I am inspired by problem-based learning and cross-curriculum lessons. There are some many different paths to take and an unlimited amount of knowledge and learning that can be wrapped into each activity. How often do the students’ ideas get incorporated into teaching the lesson next year? Can you modify the activities based on the students’ interest as the project progresses? Because they are able to talk things out while they are experiencing, I am sure the students mention what other cool stuff they like to learn.
I’m not sure how accurate this is, but… I have heard of high school classes that take on a single project at the beginning of the year, develop it throughout the year, and end up doing dramatically better on their end-of-the-year testing than the typical class. From what I gather, it is a student-driven activity where they are allowed to take the project down any path they feel is worthwhile. As long as the students meet milestones along the way, they are able to fully explore the topic choice. This would be an excellent way to learn.
As much as I would like to implement PBL and cross-curriculum teaching into my classroom, I find it completely overwhelming. How do you ensure that the standards are met when some activities are student-driven? How do you provide documentation that the timeframe requirements of each subject are being met? If the lesson is genuinely cross-curriculum do you need to have specific time slots for every subject or can it be all lumped together in a way that allows it to flow naturally? If there is a writing lesson for social studies that takes 15 minutes, is that time deducted from the language arts block? Having a specific time table for each area of learning is so much more cut and dry. If students are 100% engrossed in a topic, is it possible to expand the timeline for the unit and incorporate other aspects into the lessons that meet standards that were not initially in the plan? Is social studies the best area to combine this all-encompassing style of learning?