Picture created by Microsoft Copilot in Bing
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation pointed out in a news release from February 7th, 2024, that 2023-24 Teacher staffing levels increased by 10 positions as compared to 2016-17 school year. This indicates a .1% increase in staffing. During that same period Saskatchewan’s student population has increased by 15,875 students an increase of 8.8%. A decrease of professionals such as counsellors, psychologists and speech and language pathologists has also declined more dramatically in one year from the 2022-23 to the 2023-24 school year counsellors have seen a 7.7% reduction and other specialists have declined 15.5%. What this means is that more issues pertaining to complexity and size is hitting our Saskatchewan classrooms more than ever.
To address the student needs it is going to take a multi-faceted approach. In this blog I would suggest that one such path would be to implement more Project Based Learning (PBL) and Ed Technology into our classrooms to effectively address the challenges of large class sizes and diverse student needs. This is done by creating an environment that is engaging, personalized and it’s philosophical foundation is built on collaboration to prepare students for the 21st century.
The Buck Institute for Education would describe PBL as “A teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and responds to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem or challenge and make their work public.” In essence PBL promotes “active learning” and relies heavily on inquiry-based learning. John Dewey considered the grandfather of PBL, firmly believed that the teacher is essential in guiding the student’s learning by creating authentic “need to know” for students. You want students to grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. The goal is certainly not for students’ lone aspiration is to get a good grade on the test.
The research paper titled, Project-Based Learning Increases Science Achievement in Elementary School and Advances Social and Emotional Learning (Krajcik et al., 2021) found that Social-emotional Learning (SEL), had “significant and positive effects” because of students working together in a collaborative learning environment. The student indicated that students reported that had an increased appreciation for reflection and collaboration. This is significant for these highlights sharing of insights and experiences with others is a staple for student growth.
The article “Using Edtech in Service of Human Connections” is a great article.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-reduce-edtech-use-schools
This article has pointed out that Ed Technology has skyrocketed since 2018 to present. In France the use of Ed Technology has more then tripled in that time frame. Even in my school division I have seen a similar trend regarding use of Ed Technology. What I like about this article is that it makes the teacher as on simple question. “Does the tech preserve or enhance human connection in the classroom? If the technology does not promote interpersonal connection, then what is the purpose?
This is where PBL can support Ed Technology integration into the classroom. Ed Technology can have an isolating impact on student learning. This will adversely impact a student’s learning for the are not being exposed to other people’s life experiences. Conversely, PBL will thrive with the use of Ed Technology for it has the potential to increase collaboration beyond just physical limitations. It also can showcase each students skill set to their peers. Truly, together students can achieve magnificent things in their educational journey and within themselves.
One note that the technology integrated in a PBL Model also opens the opportunity to integrate Assistive Technology in the classroom. Thus all students are able to contribute and share their knowledge and life experience with others.
Hey Gerry, great blog about the connections between project based learning and ed tech. I can see this approach as a great opportunity for students to collaborate with each, expand on their knowledge of specific and general topics, and problem solve while trying to complete their projects. It’s important for students to collaborate with each other and demonstrate “active learning” as you mentioned. Anything we can do to foster learning in the real world will be highly beneficial for our students.
Hello Gerard,
Thanks for the wonderful reflection on the importance of engaging students in project-based learning through technology. I totally agree that PBL is a significant approach that helps students understand the underlying application or principles of concepts taught. I think I came across an article that speaks to how Finland uses the PBL approach (which has now been changed to phenomenon-based learning) to help their students succeed in education. The question “Does the technology preserve or enhance human connection in the classroom?” requires us all to have a deep reflection on why the use of technology in our lesson? What are we planning to achieve when integrating technology into our teaching? What practical benefits will this technology bring to my students? I think having all these questions in mind when planning to use technology could go a long way in helping teachers develop activities that could promote interpersonal connections with students. Technology on its own cannot add value to education unless there is adequate planning of content and activities by the teacher for the students.