Four years into teaching, I noticed an apathy among my students that was difficult to break. They were bored, cared very little about their work, and gave minimal effort. I wanted more for my students. I wanted them to be excited to be at school and to learn. I started researching how to get students excited about learning. I came across Project Based Learning (PBL) and spent much time reading and understanding the concept. The more I read about it, the more excited I got. I got a colleague excited about it too, and we both decided to take our idea before the school board and ask for their permission to implement PBL in the classroom. We had one year to prove ourselves to the school board.
In that year, my colleague and I worked hard on creating and designing standards-based real-world projects. We created rubrics for each project. We created a newsletter for our students and parents to explain what the classroom would look like and what to expect. In the beginning, parents were cautious, but after a month of PBL, we were getting emails from parents expressing their gratitude and amazement for their child’s excitement about school. We had a parent send an email stating that they had to postpone a fun trip because their child did not want to miss a day of school. Overall, we were getting a great response from both students and parents. Many years later, I still use PBL, my students are still excited about school, and I will never go back to a traditional style classroom.
My students’ apathy and lack of engagement and excitement to learn got me to the point of studying and researching PBL. They deserved better, and I knew that what I was giving them was not getting them to where they should be. We must take time to analyze and reflect on our pedagogy. We tend to get comfortable doing things a certain way without realizing that our actions aren’t working. And let’s be honest, change takes work. However, it is our duty as educators to observe, reflect, and adapt to what is best for our students. In an ever-changing world, we must keep up with what brings excitement to our students in the classroom.
Let me be clear. PBL is one of many ways to go. PBL is my niche. I have fallen in love with it; it works well in my classroom. As you reflect, you may find a different style or technique that works best for you and your classroom. I encourage you to find your niche and stick with it. However, do not get so comfortable that you stop reflecting on ways to improve your craft. I cannot express the number of times I have failed to set up a project or a lesson for my students. If I didn’t take a step back and reflect on those times, I would be back to creating a classroom where students struggle, have no desire to engage or try, and ultimately lose them in the learning process. We need to reflect to become better.
If you are artsy, what can you implement in your classroom to encourage students to partake in art? How can you use your gifts in art to promote learning and get students engaged in their learning? If you like working with your hands and getting crafty, how can you use your gift to help students engage in their learning and find new joy in what they do? If you like designing, how can you use your gift to help students find a new meaning in learning? What gets you excited and how can you use it in the classroom?
Take time this summer and discover what your niche might be. How can you use what interests you to benefit your students and their learning? The more we do what we love, the less a job feels like a job. Students pick up on our excitement for things. If we are excited about what we do, our students will be eager to do what they do. You have a gift, and teaching is more than lecturing. Take your gift and use it in the classroom. When you find your niche, dive in with all you have and see where your classroom takes you. Observe how things go, reflect on the positives and negatives, and adapt accordingly.
Show students that learning is not something to dread; rather, it can be enjoyable. Also, I would love to know what your niche is in the classroom. Please send me a message and let me know.
Welcome To The Classroom 