Problem, Brain, Challenged Based Learning…Oh My! Distinguishing Between the Methods

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” by Albert Einstein

Fill in the blank and you have heard about some type of ‘based learning’. With all these different terms and methods it is hard to distinguish one from the other.  Many overlap and this post will be my attempt to help distinguish between them all and provide resources if you want to learn more.

Problem Based Learning: (PBL) is student centered instruction where the student learns the content through solving different problems. If you want to get started  or learn more about Problem based learning here is a good site and PBL book

Project Based Learning: (PBL) is where students create a product based on an essential content question being posed. If you want to get started  or learn more about Project based learning here is a good site and PBL book

Challenge Based Learning: (CBL) is Apple’s approach at looking at a big idea and having the students explore and find a real world solution using technology. If you want to get started  or learn more about Challenge based learning here is a good site and CBL book.

Brain Based Learning: (BBL) is taking what we know about the brain, about development and about learning and combining those factors in intelligent ways to connect and excite students’ desire to learn. If you want to get started  or learn more about Brain based learning here is a good site and BBL book.

Passion Based Learning: is allowing students to study what they are passionate about. If you want to get started or learn more about Passion based learning here is a good site and  book.

Game Based Learning: (GBL) is when students learn through playing games. If you want to get started or learn more about Game based learning here is a good site, blog and  book.

Resource Based Learning: (RBL) is an instruction which gives importance to the role of resources in the teaching and learning process. If you want to get started or learn more about Resource based learning here is a good site and RBL book.

Experience Based Learning: (EBL) is learning through experience through critical and reflective thinking. If you want to get started or learn more about Experience based learning here is a good site and article.

Discovery Based Learning: (DBL) is having students learn through discovery. If you want to get started  or learn more about  Discovery based learning here is a good article and DBL book.

Inquiry Based Learning: (IBL) is learning through explanation and discovery. If you want to get started or learn more about Inquiry based learning here are two good sites by Northeastern Illinois University and Concepts to Classroom along with this IBL book.

Technology Based Learning: (TBL) is the infusion of technology and the curriculum. There is a Technology Based Learning book but TBL should be incorporated in all learning styles.

No matter what, as educators, we must engage all learners and equip them with the skills for the 21st century. I suggest student centered learning which is doing what is best based on the student. Yes, that could mean 8 different lesson plans but isn’t that why we are in education, to do what’s best for them!

Applying 21st Century Skills with Common Core and Trading Cards

“Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.”  by Richard Paul

My new favorite FREE tool for the classroom, for grades 3-12, is Trading Cards; which is an iOS App and also web based  by ReadWriteThink. This tool is user-friendly  and allows students to practice 21st century skills with integration of Common Core Curriculum. The Trading Card tool gives students a choice to demonstrate their literacy knowledge by creating a trading card about a real or fictional character.

When you use this tool in the classroom, the learners apply all their 21st century skills. The students  have to….

- critically think about the information they need to write in each section. The sections have guiding questions to help the students if they need it.

- communicate the information in 120 characters or less per section.

- create the card adding a picture of the character they are describing.

- collaborate if you have the students work together.

The tool is user friendly and the creator can chose different backgrounds/designs and can also organize the cards by putting them in different collections. My favorite feature is that you can also share the cards multiple ways. One way is you can download them to your camera roll and then upload them to Edmodo or Gaggle accounts and have class discussions about the cards. Having students create cards based on characters in their books help them think about perspective in a creative way. This is also a great way for students to reflect on a biography they have read to synthesize the information.  There are a lot of lesson plans already created for grades 3-12, check them out here.

Here is the one I created on Steve Jobs on my iPad, then saved it to my camera roll.

If you have used ReadWriteThink- Trading Cards in the classroom I would love to know how; please share in the comment section.

Connecting Common Core with Comics Using Chogger

“Once we rid ourselves of traditional thinking we can get on with creating the future.” James Bertrand

Chogger is a new website to me and I learned about during a #21stedchat a few weeks ago. I have been ‘playing’ and exploring with it and think it is a great new web tool for the classroom.

Creating comics is engaging and inspires creativity within students. Creating stories in comic board format helps scaffold students. In Chogger, you have 10 layouts/formats to choose from. You can choose to upload pictures from your computer, webcam, draw your own, or google search right inside Chogger.  This program is easy to use, and the possibilities are endless. Did I mention it is FREE!

Creating comics also promotes 21st century learning skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration (if they work on the comic with partners or small group.) The best part is you can easily connect many ELA Common Core Standards with Chogger. You can have the students…

• Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson (RL.2 or RI.2)
• Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. (RL.3 or RI.3)
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. (RL.4 or RI.4)
• Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. (W1)
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. (W2)
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. (W3)
• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.  (W6)
• Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.  (SI.5)

You can also connect Common Core with Math; as students can create ‘how to comics’ for any topic such as fractions, “How do you add and subtract fractions with like denominators.” If you are in NC, you can also connect the NC Essential Standards for example with Science by having the students create a comic that is about ‘The day in the life of a water droplet’ for the water cycle or any other RAFT activities.

Check out my Chogger Comic here

I am really excited that Chogger is coming out with an educators version! Making it a safer place where students can create web comics, share with their friends, and have fun learning. http://classroomcomics.com. I do wish they had an app! That would make it even better!

Chogger has other great features such as Chog it! Bookmarking to learn more: Click Here

If you have used Chogger in the classroom, I would love to hear how, as I know the possibilities are endless.

BYOT: Our First Month in Review

“A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” – Thomas Carruthers

It has been a month for our Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) pilot and it has been a hug success. Each week we have more and more students bringing in devices as parents are ‘seeing’ how our teachers are using them educationally.

Each week our teachers have shared what has worked and what has not worked during their planning sessions. During this time we problem solve on how we can make it better. We have found letting the students use the device how they see fit and giving them the choice has been helpful. Meaning we do not ‘deem’ a day when they can bring their device but rather let the students bring their devices everyday and letting them know when they can take them out and use them in the classroom, just like a book. We did have some trouble as far as workflow and getting assignments turned in because of the different formats but we have found using Gaggle and Edmodo have helped with this.

Every month for the first few months we plan on doing a ‘device dig’. The device dig is when our teachers and students inventory what devices the students are bringing along with how many. We have been using this real world data as a learning experience for the students as well because they have been making graphs by collecting and analyzing the data. Then the students compare all the fifth grade classes as well.

Our device dig data for Nov

170 students 85 are bringing devices – 50%

iPods- 38

Tablets – 18 (iPads, Samsung Galaxy etc)

eReaders – 12 (Kindles and Nooks)

Phones -10

Laptops – 7

We predict after the holiday season we will have at least 20% increase and be closer to 70% of our students brining in devices. We are basing this prediction on the number of phone calls and emails asking what devices they (the parents) should buy. We have also had a lot of questions about the iPad mini’s so I do think we will see this newer device as well.

Here is a graph that represents what our usage is; the blue is internet and the red is our wi-fi. (Remember this is one grade level, 5th grade, in a K-5 school of over 1100 students.)

In order for our parents to ‘see’ what we are doing with our BYOT in the classrooms we take many photo’s and post them onto our Twitter and schools Facebook Page. We also make movie trailers as a quick, easy way to grab some parents attention.

Grading in the 21st Century

“Life is an error-making and an error-correcting process, and nature in marking man’s papers will grade him for wisdom as measured both by survival and by the quality of life of those who survive.” by Jonas Salk

Tonight’s #21stedchat (Sundays @ 8:00 EST) topic is Grades and Grading in the 21st century. I have many mixed feelings about this topic and though through a reflection, I might be able to have more clarity of how I really feel. I know this is something that I can not change as it is based on the district and state policies but it is still worth thinking about as grading is always a ‘hot topic’ and it’s important to have an open mind.

My first thoughts are, I don’t think we should grade elementary school student’s. In elementary school we as educators are trying to build the foundation of skills so the students master reading and basic math. I think grades in elementary school turn off many students causing them low or no self confidences and is the start of ‘hating school’.

I think standards-based education is what our students need. Students require ongoing teaching and learning where each student can demonstrate mastery in Common Core standards. Using standard benchmark concepts and skills, will provide an alignment among classrooms and schools yet take away the added pressure of grades.

If we eliminated grades we could focus on true learning. Teaching and learning is a cycle that should measures student achievement through a variety of formats and assessments along with ensuring multiple opportunities for students to learn until they reach mastery. I think that students should be able to retake assessments until they show mastery. I understand some educators concerns that it is not ‘fair’ because those students that worked hard the first time, should not be ‘penalized’ but isn’t mastery what learning is all about and isn’t that what we want for all students? I heard a great quote recently, “Fair doesn’t necessarily mean equal” which fits this situation perfectly.

Portfolios, I am a huge fan of student portfolios and student goals. I think all students should have a portfolio and work at their speed. Growth is what we want to see in students, portfolios are a great way of doing this. Having student lead conferences are a great way to show their growth and lets the student take ownership of their own learning which is what we want to build within students.  Portfolios can have assessments within such as performance tasks or PBL, which can be ‘graded’ or can show mastery based on a rubric.

With all this grading talk we must talk about rubrics. Again, I have mixed feelings on rubrics. I like rubrics, I think they are a great way to grade fairly and set expectations. However, I think rubrics also stunt creativity sometimes and hinder students because they either know what they have to do to get by or they don’t think ‘out of the box’ because it is not in the rubric. I have come to the conclusion that like anything you need to have a good balance which is why sometimes I use rubrics and sometimes I don’t.

I think 21st century skills such as critically thinking, communicating, collaborating and creating can all be  assessed multiple ways no matter if you are using a grading system or not.

As you can see I have mixed feelings and am excited to learn tonight from others around the  world. If you can’t make the chat or missed it, I still would love to hear your thoughts.

My New Challenge – Twitter Chat #21stedchat

“Communication, collaboration, and creativity are the skills that will help people be globally competitive in the 21st Century. For the first time in history, we are preparing students for a future we can not clearly describe.” by David Warlick

 It is hard to believe a year ago I started blogging. The reason I had started was because I knew if I was preaching 21st century learning to my students, that I needed to be practicing what I was preaching. While reflecting on my year of blogging, I realized how much it has helped become a better educator.

When I first started my blog, I was told to have a vision; my vision was, ”to collaborate with educators to make a difference in education through improving methods and reflecting. I want to seek new perspectives, take risks and continue to pursue my passions of curriculum and instruction, technology and 21st century learning.”

This past year I have met my vision! I have succeeded, failed and learned throughout-out the process. Blogging was a great challenge, that I am glad I made last year. But of course, this got me thinking, how am I going to challenge myself this school year! After thinking about it, I realized I needed to start a twitter chat about my vision. I needed to take these ideas to the the next level. I talked with a virtual friend, @dprindle, and we discussed ideas and he agreed to co-create this chat with me.

So that’s right folks, we are starting our own twitter chat. The chat will discuss 21st century teaching and learning in all grade levels and in all subject areas. Our hashtag is #21stedchat, it will be on Sundays @ 8pm, starting next Sunday, Aug 5th! We have started a site that is still under construction, http://21stedchat.wordpress.com.  Please join us as we look forward to learning and growing as better educators with all of you.