It’s the moment when memorization turns from an idea to a solid concept that is fully understood and can be applied both on paper and in reality. Seeing a student turn the numbers that didn’t make much sense to her initially into numbers with meaning as she found the slope and understood exactly what was going on was what made her frustration worth it. Those moments where the building of knowledge and connection happens before your eyes, that is what makes teaching such a gratifying profession.
My name is Stephanie Myers, I am a senior at George Washington University, and I am currently enrolled in Project-Based Learning as part of the curriculum for my STEM teaching minor through the GWTeach program where I am earning my licensure in mathematics for students in secondary education. This semester I taught an 8th Grade algebra I class at Stuart Hobson Middle School as a part of my field experience within Project-Based Learning. Over the course of 8 days, my focus was teaching students how to solve systems of equations by graphing and using the method of substitution. The students completed a project where they considered the real-world applications of the topics by examining the locations of their favorite destinations in the district and using systems of equations to determine the best methods of transportation to use based on cost. For their final project, students created a website with these locations and costs of the best methods of transportation.
The completion of this project was rather challenging, but the students and I found it rewarding by the time our final product was prepared to be shared with our community at Stuart Hobson. Coming into an 8th grade classroom, I understood that for my students, math was not their biggest priority. With that in mind, I aimed to create a project where students would be able to center their own interests and experiences while enhancing those interests with the use of mathematics and the exploration of real world applications. On the first day of the lesson, students led a discussion in which they decided to create a website to provide information about locations and transportation in DC. Over the course of the following lessons, students learned and practiced solving systems of equations by graphing and substitution. These lessons were enhanced by word problems where the real-world applications of the concepts they learned were spotlighted. As they began the project, students engaged in researching locations of their choice and applying the concepts learned over the previous few days to problem solve issues that might be encountered when traveling to these locations. Students were given the opportunity to collaborate with each other by working in groups, engaging in peer critique, and presenting their group’s page of the class website to the entire class before it went live to the public.
A major unexpected factor that I encountered during the project was budgeting the amount of time that it took students to fully understand the material. The class had 29 students, all of whom needed to be able to apply the concepts of the lessons before moving into the project, so keeping the class all together and accommodating their needs to maximize the comprehension of the classroom unit required more time than I had initially set aside to cover content. To face this challenge, I accepted that I did not plan enough time to get through the material, then readjusted the lesson by adding more practice problems and simplifying the project. This allowed for students to gain a better understanding of solving systems of equations, while still creating a final product which they were proud of. The experience of project-based learning was a lesson of adaptability when an initial plan falls through and how to recover and modify both the plan and expectations of your class when the first idea is no longer able to be executed. Overall, it’s important to be able to adjust and customize each day to meet the specific needs of each class’s unique personality and ensure that students are consistently given the space and opportunity to continue learning and growing.