-:Leading School Project and Reflections:-
How will I share learning with my team to create awareness about PBL, its implementation and breaking away from standard practices followed in national curricula?
Like most other schools in India, even my school had this poem by Rabindranath Tagore as a prayer. I recall the poem and the setting in which we sang in all its vividness. But the profound depth entrenched within these words shower meaning now. Now, I wonder whether our school systems are examples of such freedom, thought and wisdom. Can they be molded into such systems? Are we creating classrooms like this after so many years- almost a century after?
Background
TGES caters to needs of all students across various education boards that will help students achieve success. For years education boards have followed examination that promote rote learning and this system is so deeply ingrained that rote learning, success in examinations, admission to institutes of higher education is a sort of a rat race within the culture, wildly spread and widely accepted. Any change in this format leads to resistance.
Teaching for Understanding (TFU) was one such approach for TGES, (for details please log on to HYPERLINK "http://www.tges.org" www.tges.org) based on concepts from the experiments carried out at Harvard School of Education's HYPERLINK "http://www.pz.gse.harvard.edu/teaching_for_understanding.php" \o "" \t "_blank" Project Zero. In this methodology, practical exploration facilitates deeper understanding as opposed to the traditional content-driven teaching. The philosophy believes in providing inputs and environment that integrate learning and playing, knowledge and values, reasoning and creativity and, discipline and freedom through the beautiful blend of experience and discoveries.
This was more like a Lab school for TGES, a successful model and one that caters to primary and elementary levels. For TGES it indeed was right environment to take this success forward to larger community and introduce 21st century learning skills to all its stake holders. PBL was initiated at TGES with these things as background and liberated education from rote learning was at its forefront. At TGES we had already began the academic session from June 2012 and we in middle school had started with a project with our own understanding, based on research, exploring BIE website and some other resources. Our school year started in June 2012, a separate unit with 400 boys and girls forming a special unit in middle school began its journey for PBL. This was a major step for any school offering National curricula, to introduce a new methodology for teaching and learning and preparing for high stakes examination at the end of grade 10. Identifying learning curve and enrolling for LSP was to bring in the 21st century skills to the ever evolving TGES.
My participation in Leading Schools Program, along with 7 other colleagues from TGES was first step towards a learning curve that we all had about PBL. The journey began with exploring HTH virtually and PBL seemed so very fascinating! The excitement of LSP, being able to come to High Tech High and being a part of program was more of a learning curve rather than a dream. Introductory session on day one, Odyssey at HTH was overwhelming! It re-confirmed that one can learn and reinvent oneself at any age and that; PBL indeed is provocative and energizing!! Next few days were over whelming and very honestly I did not want to go back to my school!! World at HTH was so very different and so very exciting …demanding that we create other structures that are reflective of excellence in work, approach, teaching and learning processes.
As I reflect upon this week, I wonder was there anything that one did not know? One did not want to practice learn, follow? Was anything so very difficult and scientific that apprehension to implement would be so high? I guess, it is more from the fact that ‘changing’ self and accepting newer paradigms is a bit difficult specially when old habits give success and sigmoid curve is unheard off.
My reflective question to self:
Will I be able to handle the “fascination”? Will this fizzle out with routine and daily rigor because of my role?
Do I have enough expertise to trade on this path? What if I fail and Project backfires?! What I want to learn/experience most… shouldn’t be my negative experience.
My Leading School Project emerged from these thoughts to establish self as learner and share the same learning with other team members at my workplace, to introduce PBL and its process at TGES and to consolidate learning for TGS and PBL units.
My research question, fierce wondering:
How will I share learning with my team to create awareness about PBL, its implementation and breaking away from standard practices followed in national curricula.
What will be a part of my digital portfolio?
What is a good time frame? Will this time frame help me achieve all that I would want to accomplish?
My learning and Sharing Strategy
1) Impact of Ron Berger and other authors on our work
2) Protocols- what are they, why and why must we use them for accountability
3) Peer Critique- the power of learning and collaborating
4) Collaboration- with colleagues, for seeking guidance and accepting that others too can
Contribute
5) Voices and choice- for students, for flexibility, for their products, groupings
6) Guiding and working with teams on various Projects
My colleagues would say that Collaboration and Integration is my strength; Collaboration and cooperation comes naturally to me. This again could be because of the role that I play in the team and organization! Also my subject introduces me to worlds of integrating learning and connecting to the broader aspects of building knowledge.
Connecting to “protocol” and imbibing them as work culture is another aspect that I learnt and shared with my team.
During Odyssey there were many aha moments!
The first one came on the very 2nd day when I explored and was introduced to the idea of Essential questions and products. It seemed so simple! As the session sunk in, connections became clearer and may be it made me grow closer to understand PBL and how projects can emerge!
Upon returning to India, during our first session for sharing our experiences and learning sessions about HTH, I followed the similar strategy and it was well received by TGES team members. I was fascinated by Essential questions and products, and simplicity, and power it has in making projects look so doable.
Another aha moment was when I first experienced a session for project fine tuning and protocol for the same. I was a part of the group wherein most members were from HTH and it seemed as if they were rehearsing!! It took me some time to understand the protocol! Time given to presenter, time for probing and clarifying questions and time when the presenter is away- from the discussion… it appeared to me like a rehearsed play… till, I got the essence of the protocol. Thankfully it struck to me, I got my clarity and meaning during the de-brief and this new experience of learning has stayed with me since then.
Throughout the year; QQCs have been a regular feature of the LSP. I believe they have influenced me, my thinking patterns and my plans as an educator quite significantly. The prerequisite format of these assignments as a structured analysis has helped me methodically identify takeaways from reading the books. The critical, focused and exhaustive analysis of these academic books has been most beneficial because it has provided a framework for implementation and execution. It has also helped in objective evaluation of implemented ideas. For instance, “Protocol” has set a firm foundation for the conduction of various discussion and meetings for maximum efficiency.
These books have also been a background base for expansion and improvisation of practices already in place. “Drive” was particularly illuminating in that sense for it provided answers for questions which have long been on my mind and also explain patterns within classroom behaviour. QQC has also helped me to connect across real life experiences and apply and maximize learning drawn from these collections. Most importantly I have learnt from learning shared by others through their reflections and questions.
Some of the Project that were successful at TGES in Middle school and Secondary/Higher Secondary School
Olympics
Identity
Myself
Pedal Power
Annuities
Global Perspective projects
Sciences involved in Navratri
Sciences involved in Dentists lab
Communicable Diseases
Driver-less Car
School Auditorium
Bon Appetite
Poetry In Grade-1
Projects for TOK- Three Films- Role and Impact of Media in creating gender bias and Taste of Protest
Projects: Exploring the ‘contemporary’ history of India through AMUL billboard commercials.
Outcome of these Projects
"HTH team uses too many abbreviations and adds to our curiosity" was a comment from a colleague which reflects on how new terminology and learning is seeping in the system. WALO, QQC, CC, Entry Events, 6A's Project Fine tuning, protocols, Peer critiques have grown beyond raising the eyebrow. Peer critique and Fine tuning for projects, Meetings with specific protocols are part of TGES functioning. All 8 members of HTH team at TGES meet every Wednesday and reflect upon common understanding, learning, discussion of various projects, reading and reviewing QQC and, reflections on Edmodo. In fact, we at TGES believe that reading and reflecting everyone's views on QQC for all the books that we have read, in itself will be a good reading for learning and understanding.
What seemed as almost impossible for National curricula, introducing projects in classroom and changing the learning process, now seems very different. Teachers and students both enjoy project and the learning outcome and are experiencing the change in class room interactions, participation, connections and skill set that students have. Yes, there was resistance from students. Parents felt that lot of time is lost.... yet students and teachers attempted together and kept working for deadlines, some times extending and sometimes making them more stringent. And the magic seems to be working! Work by students in creating documentaries, be it for Pedal power, or for Communicable Diseases, for science in navratri and other projects was admirable.
Collaboration and integration seems more feasible. Teachers spend more time with colleagues discussing and reviewing content that they need to cover and how, when, where they could club, connect and assess students for authentic learning without changing the fabric of examinations. Yet there is lot to be done, there are administrative issues of planning, time management dealing with different boards and their examinations, style and different time schedules for these exams and last but not the least... Success in these examinations for all.
Project collaboration for Math and Literature, Biology and Literature were unheard in TGES! These projects and their acceptance is making PBL an acceptable option.
Discussions revolve around Probing and Clarifying questions and how we still mix them! Each Collegial Conversation helps us to reflect upon this and understand the meaning, purpose and most importantly how not to switch while following a protocol. There indeed is a long way to go!
Our documentation process has changed. National curricula required us to have very different types and similar, standardized processes, while PBL required us to re- learn the craft and still strictly adhering to significant content. Learning about the following is now an integral part of our systems:
Driving Question
Need to Know
Voice and Choice
Authentic learning
Public Audience
Real life connections
Collaborating with Team members
This year we saw more of collaboration, smooth transition and easy access to each other's classrooms. I really enjoyed introducing Habits of Mind to grade 8 students in PBL unit and these sessions helped me and students both to connect beyond academics. Our group on Edmodo reflects the diverse sharing that we have had as we kept broadening our discussions. These sessions were reflecting one thing very prominently... students need to be heard, heard for their fears, their emotions, their issues, their fake strengths, for interpretations of their classroom behaviour, for their desire to be respected and treated with equality, their desire to fight peer pressures and connecting all this to their learning needs. At our school we do not experience so much of cultural or social diversity, it is rather very negligible. Yet, diversity in classroom and class room dynamics could be so very demanding. Teaching and learning from std 8 was fun mutually. Pedal Power and Myself project consolidated this learning and relationship.
Collaborating for Annuities project was another learning curve. I had never visualized that my 17 years of work with insurance industry would be so directly used in classrooms. Collaborating with Poorvi for the Annuities project was more than just a math class! The first draft that students had for their review of various insurance and annuities and the final presentation were remarkably different. It reflected learning outcome that were designed in the project.Please follow the link for details of student work/ portfolio.
HYPERLINK "http://rohandhamsania.weebly.com/index.html" \o "" http://rohandhamsania.weebly.com/index.html
Attending presentation of learning done by grade 12 students for "communicable diseases" reflected efforts students make for learning even if topic is very different and unique and their skills of making connections. Their documentaries and digital portfolios can be viewed on this link:- HYPERLINK "http://thegalaxybiology.weebly.com/" \o "" http://thegalaxybiology.weebly.com/
Collaborating with students:-
In ToK students find it difficult to connect as it is a standalone subject and has no direct connection to any higher education program. Yet it prepares students by equipping them with reflective skills. Students found the new approach different and their participation changed for better. Our Edmodo group interactions, be it for 11th ISC or for IB was enriching experiences.
Our project "Three Films" created awareness about bias that gets created by media. It was indeed a good example of
Real world issues
Adult world connections
Perspectives that culture sets in
Students and their relationship in their classrooms
Next Steps:
There is positive change in the system and yet it has to see the snowball effect
PBL 101 Offered by BIE and its impact across TGES. July 2013 will see at least 100 projects being launched.
Collaborating with International schools (Korea School project- Culture/ Agriculture in Box) with other countries/cultures
Authentic Assessment - We must improve our rubric making skills for authentic assessment
Digital portfolio as accountability process is new for me, I did have a weebly account for ToK and have maintained a blog, but my visualization of a digital portfolio was nonexistent. One needs to have clear view of one’s plan for DP link. LSP helped me create a structure to my work.
I look forward to give new look to my DP link as I master the art of PBL.
Edmodo:
This networking site has changed paradigms for teaching learning and sharing. We at TGES extensively use Edmodo for classroom interactions. I use Edmodo for my training programs and interacting with other forums beyond my classrooms.