Double Entry Journal #15

1. Give an example of an authentic form of assessment the students engaged in a PBL performed well on?

One form of assessment mentioned is standarized testing.  The article mentions the fact that students who participated in a PBL scored higher on standarized testing.  Another form of assessment is the project students design when completing a PBL.  The article mentions of one PBL whose outcomes were judged and 84% of those outcomes were accurate enough to build.

2. How does project based learning promote intrinsic motivation?

Students have more choices available when it comes to the fact of a PBL.  These choices allow students to "develop their own interests and pursue deeper understanding."

3. What do students who experience PBL do better than student who receive traditional direct instruction?

Students do better in solving real-world problems.  They develop skills and knowledge based upon real-world experienced learned through PBLs. 

4. How does PBL align with John Dewey's philosophy of education?

Project based learning allows students to retain more information from learning by doing.  This is waht John Dewey proposed. 

5. Why do our assessment practices need to change if we are going to prepare students for the 21st century?

Assessment needs to change because the activities change.  Fill in the bubble tests may be great for reciting knowledge, but they do not test the students ability to perform the tasks.  Assessment needs to be designed to challenge the students skills as well as the knowledge they have.