Lower-Level QTC (7.1)- Knowing, Understanding, & Applying
*Explain the difference between problem-based learning and
project-based learning. Which one do you prefer? What are the strengths and
weaknesses of each?
Higher-Level QTC (7.2)- Analyze & Create
*Create your own lesson! Come up with a problem-based
activity and project-based activity. (Your lesson/assignment can be really
short, but there must be 2 total)
7.1: Problem-based learning is classroom activity in which students acquire new knowledge and skills while working on a complex problem similar to what they may encounter in the real world, whereas project-based learning is when students engage in activity in which they acquire new knowledge and skills while working on a complex, multifaceted project that yields a concrete end product. There are pros and cons to each method of presenting new material. For problem-based learning the biggest strength I can think of is that students are given real life examples, which allows for authentic learning and students can better understand why they are learning what they are learning. A con is that not all students will find the information or activity useful or relevant--and it would be a very difficult task to create an activity that is relevant and useful to every student in a classroom of 20 plus students. A strength of a project-based learning activity is that students gain a concrete understanding or outcome, but a negative aspect would be that the students may find the project or activity useless and irrelevant, therefore their focus and attention would be greatly lessened. I am definitely an advocate of problem-based learning, because I think that this is the environment in which students will enjoy their education the most, if they understand why they are learning something and the relevance it may serve in the real world, then I think they will be more likely and willing to learn.
ReplyDelete7.2: I think learning face values of change and how to count it is a great example of a problem-based activity. Money is something that people use in their daily lives, therefore it is relevant and could be very useful in the real world. An activity that I might use to engage students is by giving them a restaurant menu and a set amount of money. I would conduct and pose a series of questions asking students what they could afford and how they would determine what they could afford. To make the activity more challenging students would be asked to consider sales tax and tips.
A project-based activity I can think of to use in a classroom setting would deal with the solar system--in this activity I would have students split up into groups: two groups would describe a single planet through written expression, two groups would be given clay and would have to create models of the planets in the solar system--I would have the groups rotate so that every student would have a chance to take part in each activity. Then I would have groups present their understandings and work in front of the class. This activity would yield a concrete end product (an understanding of the solar system and planets) while simultaneously allowing students to acquire new knowledge (or build on previous knowledge) while working on these complex, multifaceted projects.
Madelyne,
Your questions really got me thinking this week. I think that you have classified your questions correctly also. I think these questions required a lot of reflection of this chapter, while simultaneously bringing up material I have learned from other chapters and even other classes. I think it is really important that we, as teachers, reflect and consider what kind of learning we want to foster within our future classrooms, and ways in which we will accomplish these goals. I think both of these questions did just that!
--Ciera Rinck
Your questions are great and seem to be classified correctly.These questions really made me think about how I could use these ideas in my own classroom!
ReplyDelete(7.1)Problem-based learning- Classroom activity in which students acquire new knowledge and skills while working on a complex problem similar to one that might exist in the outside world.
•The problem is something familiar
•allows the children to become excited about world issues
• gives children the opportunity to create their own questions
•It may difficult to chooses a topic all children are interested in
Project-based learning- Classroom activity in which students acquire new knowledge and skills while working on a complex, multifaceted project that yields a concrete end product.
•Great for formative and summative assessment
Gives the kinesthetic learners opportunity
Gives children opportunity to create and answers their own questions
•It may be difficult to monitor the project
For preschoolers, I like project-based learning.
(7.2)Problem based: Where does all the trash go?
To figure out the answer we would then read books, have discussions, looks up facts on the computer, have visitors from department of sanitation, and take a trip to a land field.
Project based: Become an author.
The children would start with blank paper and be given the writing utensils. They children will be allowed to create, redo, change, and examine their books before they are “published” (laminated and put in the book area). After several weeks of working on the same book, to mare the end of the project, the children will be given the opportunity to share their book with the entire class.
7.1 Problem-based learning is a classroom activiy in which students acquire new knowledge and skills while working on a complex problem similar to one that might exist in the outside world. A benefit to problem-based learning is that children are solving problems that require higher levels of thinking, which incorporates fundamental skills as well as other skills that are beneficial to real life (teamwork, problem-solving). A negative is that all children might not be sustained by the problem that is being addressed. Project-based learning is a classroom activity in which students acquire new knowledge and skills while working on a complex, multifaceted project that yields a concrete end product. An advantage of project-based learning is that children are being able to interact hands-on with real life situations in their environment. A negative would be that it is very time consuming and can be very expensive to conduct over a long period of time. I prefer project-based learning because I believe it is the best to do in a constructivist approach with young children. Children can come away from the project with many different answers and experiences that can be applied to future learning.
ReplyDelete7.2 A problem-based activity I would implement in a preschool classroom would be a science experiment about plants. The question I would pose would be, "How long does it take a plant to grow with only X hours of sunlight a day?" Each child would get their own plant to grow. A project-based activity I would implement would be a project where we are tracking a type of weather over a few months.
Madelyne,
You classified your questions correctly. It is very easy to get confused by project-based learning and problem based learning, so it is good that you used this question as a knowledge question and allowed us to apply and understand.