PCBL a new approach to teaching all students

BESD Super Scoop

Here is a link to the framework You may be interested in implementing PCBL in your room if you experience some or all of the following:

• You are frustrated that some students are bored and waiting for you to move on while other students are lost and need extra help.
• You are frustrated that some of your lessons "just don't work" for some of your students.
• You are tired of being the "sage on the sage," and you would prefer to be the "guide on the side." AND/OR you want to get away from "death by PowerPoint."
• You wish you had more time to talk to your students individually rather than teaching "the mass" every day.

You will likely need the following to pursue the implementation of PCBL in your classroom:

• You are not afraid for your classroom activities to look different than those of your department members.
• You are okay with the discomfort of trying something new and not having it work perfectly the first time.
• You are willing/able to invest time in learning and prepping the materials you need for a PCBL classroom for at least a short duration, e.g., one unit. We will be most successful if we start small.

Here are some details about the support you will receive and the "nets of safety" that will accompany any work you do to implement PCBL in any form:

• I will collaborate with you personally to design and test your PCBL unit. I am not an expert with PCBL; in fact, we will largely be learning together, but I have the flexibility to support you so you are not working alone.
• There are no deadlines to pursue, performance indicators to achieve, or consequences for not getting the outcome you hoped on the first implementation.
• Full administrative approval/support for breaking the mold and trying something new. You would get this anyway, but there it is all the same.
• You still get to (and should) utilize all the components of the PLC process - e.g., you'll still use all your common assessments and you'll still be pursuing all of your essential learning targets.
• There is no requirement to do a certain "amount" or duration of PCBL learning. It makes the most sense to start with one unit, but there is not a specific requirement. You can take a break from it whenever you want.