EDTECH 542 The Teacher's Role in Project Based Learning

One of the greatest challenges for an instructor in a PBL unit is to adapt to the role of facilitator. Reflect on the following:

• Will my role in the teaching/learning process change?
• What are the skills of effective facilitation?
• Will the students develop the competencies and skills needed to be successful?
• What changes will you need to make in order to become an effective facilitator in your PBL unit?

I recently read a posting in Edutopia about the role of the teacher and how it changes even within the PBL realm.  Teachers can be the developer of the unit on one hand, to one who creates the infrastructure and sets guidelines on the other.  The latter has a highly student-managed PBL, where they create the essential question, find the standards they are addressing, and create a project that has both real world impact and a service component.

 

The former, although still a PBL, is very teacher-driven, allowing little choice and opportunity for unique outcomes.  The teacher still desires control in this instance.

 

In a PBL setting, teachers need to create environments where 1) students know time off task is not an option; 2) project development and problem solving takes place within the work group; 3) collaboration skills are taught and adhered to; 4) all options remain on the table until proven unsuccessful. In other words, FAILure (First Attempt In Learning) is desirable.

These are skills students need to succeed in the world. As a former junior high teacher, too often I experienced students who feared testing the waters. They thought that if they didn’t have specific guidelines with only one correct outcome, they were sure to fail (meaning get a grade unacceptable to themselves and their parents). They weren’t learning driven, but approval and fear driven.  That’s not how to succeed in the world.

I hope in using the PBL model with teachers is help them create environments that develop these global skills.  It’s about helping teachers move forward in creating units, coaching and providing support when things don’t work as hoped. It’s also about training teachers to FAIL too, to problem solve, and to collaborate with others so they experience the skills that they want their students to achieve.