My action research and my own interest in Getting It Right really took a new angle when I attended a PD led by Michael McDowell earlier this year. McDowell worked closely with John Hattie to develop what he calls “Rigorous PBL”. This takes many of the principles from Hattie’s research and- in my understanding- re-prioritizes elements of PBL to ensure that students deeply learn the standards. Building a project around standards, instead of a glamorous product, is one starting point proposed by McDowell. Additionally, getting students to a point that they can identify where they are in their learning, and where they need to go next, is another principle he advocates. He also champions (as does Hattie) the value of accurate peer feedback. These shifts may seem redundant to those in the house NTN or BIE, but all the same, it resonated with me in a way no other PBL training has. In the project underway in my class right now, I am shifting my (and my students’) focus to these practices. Time will tell whether a rigorous PBL unit will bloom out of these efforts in spite of itself.
On a personal note, I’ve recently been in the process of seeking out the right kindergarten fit for my son. I am no different from mothers everywhere in saying: My son is not just any kid. He is not ready for just any kindergarten. This experience is bringing a weightiness to the way I read Ken Robinson. Robinson’s books and TED talks are widely regarded and they preach the gospel of educating the whole child. In Creative Schools, which I’m currently reading, he writes that what he calls an “organic education” should promote “the development and well-being of the whole student, intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.” As a teacher and a Masters student, this is something I’m challenged to strive for in the classroom. As a parent, however, striving implies that something is still lacking. Yet, this is the only way I want our education system to approach my child. How much moreso should that approach drive everything I do in my own classroom? Priorities!