PBL Reflection: Teams and Phases

There is no ‘I’ in Team…or Phases

I spent time this week ensuring that I had a solid driving question that got to the heart of the understanding I wanted students to walk away with after being a part of my PBL unit. I started with a large list of subquestions and ended up with a jumble of activities students might participate in, assessments that might be applicable, and steps towards key parts of the PBL itself. I wrote a rough outline of a driving question which changed several times as my list evolved.

After sorting through my list I was able to whittle down my various thoughts into ten core questions that I believed would not only flow into each other but would also result in an understanding that allows each students to answer the driving question I found myself asking. My fundamental question also took on a more final form when I added the key qualifying word ‘Success.’ I felt this word was important as it encourages students to consider how they will assess their own work as the project progresses.

My list of questions and driving question was further refined as I completed the visual organizer and got more of a sense of what the unit would look like from the perspective of students involved in each section. Since I have produced many concerts myself over the years I am aware of all the jobs that are needed. However, I had to consider how all the various jobs that need to get done would eventually result in an authentic learning experience for all students and a viable performance opportunity.

Visualize Success

Bear: “Success!” – Fish:”Ahhh…Failure!”

Through work on the visual organizer I soon saw the need to split the PBL up into distinct phases that would better organize the work that needed to be done. I also found that my sub questions neatly fit into three different categories although the project would eventually require five phases.

The first phase would deal with the research of performance practice and picking a practice or theme for the performance itself. In the next phase students would think about what jobs need to be done for a performance and how they might fit into the performance picture as a whole. This phase ends with students declaring what they wish to do and choices being made about who will be team leaders.

Phase three sees the leadership team meeting for the first time and the rest of the students being separated out into the various teams. Each team leader is given a clear goal and given guidance on how to delegate tasks amongst the team members. Whole group meetings will inform students on how keep their reflections journals and how they will be assessed throughout the project. This phase ends with either a trip to or a visit from some subject matter experts to give students a further idea of what and how their work could be done.

After the third phase the sub questions are technically ‘answered’ although the real answers to them and the driving question do not come until after the performance. The forth phase is the execution phase where all the planning comes together to produce all the elements of the concert design. The subject matter experts may be involved in this stage as well and it also may overlap the previous phase somewhat.

The final phase sees the dress rehearsal completed and the performance itself. After the focal experience is over students will reflect in their journals as they have been doing throughout the project and submit any outstanding assessments. My plan is to also have assessments ready for the students to review themselves as well as being assessed formally through rubrics.

Please see the Visual Organizer for a clearer picture on how all these parts fit together.

Keep on Going!

Just a walk in the park!

Although this project seems complex I believe with the right mix of students it could either be made a school-wide event or a very intimate small scale affair. I am excited to see where this idea will take me next week and the new revelations I may have about my Student Lead Performance.