Introducing PBL: MY LEARNING DIARY by Antonella Petrini https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe en-us 2017-11-05 17:34:50 UTC 2026-02-14 14:50:40 UTC hello@padlet.com MODULE ONE : What is PBL and why to use it avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203656265
PBL is the acronym for Project Based Learning. It is an innovative didactic approach which can involve student in an active and conscious way of learning.

It is based on projects by which students not only acquire knowledge but they also learn life-skills such as: cooperative working, problem solving, creative thinking and so on.

PBL can also improve students’ self -esteem and help them to not give up in the face of problems and difficulties.

]]> 2017-11-05 17:38:38 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203656265 MODULE ONE: ABOUT ME avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203662119 Hi!

My name is Antonella, P.
I’m from Italy and I actually teach foreign languages in a secondary school.

I’m interested in PBL. I think it can involve my students more than the “traditional lessons”.

I actually haven’t got any idea on how to apply PBL to my school subject.

I started this course in order to find some new ideas.

]]> 2017-11-05 18:17:23 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203662119 MODULE ONE: Why use PBL Why do you think PBL is not used more widely in our education systems? What is stopping us from achieving what is outlined in the video? What are the biggest challenges we as educators face and who is stopping us from adopting the PBL approach in our classrooms? avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203662336

PBL is an innovative way of teaching. It improves not only the knowledge of a school subject but also help the students to develop life skills-competence. The problem is that Italian schools are designed as traditional schools: teachers, students and parents are used to the traditional learning and any innovative method is considered not efficient. In addiction, in spite of all the courses we are forced to attend, the structure of the school system is still archaic. PBL are very often considered as extra curricular activities

]]> 2017-11-05 18:18:42 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203662336 MODULE ONE: Components of Good PBLShare your view on which of the 5 components (or keys as they are called in the video) you feel will be the most challenging for you to realize and why. Is it effective collaboration because your classroom space does not lend itself well to group work? Or is it assessment because your curriculum requires very regular and rigid summative assessments that you are worried will get in the way of PBL? Or maybe you are more concerned about the passivity of your students in lessons and getting them to take the initiative? Share your thoughts, concerns, reflections, avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203663528 The video is very interesting as the previous ones. However they show us scientific projects which implies research and the building of a real item, a machine or like in this video an aquaponic system. I am asking myself how to design a project based learning for literary subjects, or for mathematics or, such in my case, for foreign language learning. I am asking myself how it should be possible to design a project to teach grammar. It is easy to divide students in groups and let them collaborate and research on a item but how to help them to create something concrete as in science-projects?]]> 2017-11-05 18:27:30 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203663528 MODULE ONE: THE DRIVING QUESTION avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203665364 To start a project, it is necessary to find a good question to answer or an adequate problem to solve.
This video suggests how to use a non -Googleable question or how to turn a Googleable question into a non- Googleable question.
This means that also teachers should be creative in finding a good task for students and it is getting harder and harder to find a question that cannot be answered by Google.

]]> 2017-11-05 18:41:19 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203665364 MODULE TWO: Developing effective collaboration for PBL avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203667853 I’ve simply searched on Google images the word “collaboration” and I’ve found this pic posted. It belongs to a web site not related with school and education. I like this pic because, according to me, it represents the importance of dialogue, of asking questions and of course the connection with the net and the rest of the world. Even if this pic is not directly related with education, I think students must be educated to collaboration and to share their ideas and the results of their research on internet. I also think that students must be prepared to be competitive and collaborative to enter the labour market

]]> 2017-11-05 19:00:11 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203667853 MODULE TWO: Finding collaboration partners outside the classroomAdd an entry to your Learning Diary reflecting on which people from your community you or your students could engage with. Think about if you have contacts to or knowledge of networks of local professionals? Which organisations or people engage with the school on a regular basis? Are there any businesses working with the school such as caterers, IT companies, or sports organisations? Who are your school's neighbours? Could they be approached? What about school alumni? And who could you or your students ask for support in identifying the right people? avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203668804 As I teach in a professional school, my students have to train for two weeks in local industries so they are really involved in the labour market and they get in contact with professionals and experts.

Once in a year students are involved in a charity market: they produce garments and accessories they sell and they collect money for no profit organization or for the school. They are involved in the production of the items and than in selling them to the local community.

I think these two activities are really useful however only the second activity is a group work.

]]> 2017-11-05 19:06:40 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203668804 MODULE THREE: Developing student-driven activities for PBLBriefly describe a situation in your professional or personal life where you were first unsuccessful but because you stuck with it you succeeded in the end. Finish by identifying why you stuck with the problem/task and did not give up avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203669218
I had problem with the 4^th year students. The students didn’t apply at all and it was almost impossible to have regular classes with them because they were unmotivated, noisy and so on…

I decide to make them work in groups, giving each group a different topic on which they must research and produce a final relation. I created these groups mixing students with different levels of competence in order to help those with less competence and to motivate the best students.

However I made a big mistake: I didn’t choose a role for each member of the group so the experiment failed. I didn’t surrender and I tried again to make my students work in groups. This time I decided to use an ITC lab and let them work with computers. I gave each member of the group a different role providing that there was a student good at using internet and power point in each group. In the end my students surprised me: all groups worked in armony and produced good power point slide shows on the tasks they were assigned

]]> 2017-11-05 19:09:48 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203669218 MODULE THREE: Developing student-driven activities for PBL avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203675690 I think that the picture with this person jumping into the deep with a parachute is very expressive.

Our students must jump into the deep of knowledge even making mistakes because human beings learn more from their mistakes than from their successes during their lives. However students couldn’t be left alone while they’re jumping into the deep. The teacher should be their parachutes to guide them during the acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities. The teacher should provide the necessary instructions on how to use and drive the parachute. This procedure is called scaffolding.

Only after receiving these instructions, students will be able to jump. The teacher’s instructions will prevent students from disastrous mistakes that can also demotivate them. Students should learn from their mistakes but before they should learn also how to not be discouraged by them.

]]> 2017-11-05 20:00:52 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203675690 MODULE THREE: Developing Student Resilience Identify how we as teachers can weaken our student's confidence and independence. avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203676414 It is very easily to demotivate students and to destroy their self esteem.

It’s quite common for teachers to do this even without being aware of the consequences of their actions.

The first big mistake is to criticize students in front of their classmates or permit them to judge themselves as stupid.

The second one is to give them an activity or a problem to solve, which is too hard for them.

The third one is not to praise their success in an adequate way: teachers must use all the marks to evaluate their school works even the highest marks.

The fourth one is to not give them appropriate instructions to solve a difficult problem. It means that the teacher is not good at scaffolding.

]]> 2017-11-05 20:06:39 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203676414 MODULE THREE: RESILIENCE avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203676949 Psychological resilience is defined as an individual's ability to successfully adapt to life tasks in the face of social disadvantage or highly adverse conditions. Adversity and stresscan come in the shape of family or relationship problems, health problems, or workplace and financial worries, among others. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from a negative experience with "competent functioning". Resilience is not a rare ability; in reality, it is found in the average individual and it can be learned and developed by virtually anyone. Resilience is a process, rather than a trait to be had. It is a process of individuation through a structured system with gradual discovery of personal and unique abilities.
WIKIPEDIA]]> 2017-11-05 20:10:27 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203676949 MODULE THREE: RESILIENCE avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203677401 Resilience:

Always build from strengths
use activities students like: this will help students to do activities they don’t like
each student should have a chance to be successful in class
stimulate creative thinking
develope positive relationship in class
use cooperative learning projects in which all students must contribute to the final product
avoid focusing on failure or negative behaviours
praise in public/ criticise in private

]]> 2017-11-05 20:13:52 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203677401 MODULE THREE: avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203678244 An Entrepreneurial Mindset
Resilience, initiative and ownership, are all part of an entrepreneurial mindset. Students should take ownership of the PBL process and move their own and their peer's learning forward: they need to have an entrepreneurial mindset.

Entrepreneurial mind is not stricty connected with economics and finance, it is also a way of viewing the world as limitless in its possibilities for improvement change and innovation

An entrepreneurial mind-set can mean many things such as

being able to solve problems,
being creative,
being able to take a risk,
being able to recover from failure,
being able to work in a team and having the ability to influence.
having a positive attitude.

How can we develop an entrepreneurial mind?

being creative and innovative
being propositive
being an action oriented person
being courageous and accepting risks
being able to get out of your comfort zone
working hard
embracing life long learning
being confident and independent
being enthusiastic and passionate for whatever you do
keeping a positive attitude
being curious

PBL can develop an entrepreneurial mind because it make students aware that their future is in their hands.

]]> 2017-11-05 20:19:17 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/203678244 MODULE FOUR avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205758882 Are you free to assess students in any way you want? Or do you have to follow a strict testing system with regular standardised tests every few months? What types of assessment are common at your school/in your country? Do you collaborate with colleagues when it comes to assessment?

Usually in Italy the school period is divided into three parts called “ trimester” ( 3 periods of three months each) or three parts called “quadrimestre” ( two 4- month periods) . At the end of these periods teacher must asses the works of the students with a final official grade which is necessary to enter the following year of course.

This grade is a sum of all the grades of written and oral tasks and usually are modified according to the behaviour of the students according to some factors such as the way in which they followed the lessons, the punctuality of respecting the expiring dates of their tasks and homework and their diligence in their studies.

During the school period the students and their families can check their grades and can discuss with the teachers about problems and difficulties, so they are well aware of what they are doing, what there are learning and how.

Each task is evaluated according to evaluation grids created by each teacher according to evaluation criteria properly adapted to each task or exam: i.e. it is possible to evaluate a test according to the number of the right answers or asses a composition according to the correct use of the structure, the proper use of the grammar and the accuracy of the content.

Anyway the assessment is not simply a mathematical sum of grades but comprehends a lot of variable factors.

]]> 2017-11-10 17:00:17 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205758882 MODULE FOUR avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205892203

Peer Assessment for PBL

I completely agree on the fact that peer assessment is not only a way to evaluate students’ work but it is also a way to motivate them to do thing better. There is nothing as important for them than the peer judgment: when I must evaluate them making them answering questions, they feel really worried about other students’ judgment and they often ask me not to let them answer in front of the classroom even if they know the answers. This means that peer-assessment is also a way to make them work at their best capabilities. For that reason it will be better if a project ends up involving the school community, the families with a demonstration such as a gallery of works, a recital and so on…

This will also help students to acquire communicative skills.

]]> 2017-11-11 15:02:46 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205892203 RUBRICS avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205893144 I share here one video of the PBL course . I found it very interesting as I have some problems in making students understand how they have been evaluated. I agree that rubrics are transparent and can also help students to understand their mistakes and how they can improve their knowledge, their skills and their competence. I also agree with the fact that a rubric can solve the problem of being unsatisfied with the results. A transparent evaluation grid can answer many questions and avoid many students' protests]]> 2017-11-11 15:12:23 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205893144 RUBRICS avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205895292 I tried the app Rubistar http://rubistar.4teachers.org
to create a rubric. I was thinking about a project on energy sources ending with a final slide show and a discussion. I only used the form the app has provided just only to see how this app works.
I like the ready -to use forms and I also like the way in which you could modify them according to what you want to evaluate. rubric number:2722212 ]]> 2017-11-11 15:34:50 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205895292 my learner designer avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205904878 https://v.gd/5SjSM9]]> 2017-11-11 17:16:39 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/205904878 Margarita Dobreva's Learning Diary avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206303167 https://padlet.com/daisy63b/idc9f98jbo9t
In my opinion, the best learning diary of the course]]> 2017-11-13 15:49:47 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206303167 Peer reviews avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206310571 2017-11-13 15:59:32 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206310571 Peer review: Margarita Dobreva avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206310597 Dear Antonella,

I have read your learning diary, and I am pleased to have found out that we are colleagues; I also teach English in a secondary school. Your reflections on your graders made me smile since I often encounter the same problems with mine, the most serious being their lack of motivation. Luckily, the two of us joined this amazing course to find answers to our problems in school.

As for your learning design, I have noticed some shortcomings that you might take into consideration in order to make a perfect lesson plan. To start with, you haven‘t formulated your driving question (the one that we had as a task in 1.6., and later on - 2.6.). So, you can replace the name ‘PBL COURSE‘ with it. I also noticed the mismatch between the learning and designed time (just correct the 60 minutes to 540). The description section is absolutely exhaustive, and I have a clear idea what you are planning to do; however, don‘t you think it might be better to shorten it to a simple instruction? You can always explain the tasks in details in the classroom. Perhaps you didn't pay attention, but you put no outcomes; it takes few minutes to add those.

Your TLAs are well designed, and the activities are clearly scaffolded to achieve your final goal. I especially like the time planned for students‘ collaboration activities. Assigning a personal role to each member of the groups is a great idea, really. However, why don‘t you try to flip your classroom , thus giving more independence to your students? Your presence throughout the project would be a minus. Are you sure a PP presentation is the only option for a final product? Perhaps your students can use a great number of other tools (to their liking) to present their opinions on the matter.

Last but not least, the topic of your project is very important, and I do like your idea to invite stakeholders from outside your classroom to participate in the discussions/debates with your students. That will definitely make your project more visible to the community, and the impact will be much greater. As an afterthought, you may further add innovation and creativity to your project by simply encouraging your student to create models that can apply directly to your school (or their homes, etc). Thus, they may come to absolutely new solutions.

The rubric you are going to use is perfect, of course; you might also add few short peer -, and self-assessment approaches such as he KWL Chart ( what do you know, what would you like to know, and what have you learned?), or some others, like those enumerated in ’53 Ways to Check for Understanding‘.

Fingers crossed for an enjoyable and rewarding time with PBL!

Kind regards,

Margarita Dobreva, Bulgaria

]]> 2017-11-13 15:59:34 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206310597 Peer review: Anna Cantacessi avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206311406 Hi Antonella!

I gave a look at your learning design. The topic you chose is very interesting and useful. On the basis of the model of the PBL project the first thing I checked was the 'driving question'. But I didn't find an open-ended question but only a generic title. I think you should also introduce some short assessment activities to check if the content the students are looking for are right are wrong.

]]> 2017-11-13 16:00:44 UTC https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206311406 Some of the collaborative tools mentioned by my peers in exercise 2.5.: ( copied form Margarita Dobreva's learning diary avenusitita https://padlet.com/avenusitita/rurqvqiyp8qe/wish/206313021 TeamUp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIqxZJf-6I8; http://teamup.aalto.fi/

Eduscrum: http://eduscrum.nl/en/

Moodle: https://moodle.org/

Wiser me: http://app.wizer.me/ ; http://blog.wizer.me/how-to-assign-worksheets-to-students/

Pindex: http://www.pindex.com/

Dotstorming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M2keRMCr_c

Popplet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxLDsWHsQ1g

Kahoot: https://www.weareteachers.com/best-of-teacher-helpline-12-ways-to-use-kahoot-in-your-classroom/

Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/

Remind: https://www.remind.com/

Play/decide: http://www.playdecide.eu/getinvolved.html

Survey Monkey: https://pt.surveymonkey.com/user/sign-in/

Qizizz: https://quizizz.com/