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Erin
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| Posted: May 06 2007 at 7:16am | IP Logged
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I would love to hear from anyone who uses a project based educational approach. Theresa I know for one doesand I'm sure others do too.
I have all sorts of questions running aorund my head;  for example, when your dc/you decide on an area of interest how much planning is needed? What do you need to plan? In regards to notebooking how do you decide what needs to be recorded, do you have any tips in making this part of the endeavour appealing to your dc? How do you come up with ideas of hands on activities? In other words 'how do you do this style of learning?' 
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Erin
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 06 2007 at 8:51am | IP Logged
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Oh, boy! Lots of excellent questions!
I do want to chime in here, but my time is short today. I am taking oldest dd and my two precious grandsons to the airport in Atlanta and sending them off to Alaska today. 
I may need a recovery period.
But I promise to add my 2 cents soon!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Erin
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 7:15am | IP Logged
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Theresa
I have been thinking and praying for you all wondering how it is all going. And then I haven't wanted to hassle as your off to Alaska sometime yourself. Just wanting to bump this up if you are around and available.
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Erin
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 9:46am | IP Logged
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Erin, thank you for your prayers. Things are going well here. Not so sure about how it is going to work out in the end, but so far dh is handling the two boys well, with very little help from their mom, unfortunately.
Now, project based learning!
As you can probably guess, I am very enthusiastic about this approach.It is how my ds learns best and is a lot of fun for me, too!LOL!
The whole idea behind PBL for me is to figure out an area of interest and just give the child permission to dive in. Planning is involved, but it is more collaborative (for older kids) as in: what do we need to learn in order to do this project? And How can I facilitate that learning?
For example: ds wanted to make a solar oven. In order to make it work I suggested he should do some reading on light, reflection, energy transfer (light to heat, absorption, insulation, etc). Then he did some preliminary sketches of his ideas and we looked at them together and discussed them based on his reading. He then built a trial oven and tested it. He then took his unsatisfactory results and did more reading to figure out how to make it work better (more insulation, adding black stones to absorb more heat, adding a glass panel to the front). He made his improvements and tested it again. This time his results were much better and he felt confident the cookie would bake, so he tried it and it worked! He had quite a sense of accomplishment when it was done because he really did make it work.
Long story, but to me it highlights that the value of PBL is that the project itself is both the inspiration and the vehicle for learning. Meaning that he is inspired to do research because he wants to do the project, and he learns things by actually doing the project itself. AND it is self-checking. If he doesn't really understand it, it doesn't work!
Ds has expressed an interest in building a trebuchet. Tons of research will have to go into this project to make it actually work (I know because I've built them before). He will be inspired to learn because he wants to make it. Making it will teach him more. And it will certainly be self-checking because if he gets it wrong, it won't work.
This type of approach works really well for those kids who like to have a reason for learning things other than "because it's on the test" or because it will come in handy some day. Ds can see right away how his knowledge pays off and I am off the hook as far as grades go!It also lends itself to total immersion in a topic. When he decided he wanted to learn how to make Bonsai, he totally immersed himself in all things Japanese, as much as he could. The projects really do spill over into all areas.I can really see the trebuchet project leading to a renewed interest in the middle ages.
Notebooking.
Totally different aspect, I think. With PBL you can notebook it or not. Some projects lend themselves to it more than others. True with PBL you don't have workbook pages or comprehension questions to file away as a means of assessment, and a notebook can provide a record of dc's accomplishments, but I think of notebooking as just another way of learning very seperate from the PBL. We are actually doing less and less notebooking as we move more and more into PBL. I think we will still do some, but not as much as we have done in the past.
I hope that makes sense and answers some of your questions and I apologize for taking so long to respond.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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MichelleW
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Theresa,
How old was he when you started this approach? What kinds of projects did he do at 8/9/10 years of age?
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Michelle
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 12:54pm | IP Logged
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Hmm. We started awhile ago, but like most folks here, have been adapting and changing, trying new things as the years go by, and finally finding our groove. Now I think we have discovered that this is really what works best for him and we need to let it take center stage.
When he was younger he did smaller projects. Like he built models (ex:the 7 NC lighthouses),did art projects, dioramas, made bows and arrows, costumes, built things, etc. Same type of stuff he does now, just simpler and at a more basic level.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Erin
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 11:00pm | IP Logged
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Theresa
Thank you for your explanation, I feel quite excited and inspired, I have felt for some time that we are being led this way more, it would suit my dc's learning style well. I'm the one dragging, not because I don't see the learning possibilities, I do. More because of the sourcing of information, and the need to keep the momentumn flowing at the low spots. And the need to be organised, to have materials to hand.
I have asked ds12 what he would like to do if we did something like this and he wants to build a boat!!! A rowboat or canoe to go on the dam, also he wants to carve.
If you had more than one child would you encourage them to join in the same project? Or would it work for perhaps the older ones who can work more independently having a different project?
Interesting what you have written regards notebooking because that is an area that I want to happen (and doesn't enough) then again the most important thing overall is that learning is happening.
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Erin
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 11:33pm | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
I have asked ds12 what he would like to do if we did something like this and he wants to build a boat!!! A rowboat or canoe to go on the dam, also he wants to carve.
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That sounds fantastic! Wow! Starting off with a bang!
Erin wrote:
If you had more than one child would you encourage them to join in the same project? Or would it work for perhaps the older ones who can work more independently having a different project?
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It depends on how close in age the kids are. Generally I don't have my dd(5) working with ds on his independant projects because of the age differences involved. If they were closer in age I might, but not always. Good for them to have their own thing, too KWIM?
When we do large projects like the stream study then we all 3 do aspects of it together.But also they have their own independant parts, too.
Like ds made the seine net and he and I did that, while dd had a little dip net she used to catch tadpoles and minnows. Then we all 3 looked at what everyone caught.
Plus, with projects, you may have kids that want to do different things. Ex: Studying weather, one child may want to do an anemometer, one a rain guage, one a barometer, and the little one may make a wind sock. Then they can all look at the data from them all.
So, really whatever works for your family.
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Theresa
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Theresa
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| Posted: May 30 2007 at 11:28am | IP Logged
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Theresa, I love reading about your PBL. It looks so fun and engaging.
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Theresa
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 30 2007 at 1:51pm | IP Logged
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Thanks, Theresa!
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Project Based Education
