As IFS continues to grow, so does my thirst for learning about PBL and my drive to ensure I am implementing it on a daily basis. We are at a very important phase in the year when we are delivering this term’s projects while planning for next year. We are looking forward to receiving the current year 6 students into high college and understand that this can be a very anxious time for some. It is our job to make this transition smooth and stress free.
Last Thursday I had the privilege of spending the day with the students in stage 3. Karen was away and I eagerly volunteered to step into her shoes for the day. I have been wanting to spend time with this stage to observe and understand how they work and how they apply PBL. I was amazed at how well they embraced their learning.
The biggest observation was how well the students coped in the environment. They were all very comfortable which meant they were happy and their learning was supported by this.
I was also excited to see the ideas the class had for working in teams and how well they were able to communicate and collaborate. These are essential PBL skills and with an understanding of how students currently use them, we can continue to build on them in high college. I was pleasantly surprised at how efficient and accomplished they were at identifying need-to-know questions and developing research skills. They were all engaged and enthusiastic about their project.
I came away excited at the prospect of working with these students next year, and a real drive for PBL and IFS.
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