I am proud of my Module 4 PBL Unit, Shark Tank, but that's not why I chose to include it in my blog. When I first read about PBLs, it all seemed so daunting and overwhelming. But when I started to really delve into the resources, all of the pieces sort of fell into place and I somehow managed to tame the savage beast.
I guess I doubted that I could pull this one off...but I did. I put together what I think could be a really good PBL for my direct-instruction kiddos. For me, that was one of the biggest challenges of this assignment--developing a PBL that would be accessible to students with lower cognitive abilities. I think I did that and did it well, but that's all in theory. In reality, do I have the confidence time and know-how to really devote the weeks it would take to bring this unit to fruition? I don't know. And if I was being really honest, my answer would be I don't think so. Trying to balance a full-on PBL with standards based reporting, interventions and the prescribed curriculum seems like too much of a mountain to climb. Moreover, it concerns me that my low-ability students may not come away with enough basic-skill instruction to justify the project. And would they also "get" some of the other non-tangible PBL objectives like problem-solving, independent thinking and collaboration? I'm not so sure.
But is this PBL something I could have pulled off before taking this course? No way, no how. So I suppose that's the moral, isn't it? Maybe I will choose not to do this PBL, but if I make that choice, it won't be (or shouldn't be at least) out of fear, incompetence or ignorance. It would be because I purposefully and intentionally decided that it wasn't right for my classroom at this moment...and maybe, just maybe, that moment will one day arrive.
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