Hey everyone,
I really wish my teachers knew about Project Based Learning when I was still at school. However, i don't blamed them because they were too busy trying to finish a preset curriculum because, here in Lebanon, the educational system is still rather retarded. Teachers are always stressed out because they have certain areas that they have to cover before Grade 9 when students will sit for an official exam. And then again, they have three years to finish all the areas related to the Grade 12 official exams.
The official exam itself is not the problem, it's the material we have to learn, or actually memorize, that is causing the real problem. Basically, by the end of the Grade 12 official exams, students are so over-charged with knowledge that they need a whole new re-education to be able to function well at the university. This reminds me of one of my teachers at the university who used to tell us that we are so used to being "spoon-fed" information that we never learned to go look for it and neither do we have the energy to do so either.
I believe that PBL can help out a lot in this area however, the students may find a lot of information which is important but not related to the expectations of the official exams. What do you think can be done regarding this?
Charbel
Dear Charbel,
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to read about the official exam your students have to pass in Lebanon. The simile to being “spoon-fed” is rather strong.
I believe that there’s a wide choice of different projects which will help you both to prepare your students for the exam and enhance their language skills in use of English in the whole.
But of course it will take you more time to prepare your lessons.
Irina
I bet there are methods, but they take too much time to apply although their effect will be longer lasting. However, the students have to learn at least 11 subjects and sit for a four-day test in ALL of them.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Charbel
Hi Charbel,
ReplyDeleteThe Grade 12 official exams in Lebanon seem to be really demanding. I think that engaging students in project based learning would help them select, analyze, synthesize information instead of just memorizing it. Besides, it would create a motivating need for them to look for that information as well. I'm sure we all agree that "spoonfeeding" students prevents them from becoming autonomous learners.
Although lesson planning may take longer, as Irina pointed out, it would definitely have better long-term results for the students. No doubt they would be developing strategies and critical thinking skills they could transfer not only to their university studies but also to other areas of their life. I think the effort of giving PBL a try would definitely pay off.
Best,
Margarita
Hey Margarita,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you. However, the problem lay not in longer lesson planning, but in longer lesson implementation. In most areas, you barely have time to finish the curriculum during the school year, even in the traditional spoonfeeding method. If you were to implement PBL, you'd need twice the time at least, and still not get results because the examiners expect to see the contents of the books in the exams, and not the students' own thinking skills.
Regards,
Charbel
Hello Charbel and All,
ReplyDeleteOur methods of learning/testing should be continually changing – mostly because we want our students to experience all forms of learning and not become “stuck” when they’re required to do something later in life in a different way than they’ve learned.
On the other hand, we may not give up paper and pencil tests, as this wouldn’t prepare them adequately for possible future tasks either. I hope this makes sense. What we need here in Lebanon is to continually VARY the approaches so students will be prepared to handle whatever task is thrown their way!
I see with you Charbel that projects may help students understand and retain information greatly – as compared to simply learning about a topic and regurgitating the info back to the teacher on a test. Why? Because they become part of the learning through their projects!
By the way, I like the way you deal with your “sensitive” students. You seem sure a part of the God-offered compensation of what they already lack.
Brotherly Regards,
Hassan
Hey Hassan,
ReplyDeleteIt's just that I never do anything unless I am sure that I can do it with love and pleasure. otherwise, I just delegate it to someone who will. When I teach them, I teach them with reverence. I don't regard them as children with special needs, I see them as potential learning opportunities for me because, the more I teach them, the more I learn from them.
Brotherly regards back,
Charbel