What I Saw In My Classroom With #PBL - #EdChat

I just wrapped up my Mock Trial of Mark Twain in my American Literature classes. I wrote about here and here in case you do not know what I'm talking about. Without a doubt, these kids did the best job with this project in all of my years doing it. You can check out the stream #MTTrial

From Teresa Evangeline's Blog

I know I have written about the value of Project Based Learning before, but watching my students rise to the occasion was something spectacular. Here is what I saw:

I saw students give impassioned opening and closing statements defending Mark Twain while others chastised him for his foul language and terrible sense of humor.

I saw students researching their characters from Huck Finn and played the roles perfectly during questioning and cross-examination.

I saw students dedicated to an argument, even if they did not personally believe it.

I saw students in the jury diligently taking notes and arguing their points during deliberation.

I saw a Twitter stream that had students supporting their peers and engaging their teacher in the back channel.

I saw a student quote Twain from memory in the face of harsh cross examination from the prosecution.

I saw students ask if they could do another trial later in the year.

I saw learning beyond what any teacher could ever hope to see from a project.

I saw engagement.

I saw fun.

I tweeted that I was seeing learning in a way that no bubble test could ever quantify. I believe that with my entire heart.

I encourage all of you out there to look at your lessons and SEE where PBL could fit for you.