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Collaborate! Inspiration Home Resources Standards Inspiration About the Author |
Inspiration
It's of no surprise when I say that the world around us is rapidly changing. World population, technological advancements and access, and methods for communication are all steadily increasing. Our students are growing up in a fast-paced environment of change, wonder, and innovation. Yet, one thing that seems to have stayed stagnant is education. In order to keep our students engaged, and ensure that they build 21st century learning skills, we must be willing to change the way we educate our children.
Project-Based Learning
One way that schools have been doing so is through PBL.When I was in my credentialing program, I was fortunate to student-teach at an elementary school that used Project-Based Learning to teach the students. Prior to this experience, I had never even heard of PBL. It was so fascinating to see the students drive their own learning, and to be fully engaged in what they were studying. I was so impressed with the level of interest they had and the quality of the products that they produced. In addition, the dedication and the time that the teachers spent investing in this kind of learning for their students was incredible. I knew that this was the kind of learning that I wanted my own students to take part in as well. Further, I wanted to ensure that my students were getting the 21st century learning skills that they would need to be successful with Common Core, and to prepare them for life and work as adults.
Collaboration
When I enrolled in Touro's Innovative Learning program, I knew that I wanted my research to focus on PBL. Since my current district doesn't use PBL as an adopted method of learning, I knew that it was up to me to find ways to support my students with this independently, without formal training or teacher collaboration.
So, I tried it! I quickly realized that my 3rd graders weren't ready for this type of learning. In short, they couldn't work together and had poor listening skills. Instead of listening to each other, they spoke over each other and sometimes ignored input. They couldn't find a way to come to consensus and lacked the problem-solving skills necessary to group work to be successful. In addition, they spent a lot of time engaged in other conversations that weren't relevant to the the project and showed that they couldn't manage time well. As a result of this initial experience, I decided that my students need help improving their overall collaboration skills. They needed to learn how to be respectful listeners, come to consensus, and establish roles and responsibilities.
Having a general idea of what I wanted my students to improve, I determined that the best way to do so is through direct instruction lessons, while they simultaneously completed a project. This allowed them to immediately apply what they learned through the lessons. While the change wasn't revolutionary, I did see growth and improvement in my students' abilities to work together. Plus, they seemed to be more engaged with the learning, a result that would make any teacher happy.
Examples of the lessons that I created to teach collaboration skills can be found in the Resources section of my website. For any teacher hoping to help students improve collaboration or listening skills, I hope you find the lessons beneficial.
So, I tried it! I quickly realized that my 3rd graders weren't ready for this type of learning. In short, they couldn't work together and had poor listening skills. Instead of listening to each other, they spoke over each other and sometimes ignored input. They couldn't find a way to come to consensus and lacked the problem-solving skills necessary to group work to be successful. In addition, they spent a lot of time engaged in other conversations that weren't relevant to the the project and showed that they couldn't manage time well. As a result of this initial experience, I decided that my students need help improving their overall collaboration skills. They needed to learn how to be respectful listeners, come to consensus, and establish roles and responsibilities.
Having a general idea of what I wanted my students to improve, I determined that the best way to do so is through direct instruction lessons, while they simultaneously completed a project. This allowed them to immediately apply what they learned through the lessons. While the change wasn't revolutionary, I did see growth and improvement in my students' abilities to work together. Plus, they seemed to be more engaged with the learning, a result that would make any teacher happy.
Examples of the lessons that I created to teach collaboration skills can be found in the Resources section of my website. For any teacher hoping to help students improve collaboration or listening skills, I hope you find the lessons beneficial.