments.
So, what do you think about the process and the amount of concepts and skills students learned through PBL? Your feedback is welcomed.
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Jessica GrahamMs. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and is currently working on her master's in reading. She enjoys hiking, traveling, arts & crafts, and playing the ukulele. Archives
April 2021
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