PBL - A Different Point of View

Our group created a group project dealing with recounting history from different points of views or perspectives. I chose to deal with the U.S. led invasion of Iraq after the terrorist bombings of September 11th. I did not want to deal with the political ramifications of the war. I was not looking for winners or losers in this conflict. My main goal was to look at how Iraqi citizens have been dealing with the war and look at the day to day living of these citizens. I also wanted the students to see how populated Iraq is and had them research the population of major cities in Iraq and present their populations in Excel charts and graphs. The students were able to view and see some of the hardships experienced by the citizens and were able to better understand the hatred fostered by Iraqi citizens, similar to the harsh feelings Americans had after September 11th. Students created wikis and other visual organizers for the project. It can be viewed in its entirety here.

This project was far more challenging than I expected. I was dealing with elementary students and I attempted to take a complex subject such as war and make it understandable to the students. I had to be very conscientious of peripheral issues, like violence in videos, displaying anti-American and Muslim messages, and getting too political. I have to admit I was well-prepared for any situation or possible situation that could occur. What I realized is we as teachers should always be this prepared and you are pretty much creating an environment conducive to learning.

My article on PBL dealt with the social aspects of this type of learning. The authors point out the social interaction and collaboration of the students and emphasis the many ways can articulate their understanding of the subject they are undertaking. Several modalities can be used to help students and teachers convey their understanding. PBL also allows the students to use their higher thinking skills and this is the ultimate goal of the teacher in the whole learning process. PBL is a very effective way of teaching if the teacher chooses and plans wisely.