Chapter 1 Reading Response

Throughout this introduction chapter, it seems as if there are several things to keep in mind while beginning the journey through Project-Based Learning. One of the biggest ones that stood out to me was the planning and preparation that goes into a PBL approach to teaching. Project-Based Learning can be seen as the teacher standing back and letting the students discover and learn on their own, but as the chapter states, “project design is front-loaded work.” Especially as a new teacher, that can seem like an even harder task to plan for, when trying to get the hang of working in a classroom. But the chapter also goes on to say that as you continue to use these projects and tweak them year after year, there won’t be as much initial planning involved once you land successful ones. So although there may be extra hours of planning at the beginning, it eventually pays off as your collection of projects grow. There are many overall benefits of the PBL approach, not only do students learn how to work as a team, but they engage in real-world activities with problems that matter to them. The best way to get students involved is to work with things they care about. This is a huge importance when getting students to gain knowledge that will stick with them for years to come.  As the chapter mentions, the business world demands employees who know how to work collaboratively, access and analyze information, and think creatively to solve problems. Problem-Based Learning give students readiness for the real world with knowledge and necessary skills. Teachers who use the PBL approach are more successful in preparing students for a “world that’s certain to continue changing.” A few things that need to be considered in the PBL approach would first be getting other teachers and staff in your school on board. As mentioned in the chapter, there was a man who struggled to work PBL into his classroom calling it an “uphill battle”. When other teachers didnt integrate similar teaching aspects, it made his classroom more challenging, which in turn made it harder to get students to excel.  He went on to teach at New Technology High where he was able to be successful in his teaching, but I think this is one of the biggest issues when considering Project-Based Learning. At New Technology High, project based learning was the "centerpiece of instructional design." But an important hallmark of the New Tech model is that technology is not the main focus, although is surrounds the environment and is easily accessible to all students, technology is used as a tool to better learn.