Coaching PBL teams to focus question & delegation--critical steps

We are beginning to double back now that the arty part of our culminating projects are winding up. Students are beginning to spend more time working with their research notes and making sure that they've answered their Team Focus Question with the models and also with summaries that they're writing.

Since they were interested in putting together a Mastodon Museum, I scavenged some examples of what museum placards looked like.  Google quickly brought up many examples using the Images search function.  See these helped students remember what they themselves have seen when they've gone to places and they were able to get to work fairly quickly on it.

Where they struggled was knowing how to start writing.  Always I'm directing them to tie it back to their team question.  Asking "How does this relate to your team question", "Will this help someone understand how you've answered the question your team researched?"  or even "What were the things that kept coming up over and over again when you did all your searching?".  I watch students as they figured out that they should look for commonalities in their research notes that could easily be converted into a placard kind of thing.

Several groups realized that they didn't have enough examples...I was thrilled to watch one group get up and go outside my room to look at another group's map.  The map group had pinpointed where different animals that were contemporary to the Hyde Park mastodon had lived and basic stats about those animals.  They used each other's expertise to expand the answer to their question.

I also think the big improvement I made in how we are approaching this culminating presentations is to have them do a better job with time management.  Before they jumped into working on their models, I insisted (and I had lots of sad faces and exasperated glances) that they draw up a plan that had specific tasks for each person with specific due dates.  And then they had to write it all in their planners so that I could see they knew exactly what and when their products were due.  These were all due dates they established within their teams and that will be interim steps to meeting my final deadline date.

They sort of cracked up when they realized it sounded much harder than it really was.  Most figured out that there wasn't enough left to do on their models so that one or two of the group could continue working on the placard.

This was a huge revelation for them.  Previously I don't think they had much idea about the practicalities of delegation.  This project helped them see that possibility.  What I had hoped for was that they would build on the strengths of each team member and delegate along those lines.  Sometimes it worked out that way....sometimes it didn't.  I'll have to see where everything sorts out in the end to see what I think is my best way to coach them through the next time.

Comments

[Brenda Sherry]

Hi Marsha,
I'm amazed at what you are doing - how excited your kids are, and the wonderful gift you give to others when you share in this way - including the joys and the challenges.
I know you won't like it if I get too sappy, but seriously, this is the real deal! It's hard to teach this way, but it's soooo rewarding. Bravo to you! We love hearing about how your students are making progress.

I'm going to get my class checking out your blog this week! :)

I will need to revisit your posts over the next few weeks to really make some specific comments - hope you can be patient with me - too many irons in the fire right now!! :)

Brenda

[Marsha]

Well Brenda....thank you for your words of encouragement. It's a journey to be sure. But I always know that I have a bunch of folks who have my back and will help me figure all these things out.

Still I think one of my breakthrough moments was when Peter showed us those sliders. Later when Sheryl explain how it was a a huge tapestry. Both of these experiences forged a way that I could think about this in my mind.... I couldn't put it together before then. But now I feel like I have a bead on what to do.Believe me when I say....I know you're there if I need you. I learned from some of the best!!! :->

I'm really at a testing phase right now but I plan on moving ahead and I'll be able to figure out what works for me and my kids with enough experimentation. I wasn't there in believing I could do this before this summer....so I'm pretty stoked.

Thank you for your support. It means so much.