Reinventing a Public High School with Problem-Based Learning

Summary

Sammamish High School has undergone a transformative shift to a problem-based learning (PBL) model, thanks to a federal grant. This change moves from traditional teacher-centered methods to student-driven, real-world problem solving. Teachers and students alike embrace PBL, finding it more engaging and effective. The new approach promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and practical application, preparing students for future challenges. The school's journey highlights the benefits of PBL, including deeper learning, increased student ownership, and a more dynamic educational environment.

Takeaways

• 😀 Sammamish High School faced declining enrollment but is now transforming with problem-based learning.
• 🎓 A federal grant has enabled Sammamish to redesign its curriculum to be problem-based across all subjects.
• 👩‍🏫 The shift is from traditional teacher-centered classrooms to teacher-facilitated, authentic problem-solving environments.
• 📚 Professional development for teachers is crucial, with sessions led by Sammamish teachers for their peers.
• 🛠 Problem-based learning involves students actively working together to solve real-world problems.
• 🌱 Authentic problems resonate with students, making them more engaged and invested in their education.
• 🧑‍🏫 Teachers collaborate on curriculum development during the school day, enhancing best practices in their disciplines.
• 🧑‍🔬 Students undertake projects that simulate real-world systems, like aquaponics, promoting hands-on learning.
• 🏛 Projects like 'The Scramble for the Arctic' allow students to tackle current global issues through role-play and debate.
• 💬 Students present their work to external audiences, which deepens their learning and prepares them for future challenges.
• 🤝 Group projects help students understand content better by learning from peers and engaging in cooperative work.
• 🎤 The culture at Sammamish emphasizes the value of student contributions and active participation in the learning process.

Q & A

What significant change did Sammamish High School undergo?

Sammamish High School shifted from a traditional teacher-centered classroom to a problem-based learning (PBL) approach where students engage in authentic problems.

How was Sammamish High School able to implement the problem-based learning model?

They received a federal grant which allowed them to redesign their school to implement problem-based learning across all curricular areas.

What is the role of teachers in the problem-based learning model at Sammamish High School?

Teachers facilitate learning rather than directly instructing, helping students to engage in and solve real-world problems.

How did the school prepare for the implementation of problem-based learning?

They conducted five days of professional development led by Sammamish teachers for Sammamish teachers.

What are some of the benefits of problem-based learning mentioned in the script?

Students become more engaged, develop leadership and cooperation skills, and learn content more effectively by solving real-world problems.

What concerns did teachers have about transitioning to problem-based learning?

Teachers were concerned about getting all the content in and ensuring students were prepared for this new style of learning.

What project was used as an example of problem-based learning in the script?

One project mentioned was creating an aquaponics system, where students simulated an environmental system with provided materials.

How do students feel about problem-based learning compared to traditional learning methods?

Students find problem-based learning more interesting and memorable as it involves hands-on experiences and real-world applications.

What was the 'Scramble for the Arctic' project about?

It involved students discussing and debating who should control resources in the Arctic due to climate change, with roles assigned as countries, environmental groups, and organizations.

What is the overall goal of problem-based learning at Sammamish High School?

The goal is to make students feel involved and important in their education, preparing them for future challenges by fostering a sense of ownership and deeper understanding of the material.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Transforming Sammamish High School

Tom Duenwald, the principal of Sammamish High School, discusses the school's journey from declining enrollment to a focus on problem-based learning (PBL). With the help of a federal grant, the school is transitioning from traditional teacher-centered classrooms to a more student-centered, teacher-facilitated approach. This change aims to engage students in authentic problems and make learning more relevant. The staff is preparing for the upcoming school year with professional development led by Sammamish teachers.

05:17

🌱 Engaging Students Through Problem-Based Learning

Adrienne and other teachers at Sammamish High School describe the implementation of PBL in classrooms, where students work together to solve problems, both big and small. This approach encourages students to learn content through problem-solving and fosters a desire to tackle real-world challenges. Teachers emphasize the importance of making problems authentic and resonant for students, which helps them stay involved in education.

10:21

📚 Real-World Applications and Student Engagement

Students and teachers share their experiences with PBL, highlighting its impact on learning and engagement. Projects like creating aquaponics systems and debating real-world issues such as the Arctic's resources help students apply their knowledge in practical contexts. This hands-on approach not only deepens understanding but also prepares students for future challenges. The collaborative nature of PBL allows students to learn from each other and develop important skills like leadership and cooperation.

Keywords

💡Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an educational approach where students learn by actively engaging in real-world and complex problems. In the video, PBL is highlighted as the core method used at Sammamish High School to transform traditional teacher-centered classrooms into environments where students work together to solve authentic problems. This shift aims to make learning more engaging and relevant, fostering critical thinking and collaboration among students.

💡Teacher-Facilitated Learning

Teacher-Facilitated Learning refers to the role of teachers as guides rather than sole knowledge providers. In the context of the video, this concept is crucial to the new approach at Sammamish High School, where teachers support and facilitate students' problem-solving processes rather than directly instructing them. This method encourages students to take ownership of their learning and develop independence.

💡Authentic Problems

Authentic Problems are real-life issues or challenges that students tackle in a learning environment. The video emphasizes the importance of these problems in PBL, as they help students connect their classroom learning to real-world contexts. Examples from the script include environmental challenges like the impact of CO2 on marine life and the geopolitical issues related to the Arctic.

💡Student Engagement

Student Engagement refers to the level of interest, motivation, and active participation that students exhibit in their learning. The video discusses how PBL and authentic problems increase engagement by making learning more relevant and meaningful. Students at Sammamish High School are described as being more invested in their education when they see the real-world impact of their projects.

💡Professional Development

Professional Development involves ongoing training and education for teachers to improve their teaching skills and methodologies. The video highlights a five-day professional development program at Sammamish High School, where teachers learn from each other to effectively implement PBL in their classrooms. This training is crucial for the school's transition to a problem-based learning model.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. In the video, both students and teachers at Sammamish High School collaborate extensively. Students work in groups to solve problems and create projects, while teachers collaborate during professional development sessions to refine their PBL approaches. Collaboration is shown to enhance learning and problem-solving skills.

💡Curriculum Redesign

Curriculum Redesign involves modifying the content and structure of educational programs to better meet the needs of students. The video showcases Sammamish High School's efforts to redesign their curriculum to incorporate PBL across all subjects. This redesign aims to make learning more interdisciplinary and applicable to real-world situations.

💡Real-World Challenges

Real-World Challenges are practical problems that exist outside the classroom and require creative and critical thinking to solve. The video provides examples such as environmental issues, migration patterns, and geopolitical disputes. Addressing these challenges helps students apply their academic knowledge in practical ways and prepares them for future careers and societal contributions.

💡Student Ownership

Student Ownership refers to students taking responsibility and initiative in their learning process. The video emphasizes this concept as a key outcome of PBL, where students are encouraged to lead projects, make decisions, and explore their interests. This ownership fosters a deeper connection to the material and promotes lifelong learning skills.

💡21st Century Skills

21st Century Skills are essential abilities such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity that students need to succeed in today's world. The video highlights how PBL at Sammamish High School helps develop these skills by engaging students in complex problem-solving, group work, and real-world applications of their knowledge. These skills are crucial for their future academic and professional success.

Highlights

Tom Duenwald, the principal of Sammamish High School, discusses the school's shift from a traditional model to a problem-based learning approach.

Sammamish High School received a federal grant to redesign the school into a problem-based learning institution across all curricular areas.

Problem-based learning involves students actively working together to solve authentic problems, transitioning from teacher-centered to student-centered learning.

Professional development sessions led by Sammamish teachers for Sammamish teachers to prepare for the new school year.

Teacher: 'How do I transform my class from being driven by me to students wanting to take ownership?'

Students solve problems through discussion and product creation, enhancing their engagement and learning experience.

The authentic problem-solving process helps students develop a hunger for learning and keeps them involved in education.

Jayesh: 'The idea that the whole school is focused on problem-based learning is really powerful.'

Teachers collaborate during the school day to develop curriculum that aligns with best teaching practices in their disciplines.

Project-based learning enables students to connect to the material and understand it in their own way.

Students work on real-world problems, such as the environmental impact of high CO2 levels on ocean life.

Problem-based learning prepares students for future challenges by fostering leadership and cooperation skills.

Students present their projects to actual clients, providing a real-world audience and deepening their learning.

Rob: 'When students know that their work has an audience outside the classroom, it helps them deepen their thinking.'

Students engage in role-playing exercises, such as a U.N. summit simulation, to discuss and debate global issues like the control of Arctic resources.

The school's culture emphasizes that students' contributions are valuable and encourages active participation.

Adrienne: 'As teenagers, often what they fight against is a sense that life is happening to them. We give them classrooms where they help direct what's happening.'

The project-based learning approach is designed to prevent students from feeling like they can hide and instead encourages them to bring out their best.

Transcripts

>>Hi, I'm Tom Duenwald, I'm principal of Sammamish High School.

>>When I first came here as principal Sammamish was

in a place of declining enrollment.

Things weren't working, the staff came together and was thinking about,

"Well, what could we do to take Sammamish to the next level

and really serve our students?"

>>Adrienne: We have been fortunate to get a federal grant that's allowed us

to move forward with re-designing our school to be a problem-based school,

wall-to-wall, in every curricular area.

>>Tom: It's a significant shift from what can be more

of a traditional teacher-centered classroom to more

of a teacher-facilitated learning process

where we engage students in authentic problems.

High schools have been very resistant to change.

I mean I think a lot of high schools, you visit them

and it could be fifty years ago.

And I don't think it has to be that way.

>>Adrienne: So in eight days the school year is going to start

and before that we are getting together for five days

of professional development led

by Sammamish teachers for Sammamish teachers.

>>Teacher: How do I transform my class from being driven by me

to students wanting to take ownership?

>>Adrienne: PBL in a classroom is students actively working together

to solve a problem.

The problem can be big or small.

It can be the type of thing that they can solve through discussion.

It can be the type of thing that they build a product around.

But, ultimately, it's students trying to learn content

through the solution to this problem.

>>There is something to students having the opportunity

to get together and deal with real-world challenges

that makes them hungry for the next challenge, that desire to come back

to the table and invest more of themselves in the outcome.

We want to grow that feeling in them over the course of these four years.

That's what gets them to stay involved in education.

>>Jayesh: This idea that the whole school is focused

on problem-based learning is really powerful.

Fifteen years of teaching here, I've seen quite a lot.

I'm good at what I do.

I would like to be better, I would like to be a more effective teacher.

>>Adrienne: For an entire school to go through this

across the board is a big, big change

in what we're seeing other schools doing across the country.

>>Rob: Sammamish has always been on the verge, we're a really good school

and we're on the verge, I think, of always becoming a great school.

If there's something that's gonna transform our school,

this is what it's going to be.

>>Adrienne: I want to congratulate you guys for being on time.

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

Slow down, slow down.

>>The first day of school we're gonna have a brand new crop

of freshmen coming into some brand new classes

that we've never taught before.

We're hoping that we're gonna be able to get them engaged early on

and help them see the benefits and positives of problem-based learning,

but I'm anxious about it.

>>Rob: So I have to tell you-

we've got five teachers teaching this class.

We've been working on it this summer.

So we're really looking forward to it.

Your feedback is gonna be important to us.

>>Jayesh: The problem has to be authentic in the sense

that it has a resonance with the students.

>>Student: One of the problems in the ocean is that with the higher amount

of CO2, calcifying organisms are decreasing.

We're testing to see how well life--

other life in the ocean lives without calcifying organisms.

>>Alejandra: I found out that corral reefs are being destroyed

with high CO2.

It moved me and I'd like to change that.

>>Teacher: Does your gravel ever get green and slimy?

>>Anna: Oh, yeah, Algae.

>>Anna: Especially in science and math I feel

like the subject can get a little bit overwhelming.

So that's why I like the project: it's one step at a time.

>>Jainxin: At first I thought project-based learning was a plan

by the government to increase the class sizes

so one teacher could teach more students, but after I worked

with it I realized it was a way for students to connect to the material

and understand the material in our own way.

>>Student: Okay, migration patterns from rural

to urban: we know that one.

All right, rural is, like, farming, agriculture, right?

And then urban's kind of, like, where we live right now.

So you can, like, draw a picture from someone, like,

in eastern Washington moving over to Bellevue.

>>Karissa: At first I thought that it might not be possible to try

to get all the content in.

But I've found that we can still find that balance where maybe one

or two days out of an entire unit I can kind of really lead them

down the content and then they can take that

and better learn from one another.

>>Danielle: I get moderate grades.

But if it's, like, you have a group project,

you're gonna have other people who have other ideas besides you.

So you're gonna be, like, understanding it better

than just reading something by yourself.

>>Rosendo: Yeah, I have a lot of friends who struggle with English,

because they either just came in, like,

two years ago or just barely came.

So, like, if they're in a classroom with a lot of lecturing,

not enough group time, they're not gonna learn English.

>>Adrienne: One of the ways

that we're empowering teachers is we're giving them time during the

school day to work with their colleagues on curriculum

that make sense to them, given what they understand

about the best practices of teaching in their discipline.

We're saying, "Come out of that locked classroom.

Come into community and let's find a way that we,

together, can move forward."

>>David: Our project was to create a aquaponics system

and we had several people working on it.

In my case I was kind of the team leader.

We had to learn how an environmental system in the wild would work

and then simulate that with the materials that we were given.

The whole creative process kind of went in steps.

Two members of my group who are kind of just, like,

the thinkers that would think, "What if we could include this?"

Once those two came up with the ideas,

it would go through another person who was kind of like the designer

to figure out, "Oh, how would we make it?"

And then it would kind of go up to me and I would kind

of be like the final decider.

>>Jainxin: I think it's a great thing that students have a choice.

So when we do project-based learning we're allowed

to teach ourselves the material in a way that we can understand.

>>Rob: Well, the current project is called "The Scramble for the Arctic"

and as a result of the climate change the arctic is getting smaller

and there's all sorts of resources in the arctic that will be available.

And the question we've posed to students is,

"Who should control these resources?"

>>Student: We're arguing about the Northwest Passage.

>>Christine: I know.

We need that, too.

This would probably be faster than the actual Panama Canal.

>>It helps you prepare for the future.

It gives you, like, leadership

and really good cooperation skills with your group members.

>>Kyra: I think it's more interesting.

I don't like just reading and having a test.

It's not fun and you remember it for the test and then you forget it.

>>Kelsey: We had someone come in, an actual client come in,

and choose which one she liked the best.

>>Client: I appreciated how thoughtfully you responded to sort

of the "client's needs," my needs.

>>Anna: It's not just for your teacher

who sees your work all the time;

it's for a client who's deciding whether to build it.

And so you really strive to do well.

>>Tom Duenwald: When the students know that what they're doing

in the classroom has an audience outside the classroom,

it really helps them deepen their thinking on it.

And I think that is pretty authentic in terms

of what the future work world holds.

>>Kelsey: I wasn't realizing how much I was learning until the end of it.

I'm a better learner when I can actually get my hands

on something and do it.

And I'll just remember it better,

because I'll have an experience to attach it with.

>>Christine: We're preparing for, like, a U.N. summit, just, like,

portraying it and how they actually do it in real life.

>>Rob: So you should say, "Can I have these folks come up

and then we're gonna got to Al Jazeera--

Al Jazeera our first live media link."

>>Rob: These are hearings about who should control the arctic,

and what should we do when this territory opens up?

They're playing the role of countries, and indigenous people,

environmental groups, multinational organizations.

This is a real-life problem that's playing out.

>>Student: Not only is oil drilling-- it's extremely dangerous,

but oil recovery is nearly impossible in ice.

And this oil will not last for more than three years according to studies

in the U.S. Geological Survey.

It's about standing up for environment and families

and our future, and I won't give up this fight.

>>Student: Thank you, Delegate.

>>Bruna: Do you understand that if I could have a trade route

through the arctic, my shipping

to the US would be cut two weeks shorter.

So I'm sorry, I will not be supporting you.

>>Bruna: I was the U.N. ambassador to China, so I was a big leader

and I was totally into it.

I feel like if this was to happen

in real life I could potentially change the world.

And that's the kind of stuff I really like doing.

>>Student: Even if there is a chance that what happened in the Gulf Coast,

even if it wasn't by you guys or what happened in Alaska from you guys,

could happen in the arctic, it could be devastating.

>>Student: If everybody just suddenly decided to drop oil,

regular people do not, like, my parents and your parents--

do not have the means to just stop and go buy an electric car.

>>Natasha: Everyone's really, like, pumped up and excited for it and,

like, there's a lot of tension also, because people are agreeing,

disagreeing, but I think that's what's making it fun.

>>Student: ..to protect Oceania we have the World Wildlife Fund.

We understand that you want to protect the natural environment

of the arctic, both nature and wildlife in the area.

However, we do intend despite your beliefs to go forward.

>>Rob: That was great.

Really-- I'm really proud of you.

>>Rob: What we do in PBL, it builds on itself,

so that these projects become part of the culture

and traditions of the school.

We have a day where we look at the presentations of other students.

We have a day where we're going to debate what happens in the arctic.

The biochem folks, they grow their own food.

And I know they as a class have some kind of feast.

That's great.

>>Teacher: If you want some of the tilapia that we raised,

get a little plate and come over here.

>>Rob: What that culture says to students is that what you bring

to the table is valuable.

>>Adrienne: As teenagers I think often what they fight

against is a sense that life is happening to them.

So we give them classrooms where they help

to direct what's happening there.

They are important to this process.

This is not a place that you can hide.

This is a place where we want the best of you, we see the best in you,

now let's bring that out.