Saturday, February 14, 2015

PBL Mindset Isn't New

"Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind" -Plato via WikiQuote.

I am a relatively new teacher. My school is graduating it's first senior class this year; we are pretty new. Shoot, we have "innovation" in our name, we must have all the newest ideas.

Well, maybe not. Project based learning isn't new. The idea that students can own their learning isn't new. That stuff has been around as long as humans have. There is just an unfortunate disconnect between projects/ownership and education which makes something like PBL seem "new".

Plato apparently knew that compulsory education was a fraud. Jesus taught his disciples how to do ministry by doing ministry projects with them. My grandpa learning how to manage the business livestock, corn, and beans by working alongside his dad shortly after leaving the cradle. The apprenticeship model is project based to a T.

So "innovation" in education might not be the right way of going about it. How about reverting back to learning by doing, in context of relationship with a mentor, and with a legitimate goal in mind. I know that kind of thing is older than the fairly recent learning by seat time and standardization, but it sure seems more human.



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