Problem of Practice

One idea that I would really like to focus on this semester is Project-Based Learning. As an Elementary Spanish teacher, I teach grades K-4 on a 3-day rotational schedule. Therefore, I have the opportunity to teach everyone in the school. I would like to take one of these grade levels and turn their entire curriculum into either mini Project-Based Learning opportunities or one giant Project-Based Learning initiative that would cover the course of an entire year. All of my units for that grade level would focus on a specific problem within the community that students would help solve. The "problems" would need to be based on the specific Spanish vocabulary students will be learning, but ultimately all projects would involve student research and a presentation to a group of peers, another class, or the community. I think this would be one of the best ways to spark creativity and encourage student engagement and motivation.

At this time, I have designed Project-Based Learning mini-lessons or short projects that are interactive and engaging, but never anything that involves students learning more about their community and diving deep into a topic that truly affects them outside of school. Overall, this is a topic I feel passionate about and believe my students would truly enjoy while at the same time learning how to improve their own community.