JCDSRI’s Professional Learning Community takes on Project-Based Learning

PBL gets a real-life application in Providence

The Pre-K classroom at JCDSRI, Andrea Katzman writes the following about her experience applying the concepts of critique and multiple drafts to 4-year-olds: “Recently, we experimented with a different mode of reflection, that of creating multiple drafts. The book ‘An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students,’ by Ron Berger, inspired us....Two students decided they wanted to experiment with this concept. Motivated by research they had done while preparing to build our space shuttle, they determined that they would draw an astronaut. After carefully studying a picture of an astronaut, the two students drew their first picture. Afterward, each student reflected on his choices and what he felt he might try to do differently for the next draft. Then his friend offered feedback, including what he liked (an important component of the critique process) and what specifically his friend might try next. ‘I like how you made the helmet a circle – it looks so round!’ shared one student. ‘I see that your astronaut doesn’t look like he has feet. Can you put them in next time?’ Each student drew four different drafts, including taking time between each draft to reflect on his own work as well as that of his peer. The next day, each child presented his work and experiences with creating multiple drafts to our kehillah during Circle Time conversations. Shared one student, ‘I like doing drafts. I get better at making an astronaut. I didn’t think I could do it. And now I can! I just had to keep practicing.’ Each time a new draft was shown, the two children heard gasps of astonishment from other children. Their audience expressed pride in each student’s progress and his dedication to the process.”

In the fifth grade classroom, the general and Judaic studies teachers have recently teamed up for a month-long interdisciplinary unit on the moon. The hope is that this will be project-based learning, and the understanding is that students need preparation for this work. The current student desire is to create a lasting multimedia display in the school that incorporates what they’ve been excited about that they’ve learned as well as a book that highlights everything that has fascinated them in their study of the moon. The project can’t be planned until the students learn more, but they are driven to learn more to create something of worth. The idea for studying the moon did not, however, come from the students. Similarly, most of Berger’s amazing projects began as fortuitous opportunities initiated by his colleagues and friends.

My co-teacher Rabbi Andrea Gouze and I framed the unit with explicit big ideas that we shared with the students: Humans have been fascinated by the moon throughout time, as Jews we are connected to the moon via our lunar calendar, and the moon affects us and our planet. After we posted the big ideas, the students made explicit connections to them.

In general studies, they have read folktales and mythology from various cultures about the moon and pontificated about why people believe what they believe. This has prompted rich discussions about the nature of what we believe and why we believe certain things without scientific evidence. As fifth-graders move from being concrete to more abstract thinkers, the depth of these discussions reflects their developmental stage.

Using a student-initiated and created rubric, fifth-graders then chose to write their own folktales about the moon, but they used their science-based questions as jumping off points. Just like ancient cultures used folktales to answer their genuine questions, so, too, have my fifth-graders. A fascinating moment of disequilibrium became apparent when a student asked, “Do you think it would be cool if I wrote about how the moon was formed?” His classmate’s response was, “Well, I’m not curious about that because I already know how the moon was formed.” I was anticipating that perhaps this student had been doing some outside research. This student continued, “Well, God created the moon.” The two stared slightly in disbelief at each other. “Well … don’t you wonder how it was really created? I mean, like, scientifically.”

With Rabbi Gouze, they’ve explored how and why the Jewish calendar came to be and our connection to the moon as Jews. They are currently writing their own midrashim that connect to the moon.

The more we learn about the moon from a physics and math view as well as through poetry and art, the deeper our connections to the moon. Rosh Hodesh had been a term and a time to these day-school students. Now their connection to the moon is deeper, and their critical thinking skills are strengthened. They cannot help but feel and think more intensely about their connection to the moon as Jews.

At the end of the month, the students will begin the art installation replete with papier mache scale-model moons, clay scale models based on mass, their folktales, midrashim, poetry and other artifacts they deem worthy of presenting. The current focus has been on learning content to make the project as rich as possible. When the construction of the art installation begins, the focus will be on presentation and critique. The PLC helped me see this work is indeed an example of project-based learning.

JAMIE FAITH WOODS (jfwoods@jcdsri.org) serves as Teacher Leader for grades 2-5 at the Jewish Community Day School.