We have been struggling to define what it might look like at our school given our class rotation schedule, extra-curricular early dismissals, space, and of course the whole reason for the shift. Since we only met once every two months (it seemed, this year), it was difficult to work out anything solid.
(My previous blog has a link to the proposal we made to our staff. Click here to see it again.)
Anyway, with administration's support, we decided the following:
- We will use a split Inquiry Hub, PSII model for PBL at St. Pat's.
- We will switch from calling it problem-based to inquiry-based learning.
- Inquiry time will be every afternoon. In my school, we only have one teaching block after lunch (except on Fridays) and we decided to sequester all the grade eight learners* in one area of the downstairs hallway.
- Learners may work individually or in groups.
- The learners will report to a "Home Base" room for attendance and emergency procedures if necessary. Teachers who teach a grade eight class in the block after lunch will take a Home Base, take attendance, and foster inquiry. One of my colleagues worked on schedule to move non-inquiry classes to other spaces in the school.
- Learners will be free to move around the school to access technology and work space.
- All learners will write a guided check-in (via Moodle) and write a journal-style check-out (via Mahara) every afternoon.
- The final product does not matter - all learners will exhibit their learning in the media they choose on March 4, 2015.
- The members of the PBL learning community will serve as advisors to the learners.
- As a PLC we will meet three mornings a week to discuss projects and logistics. We will also change the language of learning in our school. (Change the language; change the attitudes. Ergo: learner v. student.)
