In the technology and knowledge driven 21st century world today, there is very little or no room for teaching and instruction to be driven just by one person namely the teacher. A teacher today, is largely the facilitator who gives direction to students and exposes them to all the information and experiences which help them to gain academic knowledge in a real life context. This is where the role of Project Based Learning (PBL) comes in. By bringing real-life context and technology to the curriculum through a PBL approach, students are encouraged to become independent workers, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners. Teachers can communicate with administrators, exchange ideas with other teachers and subject-area experts and communicate with parents while breaking down invisible barriers such as isolation of the classroom, fear of embarking on an unfamiliar process and lack of confidence. (Edutopia 2007, October 19). PBL is an effective and interesting way to learn because students are at a high level of engagement. Using a hands on approach to a problem, students not only develop a deeper understanding of concepts but they are also able to retain information longer and apply their learning to different situations.
While many teachers believe in PBL and work hard to implement it in their teaching scenarios, it is essential to remember that Project based learning demands excellent assessment practices to ensure that all learners are supported in the learning process. This is where rubrics play a key role. Rubrics are great for students as they let students know what is expected of them and demystify grades by clearly stating, in age-appropriate vocabulary, the expectations for a project. They also help students see that learning is about gaining specific skills (both in academic subjects and in problem-solving and life skills), and they give students the opportunity to do self-assessment to reflect on the learning process.(Edutopia, 2008). As Susan M. Brookhart (2013) has written in her book “How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading”- “The genius of rubrics is that they are descriptive and not evaluative. Of course, rubrics can be used to evaluate, but the operating principle is you match the performance to the description rather than "judge" it.” Telling students that your project was very good or I like what you have done is more of a judgement than an accurate assessment of performance. Instead if students are told that they meet or do not meet the following criteria, they are better able to understand their shortcomings. Rubrics also enable teachers to lay out expectations clearly and in a timely manner. When the project is being introduced there should be clarity on the final product to be delivered. This is called the work product which could be a presentation, an infographic, a skit or video. The areas that will be assessed and the time frame for each formative assessment should also be defined at the beginning itself. There should always be room for reflection, feedback and rectification. When this is done effectively the final product and the summative assessment, both become meaningful. While assessing PBL it would be helpful to remember the 10 tips of PBL as listed out by Buck Institute of Education (bie.org).
I have designed below a Math project for Grade 5 with specific objectives and an assessment plan.
Project Name | Vacation Planner (Vacation Multiplication – Math, nextlesson.org) |
Time frame | 1 week |
Work product | A report |
Project Description | Students will choose a destination for their family vacation during summer. They will then plan their travel to their destination, accommodation, sightseeing and food expenditure. They will use multiplication, estimation and rounding to make calculations. |
Content Standard | Common Core Standard 5 - Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.5 - Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm. |
Specific Objectives
Students will learn that in the real world we use multiplication and estimation to compare costs.
They will practice their skills in multiplication and use rounding where necessary.
They will learn to organize information methodically.
They will gain insight into the factors that need to be considered before a vacation is planned.
Resources provided by the teacher
The teacher will provide a report template or format in which the report has to be presented.
A list of websites that can be used to gather information.
Project Brief
You are a travel agent helping your family to plan a vacation to a holiday destination. You will choose two destinations and compare costs of travel from Dushanbe, Tajikistan to your destination, accommodation, sightseeing and food expenditure to help your family choose the more affordable option.
Stage 1 Assessment
The first assessment will be conducted on Day 2 of the project. The areas that the students and the teacher will assess are as follows:
Criteria | 3 - Exceptional | 2- Satisfactory | 1- Needs more work |
Detail | All factors for the vacation have been considered. | Some factors have been considered and others left out. | No thought has been given to the factors that need to be considered for the purpose of planning. |
Destinations | Chosen | Some destinations shortlisted and are being considered. | Possible destination list has not yet been prepared. |
Organization | Student has a clear idea of the format in which the information will be collected and the format is ready to be used. | Student has an idea of the format to be used but is unsure of the information that needs to be collected. | Student has not thought about the format to be used for collection of information. |
This rubric can be viewed at:
Stage 1 Monitoring and Feedback
During the last 15 minutes of the class on Day 2, the teacher will review the rubric above with the students and recommend changes if required. The teacher will provide guidelines to the students who require more work. For example - The teacher can help the student brainstorm about the possible destinations and have him/her prepare a list of 5. The student can go back home and check on which 2 the family would like to visit. The teacher or a peer can also help a student who needs help with the format by discussing various sources of information and the format which can be used for easy and quick data collection.
Stage 2 Assessments
The second assessment will be conducted on Day 3 at which time the teacher will review the following:
Criteria | 3 - Exceptional | 2- Satisfactory | 1-Needs more work |
Sources of Information | The student has identified all the sources from where data will be collected, spoken to people concerned and made appointments for interviews. | The student has identified sources but is unsure if information will be available from this source. | The student does not know where he /she will collect data from. |
Questions | The student has listed out all the questions that will be looked into. | The student has listed out some basic questions and needs to cover some more factors. | The student has not formulated the questions that need to be asked or information sought. |
Critical Thinking | The student has made room for alternatives if the desired activity is not available. For example – An open air show that may be cancelled due to rain and an alternative plan for that day. | The student has considered the fact that things may not work out as planned but does not have alternatives in place. | The student has not given any thought to the possibility that things may not work out as planned. |
This rubric can be viewed at:
Stage 2 Monitoring and Feedback
The review and feedback on the project will again be done during the last 15 minutes of the class on Day 3. During this assessment the teacher will have a group discussion where students who are at the Exceptional level at this stage will brainstorm ideas with the rest of the class to help students identify sources of information. The teacher will also provide guidance to the students with respect to the travel websites they could look at. The class will also share ideas on what are the areas that need to be covered for data gathering and draft questions. For example – How many members will go on this vacation? What will be the mode of travel from origin to destination? What category of hotel will the family stay in? What are the top five or ten tourist spots they would like to visit? Which of these have free entry and which of these require tickets?
Stage 3 Assessments
The third assessment will be conducted on Day 5 at which time the teacher will review the following:
Criteria | 3 - Exceptional | 2- Satisfactory | 1-Needs more work |
Collection of Data | The student has a complete list of travel, accommodation, sightseeing and restaurant data. This includes the price for each component. | The student has a list of some components but has not completed an exhaustive list. | The student has a list of components but has not included the cost aspect. |
Organization | The data collected is organized methodically for final entry into the report template. | The data collected is organized but some areas need to be altered so that it is presented methodically. | The data collected is incomplete and haphazard. |
Technology | The student has used various websites to collect information. | The student has used information from travel agents and has made some use of technology. | The student has used conversations and brochures as a source of data and has not made use of technology. |
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving | The student has accounted for problems or obstacles that may be caused by weather related issues or due to members of the group falling sick. Example- Cancellation costs or refundable versus non refundable tickets | The student has accounted for problems or obstacles that may be caused but does not have a clear list with related costs. | The student has not accounted for obstacles or problem during the trip. |
Multiplication techniques used | Data has been organized methodically to facilitate multiplication and calculation of total cost. | Data has been organized methodically but does not facilitate multiplication and calculation of total cost. | The data collected has been added instead of the use of multiplication. |
This rubric can be viewed at:
https://www.quickrubric.com/r#/qr/sangeetalama/vacation-planner-stage-3-assessment
Stage 3 Monitoring and Feedback
The assessments and feedback at this stage will be critical because this is the last opportunity students have to make rectifications before the final submission and summative assessment. During this stage the teacher will allocate the full 45 minutes of instruction time to discuss the project and evaluate various components of the rubric. The teacher will share an exemplary piece of work with the class. Following the teacher’s discussion, the students will be divided into groups of three for peer evaluation feedback and suggestions. The teacher will spend time with each group going over their discussions and feedback. The students will choose a speaker from their group who will reflect on the group’s learning from the project. Finally, the teacher will review the report template or format in which the report needs to be presented. The students will go over the specific objectives once again and ensure that all criteria have been met.
Final Assessment
Following the submission of the project, it will be assessed on the following criteria:
Criteria | 3 - Exceptional | 2- Satisfactory | 1-Needs more work |
Presentation and Organization of data | The student has presented the data collected in a methodical and easy to understand manner. | The data is presented neatly but lacks a methodical flow. | The data presented is haphazard which makes it difficult to understand. |
Use of Technology | The student has used different websites to obtain information and carry out comparisons. | The student has used one website to collect information and compare data. | The student has not made use of websites to collect data and has relied entirely on information from one travel agent. |
Multiplication strategies used with rounding where required | The student has used multiplication strategies to make calculations and has used estimation by rounding where required. | The student has used multiplication strategies but has made exact calculations everywhere instead of using rounding wisely. | The student has used a combination of multiplication and addition methods without rounding off numbers. |
Comparative Analysis of Costs | The student has carried out a detailed cost comparison to arrive at the more affordable destination of travel. | The student’s comparison of data is not exhaustive because of the limited sources of data collection. | The student’s data does not show comparison of costs. |
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving | The student has accounted for problems or obstacles that may be caused by weather related issues or due to members of the group falling sick and has suggested alternatives. | The student has accounted for problems and cancellations but has not presented alternative activities for the rest of the group. | The student has made no considerations for changes in the plan due to any obstacle or problem. |
This rubric can be viewed at:
https://www.quickrubric.com/r#/qr/sangeetalama/vacation-planner-final-assessment
At the end of the summative assessment, it is important to give feedback to the students which should be specific and address each component of the rubric. This will help students to improve their understanding of what is expected of them and will enable them to raise their own standards of research, presentation and demonstration of their learning.
References:
Edutopia.org. (2007,October 19). Why Is Project-Based Learning Important? The many merits of using project-based learning in the classroom. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-importance
Edutopia.org. (2008, July 15). How Do Rubrics Help? How students and teachers understand the standards against which work will be measured. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-rubrics
Brookhart , Susan M. (2013, January). How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/112001/chapters/What-Are-Rubrics-and-Why-Are-They-Important%C2%A2.aspx
Larmer, John.(2016, February 18). Gold Standard PBL: Assessing Student Learning. Retrieved from http://www.bie.org/blog/gold_standard_pbl_assessing_student_learning
Vacation Multiplication Math. Retrieved from https://www.nextlesson.org/project_details/vacation-multiplication-math/56b14608acf7890003627a63
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