Category: PBL

Grade 8 Problem Based Learning

misscrutchfieldPBL

Grade 8 was presented with the question “What does a perfect middle school look like?” As experts, with four years of middle school behind them, the grade 8s came up with many ideas.

Each student had to choose their three favorite ideas and conduct research to find evidence to support their argument that these ideas should be brought to KFS. Then, students wrote argument essays to support their ideas (with full MLA citations, of course!). Finally, they were tasked with making persuasive videos to share with Mr. Stock.

Student videos are below. Great job, Grade 8!

Problem Based Learning Projects, Grade 10

misscrutchfieldPBL

Students in Grade 10 English have been working on solving the question “How can we work together as an ASFM community to improve student life at ASFM?”

Students brainstormed four guiding/research questions from this larger question:

  • How can classes be made more interactive in order to meet the needs, and attention spans, of average teens?
  • How can homework policies better support student needs?
  • How can we make school a less stressful environment?
  • How can the cafeteria be improved to better meet students’ desires?

Students were then divided into groups based on their preferred topics, and spent several weeks researching, writing, and revising persuasive research papers on their topics which proposed a course of action for the school to take to improve students’ lives at school. Their essays will be posted to their individual student blogs later this week.

Following the completion of their papers, students worked in their research groups to create electronic or hard-copy resources to be shared with the faculty and administration at ASFM.

The electronic examples below are posted with the permission of the students involved:

Interactive Classes: http://interactiveclasses.weebly.com

 

#HappyTrend is on!

misscrutchfieldPBL

As a part of their problem based learning project, the period 4 Pre-AP class has been investigating the question “How can we make happiness a trend and create a more emotionally aware community at ASFM?”

The students’ work and energy is truly an inspiration. They have gone through the steps of identifying a problem in their school community, conducting scholarly research, collaborating in teams to identify possible solutions, writing persuasive thesis essays in which they proposed a solution to their problem, and finally, publishing their thesis papers to their blogs.

Ultimately, from the 17 original proposals, they chose just five that they felt were the ‘best’ and ‘most plausible’, which they presented today to the MS/HS Psychologist, and the Middle School Counselor – who is also supporting a positivity campaign within the middle school. The psychologist and counselor provided the teams valuable feedback which led to an exciting discussion in which the students discussed ways to integrate their ideas into one, comprehensive upper-school campaign.

The students’ presentations were thoughtful and clear. You can review their proposals below, or check-out their reflections on today’s presentations through their blogs.

Students at Work!

misscrutchfieldPBL

Pre-AP English Period 7 is designing a student study space to suggest to the administration at the end of the school year, after posing the question “How can we take advantage of the spaces of the school so that there are more spaces for the students to work in?”

After a great deal of research on student needs and space design, proposals from each student (see blogs), and multiple discussions, the students have decided to make two proposals to the administration:

1) Build a large common room between the A & B wings where High School students can work on individual and collaborative assignments without the distractions currently present in other spaces.

2) Add modular furniture to existing spaces where students currently congregate, but sit on floors or benches that make work difficult.

Today, the students began measuring the spaces and creating their own diagrams so that they can identify furniture they would like to include and begin creating a budget. They will also be requesting a meeting with school architects to help make their building project proposal as accurate as possible.

You can read students’ original proposals on their blog posts.

Problem Based Learning in Pre-AP English

misscrutchfieldHigh School English Support Resources

Students in Pre-AP English courses have taken on term-long projects that they have designed and are working as a class to complete.

First, students had to develop a guiding question to focus their research. Students worked in teams to create proposals, which they then presented to the class for a vote. In the case of Period 4, there was a five-way tie, followed by a three-way tie; so they worked as a class to merge the three top projects together.

Period 4 decided to explore the question:

“How do we make happiness a trend and encourage emotional awareness at ASFM?”

For this project, the students have divided themselves into two groups. One group is researching the psychology of happiness, and the other group is researching how trends are developed through the application of marketing techniques.

Period 7 is working on the question:

“How can we take advantage of the spaces in school so that we can create more spaces for students to work in?”

For this project, the students have divided themselves into three groups: Design, Finance, and Communications. They are researching various study spaces in schools around the world, the spaces currently available at school and how they are used, and design principles that affect learning.

In addition to developing their research skills, a skill they will need for college, they are also learning technology skills and collaboration skills, as well as developing their creativity and self-reliance – also known as 21st Century Skills. The students are blogging their work as the projects progress, and you can follow their progress through their blogs.

Students have spent the last two weeks setting-up their projects and completing their initial academic research, and will spend the next week writing their research papers and making project proposals for the class to follow-through on.

Throughout the remainder of the semester, as they read Much Ado About Nothing and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, they will continue to work on their projects once a week.