The 6 A's of PBL Project Design: Active Exploration 2-Field Trips in PBL

 

Audacious, attest, awe, archaic, attire, apathy ...these are all great words, but they are not what we mean we talk about the 6 A’s of PBL Project Design. We’re continuing a series around the 6 A’s of PBL Project Design. This video will address Active Exploration and how to use field trips in PBL.

Field trips fit in Active Exploration, and it’s a key conversation because you could miss out on its importance. Check out the last video on Active Exploration to explore the importance of curiosity. You can call it in inquiry if you prefer. I like the whimsy of curiosity. At the core, both of these words require us to put learners in a position to wonder what problems can be solved by going to this place (in person or virtually).

If the field trip is just one that your school has always gone to because it’s what you do, you’ll have to fight a bit harder to win this one. John Maxwell has this great quote, “Experience is not the best teacher, evaluated experience is the best teacher.”

We can repeat the same mistakes every day and not learn, but when we take the time to evaluate our fails and wins we have the opportunity for growth. In fact, that is one of the main premises of my book, PBL Stories and Structures. It’s filled with the structure of PBL but also real life classroom stories of teachers just like you who have had tremendous wins and a fair amount of fails to learn from. If you grab a copy from the link in the description you get a free course where I walk you through each chapter. It’s super fun! Field trips can be the same way.

Field trips are not the best way to actively explore. Well positioned field trips are the best way to actively explore. We need to set up the problem we are solving and then put the field trip in as a way to help solve the problem we are engaged in. If we are working to solve safety problems at the local park, we should explore why this work is important. We might practice writing in our science notebooks before we go. We definitely want to let learners know that after we explore the park and create solutions, we will be presenting our solutions to the local city councilman. All of this sets the stage for and builds importance around the field trip experience, so that we are engaged during the field trip.

A search and find that means “I have to look at everything” which will create a situation where I am ignoring everything around me, so that I can fill out my worksheet and get points. What problem will we solve by going to this place? If we don’t have a problem and this place won’t help, we probably shouldn’t go. When curiosity is peaked and a place has problems we need to help the community solve within the context of our standards based PBL Unit, your field trip will come alive!!!...and is more likely to be funded and approved.

Additional PBL Resources

1. PBL Simplified Sign Up - Get these videos sent to your inbox each week!

2. PBL Simplified Book Study- Want to learn more about what the PBL process looks like in the classroom? Check out this book!

3. The PBL Simplified Podcast - Like listening to podcasts? Tune in each week to hear episodes on PBL-related topics.

4. PBL Movement Online Community - Connect with other like-minded educators and get access to a ton of PBL Resources.

5. PBL Blog Sign Up - If you like these videos, then you can get our PBL blogs sent your inbox as well!

6. Magnify Learning on YouTube Subscribe for the latest videos!