After a number of learning opportunities this year including a visit to High Tech High in San Diego, I have a better understanding about the meaning of PBL.
Learning how to implement PBL in the classroom is no easy task, but I believe that the key to implementation is passion. We need to be passionate about our jobs and about providing engaging work for our students. Students need to be allowed to follow their passions in a learning environment that allows for choice. Passion-based learning is the real meaning of PBL.
My technology integration team is modeling PBL this summer with a new course called, "Passport to 21st Century Learning." An important part of the course is offering choice for the teachers. As a kick-off to the course, teachers attended our two day SC Midlands Summit and selected sessions of their choice. I've just completed reading the blog posts from the teachers in my course section, and the passion is evident.
The final class project will be a PBL unit which each participant will implement during the 2012-13 school year. We hope to have an exhibition later in the school year to showcase both the teacher's PBL unit as well as the student work. If you're interested in learning more about passion-based learning, Jackie Gerstein has a great blog post.
