I have been an English teacher for about 20 years and I really like it very much.

However, I think my school has a lot of good things. It is surrounded by trees and pure air and the buildings are modern.  There are big classrooms, with a classical layout (students in rows in front of the teacher's desk). There are some interactive whiteboards, every classroom has a PC linked to the projector and the WiFi connection is very good. Besides thare are 3 cumputer classrroms we can use upon reservation. The students can also book laptops to take into the classroom and work if necessary and  the same happens with the 15 Ipads (which teachers can ask for in adavance).

            So, for a first approach I will:

·         talk to them and understand what each student/group of students already knows about their topic;  

·         know what they can do with their project work;

·         explain what they will need to know and be able to do;

·         understand how big the learning gap between what they know and what they need to know is;

·         understand what scaffolding strategies will help them bridge this gap and still keep the learning process challenging.

 

            By using this approach I will help them identify what they will like to do within my driving question.

            The next step is to help them make choices on all their key project related aspects (resources to use, product to create, and use of time). I will help them by using strategies like:

·         building curiosity for the project to develop;

·         tapping into prior knowledge (Let’s share some of your experiences or ideas about what you have to do”)

·         asking what skill they will need in order to work in team successfully;

·         using mind maps, prompts to help them build their work;

·         giving them time to talk and articulate their ideas to define what are the specific tasks each of them is going to do)

·         activating pervious vocabulary on the topic  (Let’s look at these images related to our topic and see what words come to your mind when you see them – brainstorming activity)

·         giving students voice and choice in the process (“Think about the uses of……/ What kinds of things do we use …. for?/ What would be useful to know now?”)

·         encouraging them to seek answers on their own (“Think for a minute and reflect on this idea./How do you do that? / What does this have to do with the project?”)

·         making time for reflection and revision ( “Think of what is working well in the group”)

·         encouraging them for their team work (“I’m really proud to hear how well you are working together.”)

·         encouraging them to overcome their problems ( Where are you stuck? How can we change this? I know you can do it”)

·         motivating them to look for information in different places (“Where can you find the information you need for this now?”)

·         giving feedback to each student on how well he/she is performing his/her task;

 

            For students to take ownership of the PBL process and move their own and their peer's learning forward, they need to have an entrepreneurial mindset. We, as teachers, can help them developing this entrepreneurial mindset and show they have to be persistent and eager to know more, think outside the box, be creative and innovative, be self-confident and self-reliant and don’t mind failure. 

            And I think that it is exactly what the PBL approach does for them.

 

After they have reached to some conclusion each member of the group presents his/her ideas to his colleagues and they decide the best approach for their work: the creation of a fantastic ad.

 

They set up to the creation of their ad, which may take the form they wish (a flashcard, a 3D work, a flyer, a video….).

 

After they have reached to the first draft of their work, they have to make sure it follows the lines of ethics in advertising. So they have to do a little research about this.

They come together and share their opinions about their first draft, trying to understand each one’s point of view and what could be better having in mind consumer habits and society.

 

They go on with their work by changing what they have decided is not suitable or adequate for their final product.  They use their creativity skills, by thinking out of the box with the help of scaffolding techniques provided by the teacher all along the process.

Al through the process I will use a group of techniques that will allow students to understand whether their work is on the right track or not. I will use assessment techquines such as:

1.      at the end of each step ask students "How did our lesson today relate to the driving question?" If they are able to successfully respond and elaborate, I will know that I have tied the lesson sufficiently to the project.

2.      refer back to a list of things to be known and that was defined before: at the end of each class period, ask students if they feel there are any items that can be crossed off the need to know list because they have been sufficiently discussed and answered in class.

3.      at the end of the class, do a "thumb check" -- pointing a thumb upward if they feel they have sufficient understanding of the work they have done, and pointing a thumb downward if they do not. If even one student gives a thumb down, it may be revisited later.

4.      at the end of the class do a “ticket out the door” to encourage students to reflect on their learning.

5.      at the beginning of the class use “bell ringer” activities to check in on student understanding.

6.      track progress with digital tools (use mobile devices or podcasts to get more information on the work done);

7.      use the Think-Pair-Share strategy ( students think about their questions, then discuss it with their partners and then they may share it with others);

8.      create individual portfolios to register their learning process;

9.      peer assessment with the Ladder of Feedback h