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Uploaded by Jane Mittelman on 2017-06-17.

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Overall, my increase in project and problem-based learning seemed to have a positive outcome in my classroom. I heard less students speaking poorly to each other and I found less students reporting that they felt inferior. Similarly, introducing projects that the students could self-select allowed students to choose something at their own level to serve as an accomplishment. From my research I found that when implementing projects in the classroom it is important to not remove the discussion and reflections from the course. I accomplished this by having the students complete a design document throughout the term. This encouraged students to write about their brainstorming, the steps they took to complete their project, and even required them to reflect on their work and make recommendations for a future student to pick up the work and improve upon it. Similarly, they needed to make real world connections by solving a real-world problem, and coming up with a solution that they believed would fix it. Also, I required that students meet with a "knowledgeable person" bi-weekly for the entire term and provide write ups. This encouraged the students to reach beyond the classroom and out into the community. Overall, I felt like the equity in the classroom was greatly increased and on an individual level students felt more capable and confident in their own abilities.

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Student Reflections on our all Project Based Class

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Student Reflections on our all Project Based Class

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Ms. Mittelman understand how we learn and gives us a lot of advice to guide us. She constantly check on how we're doing and makes sure that we know what we need to do to improve.

She teaches me and trusts me to do things on my own. She gives me confidence.

This is my favorite class! Sometimes I wish that the class would either be a little more structured in terms of who does what or have an accountability system because I think that in some work groups, certain people consistently put more effort into the work than others.

You are able to take the difficult and turn it into a simplistic way of learning.

Ms. Mittelman is always happy to help us with our project. If she ever cannot help us directly she will point us in the right direction.

Course is fun but time needs to be built in for those projects where people need to learn new concepts for the project.

Projects let me learn at my own pace through the different steps: speeding up with things are easy and slowing down when things are challenging.

As a girl the projects let me have a girl partner and together we work hard and no one gets to tell us what we can't do. Especially Miss. Mitt who tells us we can do anything.

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Within engineering, teaching, and the research completed here I have personally found that problem-based and project-based can be seen as one in the same in engineering because we are focused on always beginning any project by asking "what is the problem we are trying to fix?". While some disciplines define them differently, such as mathematics, I will use them interchangeably from here on out.

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This section of footage is brief moments of major success at the end of the term for my students. They worked all term to complete a project within their group and then presented at the end of the term to finish up the problem follow-up and the post-problem reflection as defined by Evenson (2000). Students presented their physical working models as well as ~25 page documents that outlined all of the steps they took. The outcome was incredible and the students not only learned new ideas, but had incredible pride in their projects!

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Uploaded by Jane Mittelman on 2017-06-16.

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I teach all of my courses at St. Paul's School in a lab - sometimes referred to as a "maker space". Students are asked to engage with content while surrounded by tools, projects, filled tables, and a lot of other potential distractions. When completing independent work I find that students are more critical of their own work and of others. Rather than commenting on the product, they comment on their abilities. Similarly, when they complete group work that is overly structured I find the students limiting themselves to their predetermined limits rather than trying to push themselves. I am hoping that by implementing more group work with less structure that students will be more willing to try new things and form confidence in their abilities.

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Boaler, J. (2002). Learning from Teaching: Exploring the Relationship between Reform Curriculum and Equity. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 33(4), 239-258. doi:10.2307/749740

Brown, P., & Abell, S. (2007). Perspectives: Project-Based Science. Science and Children, 45(4), 60-61. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43174795

Evensen, D. H., & Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2000). Problem-based learning: a research perspective on learning interactions. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Metz, S. (2015). Editor's Corner: Project-Based Science Learning. The Science Teacher, 82(1), 6-6. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24148462

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Main Points:

The driving question allows for smaller questions to provide more investigative opportunities.

Projects sustain students and result in more prolonged and deeper learning.

Teachers must guide students through the investigative question as well as the smaller questions to ensure their continued attention.

Projects, presentations, and reports after help to summarize the work completed.

It is important to give formative feedback throughout the process and not just at the end upon submission.

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Perspectives: Project-Based Science on JSTOR

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Patrick L. Brown, Sandra K. Abell, Perspectives: Project-Based Science, Science and Children, Vol. 45, No. 4, Science Fairs and Beyond (December 2007), pp. 60-61

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Main Points:

It's important that the lessons create a feeling of "need to know for the students".

Collaboration needs to be bigger than just the students and also include teachers, community, and society.

Cyclic process of critique and revision is required for success.

Projects allow students to simultaneously grow their creativity and interpersonal skills while learning the topics.

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Editor's Corner: Project-Based Science Learning on JSTOR

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Steve Metz, Editor's Corner: Project-Based Science Learning, The Science Teacher, Vol. 82, No. 1, PROJECT-BASED SCIENCE (January 2015), p. 6

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Problem-based Learning: A Research Perspective on Learning Interactions

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Problem-based Learning: A Research Perspective on Learning Interactions

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Main Points:

Influenced by medical students that expressed a lack of interest until they began working with patients.

In order to understand one's knowledge they must be able to articulate how they have applied it.

Problem-centered environments help to increase cognitive development and self-awareness.

PBL steps: introduction and climate setting, starting a problem, problem follow-up, post-problem reflection

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This volume collects recent studies conducted within the area of medical education that investigate two of the critical components of problem-based curricula--the group meeting and self-directed learning--and demonstrates that understanding these complex phenomena is critical to the operation of this innovative curriculum.

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This is my students doing the "instant challenge" . The students were asked to construct a prototype of a cell phone tower that could float for use after a major storm. They were given straws and a minimal amount of tape to use amongst their group to create their design. I had previously tried to implement project and problem based learning, but without much more research other than

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Uploaded by Jane Mittelman on 2017-06-15.

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Learning from Teaching: Exploring the Relationship Between Reform Curriculum and Equity

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Learning from Teaching: Exploring the Relationship Between Reform Curriculum and Equity

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Main Points:

Within math students are often under the impression of what they "cannot do" rather than what they "can learn to do".

Changing course methods to include dialogue helps to better equalize the students.

When introducing real world contexts with the goal of helping to reduce gender and socioeconomic gaps it is important to ensure all students have familiarity with the topic.

Open-ended work seems to help encourage equity in the classroom.

Equity is promoted not just through curriculum, but through the teaching style used to teach it.

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Learning from Teaching: Exploring the Relationship between Reform Curriculum and Equity on JSTOR

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Some researchers have expressed doubts about the potential of reform-oriented curricula to promote equity. This article considers this important issue and argue...

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Does project based learning increase equity in an engineering classroom?

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Does project based learning increase equity in an engineering classroom?

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How does project based learning encourage feelings of equity amongst my students?

Is there a difference in the results of project based learning if students pick their groups versus being assigned?

How does group learning change the experience for students?

What is my role as a monitor in ensuring the productivity of group work?

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After getting my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering I decided to teach engineering at St. Paul's School in NH. During my time at Temple University I was often talked down to by my male peers complaining that I did not work for my grades, but was given them for being a girl. I found that their voices grew to be a part of my inner dialogue. When given projects I instead found that no one could argue I was only given the grade for being a girl, but rather my work and success was evident from the completed project. I hope you enjoy the story of how I decided to change my classroom to encourage all of my students.

Professional Learning Goals:

For all students to see themselves as future engineers

For students to be willing to make mistakes

For students to be constantly asking and answering questions as a way to grow

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After completing this research I decided to implement some new techniques into my classroom. This video depicts my students working as a whole class. I did this because previously I had only had the students work in small groups and I had found that there was not a basis built. This video was the first step into a large ongoing project where the students would self-select their groups and complete a real world project for the majority of the term. I was hoping to enhance the feeling of "need to know" as Steve Metz (2015) explains. Similarly, I introduced this level of group monitored brainstorming with the hope of ensuring that students were able to articulate their ideas, and begin in a place of common understanding of the topics to help eliminate the struggles that Boaler (2002) expressed of students having different jumping off points when real-world ideas were implemented. Finally, this was my attempt at following the strict rules of PBL as discussed by Evenson & Hmelo-Silver (2000): introduction and climate setting, starting a problem, problem follow-up, post-problem reflection. I aimed to do this both within the daily activity itself as well as within the entire term.

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Uploaded by Jane Mittelman on 2017-06-15.

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Within my time in engineering classrooms, both as a student and a teacher, I have noticed that there is the inherent divide between students who have been told they are good at math and science and students who have not. I notice this divide specifically between male and female students, and I strive to make my classroom more equitable across genders.