My Reflection on PBL101

I tend to be what you might call an "on my own" PD person.  I am the webinar-podcast-book-article person, not the attend-this-collaborative-hands-on-training kind of person.  That's not to say I don't do both kinds, but when I have the choice, I tend to choose options where I am learning on my own.  Funny how that's the exact opposite of what I hope to see in my classroom.

I just finished a 3-day workshop on Project Based Learning from the Buck Institute.  It was great because not only did I learn a lot about designing Gold Standard projects, but I also was reminded of what it's like to be a student.  Long story short, I had moments (more than a few) where I was so overwhelmed with the task of creating my own project that I just sat and stared at my computer screen for longer chunks of time than I'd care to admit.  I needed more time to process everything I had learned before I felt ready to implement it and design my own project.  Besides learning about PBL, the goal was to leave the training with a ready-to-go project that we could do with our classes in the fall.  I wish I could say that I accomplished that goal and left the training with my PBL unit complete.  What I can say is that I left the training feeling inspired and excited to create my own PBL projects.

One of the hardest things for me while designing my PBL unit was keeping it authentic and open-ended.  I realized that I'm maybe not as flexible as I thought.  We have this driving question that is supposed to guide our inquiry, but I still want there to be a right answer at the end of this.  How else will I know if my students "got it?"  And if I'm so focused on the end, is this really a PBL project that I'm designing or is it a "dessert" project where you show what you know at the end of a unit?  I mean, PBL should be about the journey, right?  The ongoing learning that takes place throughout the unit?  I'm having a hard time finding the balance.

One of my questions going into the training was "What is the difference between a project and a task?"  I was thinking about Dan Meyer's 3-Act Tasks and wondering if those were mini PBLs.  Did I ask my question?  Nope.  Why not?  Honestly, I don't know.  We had opportunities to ask questions anonymously and I still didn't speak up.  So here I am after the training, working on my PBL unit alone, still unsure of that distinction and starting to question whether the distinction is even important.

Okay, when I say "alone," I am reminded that I'm not really alone.  Being on Twitter has been so great for me, the I'll-just-hole-up-in-my-room-and-watch-this-webinar-by-myself type of person.  I can reach out to all these other teachers and learners.  I even did just that during the workshop despite the fact that I was surrounded by other teachers from my district.  With Twitter, I get the community without the anxiety.

Despite some of these frustrations, I meant it when I said I'm feeling inspired and excited.  Our presenter's enthusiasm was contagious and the knowledge and experiences he shared could convince even the most resistant that PBL is the way to go.  This is the first time since I started teaching that I am not teaching summer school and I'm feeling really motivated to work on my PBL unit this summer.