Double Entry Journal #15

1. Give an example of an authentic form of assessment the students engaged in a PBL performed well on? The mathematical/geometry project of developing the playhouse for the community center was a very interesting and authentic assessment, and the students did very well initially on the project, and were even able to tweak their designs after to make even more improvements.

2. How does project based learning promote intrinsic motivation? Intrinsic motivation is promoted through project based learning because students are often solely responsible for the completion of the assignment. The projects are also more interesting, most times, than your average content that is being taught. The students get more involved and dedicated to the project, and in turn, have more motivation because they really want to do well on the project and do the best they can to succeed.

3. What do students who experience PBL do better than student who receive traditional direct instruction? PBL students tend to work more interdependently because they have more group experience. They also develop social skills that will not be developed in the traditional classroom because they are not able to interact as much. Students also develop confidence and are able to take control of their learning, which

4. How does PBL align with John Dewey's philosophy of education? Dewey calls for using more imagination in the learning, and PBL allows for creativity to take place in ways that traditional learning doesn't even begin to touch. He also talks about how we need to accompany all types of children and learners, and PBL reaches to all of the children in different ways so that they all can succeed.

5. Why do our assessment practices need to change if we are going to prepare students for the 21st century? Our current assessments are too generalized and standardized to really assess what our students know. Also, they do not allow for children who learn differently to succeed because they are aimed at one kind of learner with too much information being tested. We need to change into more authentic and active types of assessment that can be tweaked to meet the needs of any kind of learner, and that can show us more than whether or not they can make educated guesses and color in the correct bubble.