Project-Based Learning

Project-Based Learning                                                                                  Sylvia Beauchain

Project Theme and goals

This project is called “Charity Fashion Week” and the goal is for junior high students to design their own publicity, create fashion, and raise money for boys and girls school scholarships in Uganda, Africa. (I run a charity so students can smoothly connect globally through local partners in Africa and help guide students research. (website chiki.life  youtube: chi-ki children’s charity)

chiki.life

Task Goals for Project delivery

Students will draw designs, choose fabrics, create patterns and make clothes. The goal is to hold a charity fashion show and raise money for our charitable cause. The subjects this PBL will cover include art, home economics, English and math.

The 21^st century skills used are creativity, collaboration, problem solving, communication and critical thinking. This is a student-centered activity which involves students in mind-mapping and backwards planning so that they see the goal and work backwards to achieve it by identifying steps and methods.

Specific Project Work Description

Students will learn fashion design by first drawing designs on paper, then choosing fabrics to match the clothing they draw.

Students will design a poster promoting the fashion show using pages or other programs on their computers. They will make a poster that includes, the title, date, place, time, purpose and charity.

Students will create a Press Release as local publicity and learn on the internet how to make one by researching and communicating together. Problem solving together as to responsibilities of each group member. ( poster, design, PR, fashion design, cutter, creator, sewer…)

Description of Evaluation Process and Criteria for Evaluation

Students will design their own rubric and chose what will be good evaluation criteria. We will make a list together and create a rubric that everyone agrees on from start of project to the final show. The criteria would include each group having a PR poster, several fashion design drawings with a swatch of fabric, accessories, and final clothing piece for the show.

References

The Building Blocks of Project-Based Learning. Grades 9-12. Teachingchannel.org/videos/pbl-building-blocks-ntn

Framework for 21^st Century Learning. Retrieved June 29^th 2018, from http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework

Case Study- Middle School- 'Joe'

Middle School Case Study – ‘Joe’                                                                                                    Sylvia Beauchain

The student ‘Joe’ is in Grade 7 and having trouble making the transition between elementary and Junior High school. Just to illustrate Joe’s learning needs and problems, below is a short list of issues that have been plaguing him since elementary and are since magnified in junior high:

-          Interrupting teachers

-          Being a danger to himself and others

-          Physically harming

-          Disrespecting school property

-          Disrespecting others work

-          Lack of effort, homework and projects

-          Carelessly hands in homework

-          Physical encounters with teachers

-          Insubordinate behavior/threats

Intervention:

We as school teachers and staff have tried talking to his parents, calling and also during PTC conferences. His mother choses to ignore his behavior and brushes it off as “he’s just being a boy”. His father does not attend because he works in mainland Japan.

The school counselor has had meetings with him and she has reported that there is no desire from him to change. He states, “Ya, I will try..” when he is pushed to apologize to a victim (student, teacher, staff).

We do not expel or suspend students, but perhaps that is the next step in this case.

Student-centered addition:

I have added activities, tools, materials, study time and other original adaptations to my lesson for him to thrive. He makes very little effort, or actually very much effort to try and rush through the work to show how well he botched and sabotaged it. I have praised his projects and found good points to cheer on about, but it is not the missing piece for him.

                              Setting the Tone of Teacher-Student Interactions (Lorain, 2017)

o    Communicate clearly with the student, using understandable vocabulary.

o    Be firm and direct.

o    Use your tone and voice carefully. Don't get angry or emotional.

o    Be rational and objective.

o    Always provide a time to listen to the student.

o    Ignore trivial denial. 

Results

As many teachers have noticed, recorded and reported, the missing key for this child is his mother. She is so kind and sweet, and never raises her voice at him. She never gives him any boundaries. Perhaps his lack of attention in class and sheer defile is due to the feeling that his mother does not love him enough to put perimeters up for him. Many parents care through discipline, boundaries and consequences. If this is what he needs and is lacking in his life, then he is right to rebel the way he is.

In class is where I try to make changes and transform his behavior. I have boundaries and rewards, with strict expectations yet interactive fun activities. I try to make learning fun and animated, using all the senses with technology, movement and games.

References:

Lorain, P. (2017) Handling Disruptive Students. A Delicate Dance for any Teacher. Retrieved on June 19^th 2018. http://www.nea.org/tools/handling-disruptive-students.html