My Problem Statement

Part 1: Define Mode

A: 5 Whys? Root-Cause Analysis

1.) Why should students use Project-based learning to learn about a topic?

In order for students to be motivated about a topic they need to research and learn about something that relates to them. Project-based learning initiates motivation from students because it focuses on a topic that they will need to present to an audience and the research has an emotional tie to their own community or life.

2.) Why will students be motivated when using Project-based learning?

Students will be learning about a topic (example: water issues locally vs. in a Spanish speaking country) that relates to something they use everyday and connecting it to how to improve something in the world or their own community.

3.) Why should students care about something in their community?

Where a student or person lives is important, and whether or not they have clean water (one of the focuses of the project) makes a difference in the happiness, cleanliness, health, and lifestyle of that student/person. This project focuses on water issues; which is a daily need for all humans.

4.) Why is water so important?

Without water we would not have life on this planet and humans would not exist.

5.) Why?

It is an essential ingredient for life.

B: Why-How Ladder

C.) POV Activity – Analogy

Imagine a teacher is the manager of a large department store. If she only gives her employees (the students) specific products to use and manages how they present this information to customers she is limiting their potential as a business. However, if she allows her employees to research on their own and provides access to various resources, her employees will branch out and have the chance to be innovators. Comparing this to a classroom, a teacher can limit the potential of her students by only giving them access to specific topics and bottlenecking their learning process. However, with Project-Based Learning the teacher opens various doors by allowing students to freely research a given topic, understand why the topic is important to them and their community, and present their new findings in a creative way.

Part 2: My Problem Statement

Problem:

Project-Based Learning opportunities are rare in my curriculum.

Audience/Users:

Students will present this information to other students in our Elementary School. While there will be an actual audience of students listening to the 4th grade student’s presentations, my true users/audience are the 4th grade students performing the project and doing the research.

Environment/Situation/Variables:

Students will be given various resources to help them obtain a clear understanding of clean water vs. dirty water and how these issues impact our community and the Spanish Country they choose. They will have access to technology to create their presentation and the use of user-friendly websites to find information. Lessons will be scaffolded to guide their thinking starting with introducing the water cycle, where clean and dirty water come from, how we use water, etc. I do forsee some barriers or difficulties when implementing these lessons, especially with technology, differentiation for specific students, and constructing a time-table. Also, it will be difficult determing the amount of structure vs. independence that should be provided.

Root Causes:

One of the root causes of this problem is my lack of project-based learning opportunities for students in my classroom. They are time-consuming to create and require collaboration with other teachers and subject matter. Also, while I have small learning units that are relatable to students, nothing pertains to their life in the community or to helping others. Overtime this causes my students to become unmotivated and to be on a cyclical pattern on how they learn material instead of branching out and expanding their creativity.

Direction of Project:

One way to motivate students to learn about their community in a creative way is to initiate a Project-Based Learning opportunity. Students will be researching the water issues in a Spanish speaking country and comparing their research to the water issues in their own community. With this project students will gain a clear image of why water is an essential ingredient for life, why it is important for our community, and why water issues are different in other communities; all while being highly motivated because of the connection to their own life. I foresee students learning about where water comes from, how we use it everyday, and the impact of living somewhere without clean water. I also see this project-based learning opportunity as a chance for student’s to cultivate meaningful discussions and a personal reflection of their opinion on water issues in their own community. I plan on initiating these discussions and creating discussion topics for the students. Lastly, student’s will feel a sense of pride and ownership when they present their research to another group of students because they will be selling their opinion of whether or not water issues are an important topic. I will be placing parameters and requirements on their presentations, however they will be choosing their mode/method of how they present their project with some guidance.