Group PBL Learning Lesson

PBL stands for Problem or Project-Based Learning, and that's excatly what it is.  How do PBL's work? First you must question something, like for example, "Are we getting colder?"  Next you must plan, schedule, monitor to facilitate the process, assess in an varied, authentic way while looking at time and effort put into it, and lastly you must evaluate. PBL's have been said to be "the most effective tool for organizing content and motivating students to think hard." from the article The PBL Launch Pad, Part One: Worthwhile Proejcts for High School Students by Eeva Reader. The project the students are to accomplish is defined as "an authentic performance-assessment task in which students must apply the knowledge and skills learned in class to solve a genuine problem outside the classroom." (Reader)  Also, teachers need to keep in mind that when using the word problem, that does not mean there is one single solution or that all solutions are known.  PBL examples I witnessed in class were schools presenting a challenge of designing a school for math class and being judged by actual contractors for their assessment, or students going on a hike to observe things in nature to solve a presented problem.  By making the assignment rigorous and relevent, students must put forth an effort to acheive finding some kind of solution that they can proudly defend.  It makes learning meaninful and encourages students to start thinking in the same way they may in their future career.
The PBL my group and I created was called "Hazardville" which was the name of a town that was in crisis!  This town was becoming polluted and littered since people were not recycling, reusing, and respecting their environment.  The town included a lake that flowed down through the town, a factory in the middle, a school near the end of the river, and a landfill by the source of it.  Students were presented with these three questions to answer, "What do you think Hazardville needs to do to improve the town's quality of life for it's citizen's?" "What are some programs you would implement in Hazardville to turn the city into a more healthy place to live?" "What would you do if you lived in Hazardville and were in charge of making the changes needed to restore health in Hazardville?"

I found it somewhat challenging to think of a real life question that would be interesting enough, challenging enough, but still within students zone of proximal development so it would benefit them the most.  Environment problems are a fairly big issue these days, such as global warming and "going green", so I feel like this PBL is appropriate for students to familiarize themselves with.  When I am plannning my next PBL, I am now aware of things to do differently and am aware of technology sources that will come in useful when designing it, presenting it, and assessing it.  When thinking about PBL topics, the options are truly endless!

Here is the map one of my group members made for our PBL displaying the city's set up to show where everything is located.

Here is a link called Edutopia where you can watch, read, and learn about more PBL's and how they are being implemented and carried out in schools today!