It isn't easy to detect struggling students in my class, because my teacher uses worksheets and works through them with the students. It is easy to tell which students are disinterested, and which are quiet, but thier grades do not display thier true learning in the class. The students who are really struggling leave for other programs during the times I am observing.
Due to this style of teaching, I do not have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a student, because the answers are already being given to them. In the few weeks I have seen there, the students enjoy the times that they get a break from worksheets. Many of the students (as shown in the previous interest survey) are active and social beings that want to have an active part in thier classroom.
I am excited to implement a PBL into my classroom because I want to see what the students (even the quiet or frusterated ones) have the potential to do with it, and that is the kind of teacher I want to be.
It will be interesting to see the change in student engagement with a PBL. Be prepared for some chaos but try to look passed it to see signs of engagement!
ReplyDelete