Titled: "PBL" (2013-10) From Cibinel's Social Studies

Carmelo Bono

Professor Cibinel

Teaching Social Sciences

Oct/31/2013

 

A Reflection on Project Based Learning

 

  There are so many different ways that students learn by; auditory; visual; and kinaesthetic; not to mention all of Gardner’s learner classifications. These needs that are necessary to the learner’s succession in academics are met by the inclusion of multiple learning techniques which adhere to a wider variety of students at a time. In the readings these projects help students specialize in something they enjoy or try something they would not normally. It is said that these projects are a relatively modern way of assessing and grading students in the classroom. Students will find themselves more motivated to work on things or participate more if their peers are equally involved and if they are themselves.

 

 

  The students and community members have come together for a holiday that is more individualistic in more ways than not. In this project; students are expected to participate in an activity created by the teacher to become more involved in the community’ one that helps them develop their citizenship in the community. The students are not only needed to work with themselves but the university students Miss Cibinel’s class as well. This is also a way that our professors are able to reach us as student teachers; we are given the choice of topic and deadlines so that we can work in a comfortable and more manageable fashion.

 

  The Halloween food drive was what seemed like a success; the items were on display in the mall after the night of looking for food from house to house. I did not have a vehicle available to use so I joined my peers and some of the teaching staff in sorting and moving foods. The experience was nice; I do lots of volunteering in my own time; but it was a nice change in scenery and activity. I was fortunate enough to meet some teachers and staff members from Superior Collegiate as well as get to know some of my colleagues better.

 

  From what I noticed about the individuals coming in from the street after picking up lots of food is that they were happy and excited. The students wanted to be there and they did absolutely wonderful at going through their community and collecting non perishable goods from generous community members. The students I think reacted to the project because it was such a community based program and it was going to the betterment not of just the general term “underprivileged” but to people they may or may not know; the fact is that the food was directly going back out into the community and it makes a notable difference in the lives of the people who need it. It seems like a project like this; one that makes a visible difference in the lives of students, it makes them excited and more willing to participate.

 

  Cibinel told the class that she had mentioned it and that the students run with it every year now after her and another teacher’s active participation. I can certainly see programs like this becoming a very key component to school community and character building. These project based learning strategies are ones that we can apply to in more than just the classroom; when I was in summer camp; a co-worker and I developed a couple of these project based strategies in which, some students went to make cookies for the camp; some students went to make bannock for the lunch snack; a few students even took it upon themselves to write poetry and real life stories that they presented to the community over the radio.

 

  In the future as a teacher I hope to be able to assign projects like this to my students regarding book studies and volunteering with students younger than themselves at libraries, elementary schools, and etc. A community needs to be made self-sustainable before it is able to grow otherwise a community ends up broken and in disarray; individuals are lost with no placement in the society. Placement in the society (innate need to belong) is a key component to succession and development.