I need further training to implement Problem-Based-Learning effectively in my STEAM-Based classroom by attending a week long training in Houston, Texas!
My diverse population of 6th Grade Science students all receive free breakfast and lunch. Minority enrollment at my school is approximately 40% of the student body. The racial makeup of the students I serve includes White, African American, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and various combinations thereof.
When I start a PBL, I always tell my kids that we have been asked to solve a real-world problem, because WE have a reputation that we can find a way to solve any problem we encounter.
PBL (Problem-based Learning) is all about authentic, real-world learning experiences, and I believe that these students - all students really - benefit greatly from learning this way.
Many of my kids do not come from standard, nuclear-family households; many live with single parents that are working more than one minimum wage job. The strong bonds our students form here with teachers often fill the parent-shaped hole in their young lives. Our school is a community and a family. For some kids, our school is the only functional family they have.
My Project
The five-day institute I hope to attend promises to give me a strong understanding of the PBL model and teach me how to involve local industry leaders to make the experience authentic for my students.
Planning an effective PBL is always a challenge, but worthwhile.
I have effectively implemented the PBL model in recent years on a limited basis, but I need training that will teach me to make the PBL experience an immersive one that encompasses each discipline across the curriculum for the duration of the project.
I will not only completely plan projects that can be used in the following school year, but I will also gain skills and experience that will enable me to build new projects each year. As I continue to develop relationships with community partners, hone my planning skills, and further involve my colleagues, my ultimate goal is to help lead my district down the path to becoming a true STEAM district.
I am working with a small but growing group of colleagues in several schools in our district to develop community-based PBL-style units of study for our students. This training can help us all. Our students will emerge from school with true problem-solving experience, confidence in their own abilities, connections with community partners, and an authentic sense of WHY they need to learn the concepts we are charged with teaching them.
Students always learn better when they understand the reasons why they need the knowledge, and certainly doubly so when they learn by doing projects, especially if they are immersed in a project for a relatively short but intense period of time. This training will help me learn to plan and implement these unique, immersive, problem-solving units of study for years to come.
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