Project-Based Learning

Project based learning is always something that I enjoyed to do whenever I was in high school, and I continue to enjoy doing projects in college. Whether it was making a poster, presenting a powerpoint, or making a model of something, I almost always learn more than just being lectured too. Projects give me much less stress than an exam would, and I believe that I learn more while engaging myself in a project. Group projects are good, but there is always that person who does not want to contribute as much as the rest of the group members. This can be hard to deal with, because the rest of the group feels like they were cheated and being used for a grade.

According to the Buck Institute for Education, there are 8 essential items that a project needs to be successful. I picked four of the 8 that I think sound the most important to follow and they are listed as:

• Good Questions 
• What the student needs to know
• Give the students a choice on the type of project
• Feedback and revision for following years

I feel these 4 items are the most important because a good question will spark the students interest and get them excited to learn more. Giving the students what they need to know before the project starts is essential for their success on the project; there should be previous instruction regarding the project before the students start. Also, giving students a choice on the type of project they would like to complete is important, no one wants to be told they have to write a paper if they do not do good on papers compared to a powerpoint/ poster. Finally, I believe that getting feedback from students is important to our success as teachers, even the best ideas/ lessons can be made better! I believe the other 4 items are important, these are just the 4 I seen as most important. You can find the article at: http://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/attachments/article/1058/8_Essentials_article_small_file_size_Oct2012version.pdf

Teaching students the ability to solve problems is essential in todays world; students are to often just given all of the information they need. Real life is hardly ever laid out in a powerpoint for us to read and follow. Creating problem solving students is essential and in my eyes, goes hand in hand with teaching agriculture and mechanics. There is not always going to be a guide to follow, and having the skills to think through the problem at hand is what sets people apart.

It will be my mission to create students who can effectively think through a problem and come up with the correct answer/ solution to their problem. I see too many people today who cannot figure out what to do if someone is not "spoon feeding" them the information. Creating meaningful projects backed with an essential question will get the students interested in the subject matter and they will be more likely to learn.

Thanks,
Mike