PBL Review - Step Three

To begin with the first PBL example provided in the documents section of Sakai. Titled "Lounging Around" this, at least in my opinion (with my limited knowledge of the entire PBL process) seemed to be a relatively effective example of a PBL activity. The students were provided with an interesting and relatable topic or problem. They were given a certain budget and a certain area in which they were allowed to design a new lounge for the 7th and 8th grade students. As long as they stayed within their budget and their set area of space they were allowed to design it in any way they wished. This is a problem that will intrigue the students because it relates directly to them, and it provides a fun issue that could peak and hold their interest. The group laid out the math that the student would be using in the exploration of this problem, along with specific examples of each type of math, and for the most part I was impressed. They covered everything from geometry (the shapes and the actual set up of the items to be placed in the student lounge, maximizing the total space) to data analysis (the actual budgeting). One area that I thought seemed a bit weak was the algebra, as their description of the algebra to be used did not totally seem to match up with the difficulty of the project. Outside of this issue though, they did an excellent job of tying their goals for the students into the NCTM objectives, while providing an intriguing question that would be fun for the students to explore, and setting to an appropriate age level.

The second PBL example provided, entitled "Redo the Zoo" seemed equally impressive. In this one, students were basically asked to design their own ideal zoo, budgeting the space, time, and money that it would take to complete this. I was impressed right off the bat with their rationale and the ideas from outside of the mathematics classroom that they were able to tie in. To begin with, the students will take a trip to their local zoo, giving them ideas as to how a zoo is set up and a basis of operations for how they may want to set up (or not set up) their own. I thought this was a great idea as it seems like a great way to get students involved and excited right away in the introduction of this problem. By providing a field-trip to begin the PBL, you are providing a fun experience that can peak students interest and further encourage them to get involved in the problem. For further connections outside of this, I was impressed with the idea that after their zoo was completed, the students were to write a full proposal to the ficitonal Mathmaticsburg Zoological Society. This is a great way to tie in the Language Arts classroom and allow students to practice their higher order thinking skills. For work inside the math classroom, I feel that this group did an excellent job of including multiple areas of mathematics in their PBL, including everything from geometry, to algebra, to data analysis. The one thing that I was unsure about was the degree of difficulty for the age group. While I think that a problem regarding the zoo is excellent for the fifth-sixth grade level, I think that the idea of re-desigining an entire zoo while writing a full business proposal may prove a bit difficult.