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By: Brittany Tinkler
Southport Elementary School
Southport, IN
Sparkling lights, festive music, comfort food, and cozy fires. ‘Tis the season for family, friends, joy, and giving. Not only is this season filled with so many opportunities to give thanks and make memories with those we love, it’s also a great time to reflect on our blessings and find ways to make life better for those around us. As we enter into another season full of joy and love, I am reminded of the amazing impact that PBL, or Project Based Learning, can have on entire communities. Project Based Learning units have the potential to teach students their academic standards linked to lifelong skills that they will never forget, while at the same time leaving an unforgettable mark on the hearts of those who facilitate the project. Not only do these units impact those within the four walls of the classroom, they have the potential to impact people living within the community. So, what does this season have in common with PBL? It’s all about taking the time to give!
What PBL Gives to Students
For children the holiday season is filled with excitement. As an elementary facilitator my students are excited about the idea of Santa Claus and all the things that he will bring for them. They talk about the gifts they want. They write letters and expect to have their hopes fulfilled on Christmas morning. It’s not uncommon for young students and even adults to think of themselves this time of year. As a facilitator I dream of bigger things for my students, I want them to see that in our world one of the biggest things we can do is make a positive difference; this all starts with thinking of others. This is the real life lesson that nine year old students from Southport Elementary School had the opportunity to learn during a project titled: Keeping Indy Warm. The issue we addressed in our problem statement and that ultimately drove this project was grounded in research about the statistics of homelessness in our very own community. Southport Elementary School is located near the city of Indianapolis which, according to Holly Hays from the Indianapolis Star, contains 1,567 individuals who are currently homeless. This number, which is inclusive of men, women, and children, is actually a dip from previous years. It is not unlikely for students at Southport Elementary to see people living homeless on the corners near their homes and at the stores they go shopping at.
Our launch, or entry event, to this project was a heartwarming and surprising video showcasing how Amazon Prime can be used to do something thoughtful for our homeless community (be sure to grab some tissues before watching): How to Hijack Amazon Prime for Good. This video activated students prior knowledge and lead to some stories and situations from their own lives that connect to homelessness. It immediately gets students to buy into a purpose that drive their entire project. In the blog, Permission to Dream, the author states that, “the same ‘why’ that drives us as adults needs to be there for learner engagement as well. If our learners don’t know why they are learning something, they are unlikely to be engaged in it.” The intentionality within an entry event should be to lead students to develop a purpose that is authentic enough to drive the rest of the project. That is the true gift we, as facilitators, have the potential to give students, and to me this opportunity of leading kids to purposeful and intentional learning is better than any wrapped present I could hand them.
What PBL Gives to Communities
A purpose for learning is one of the most impactful gifts that PBL can give to students, but the giving doesn’t stop there. The work students produce throughout a unit has the power to inspire the community around them. During the Keeping Indy Warm project students partnered with; Wheeler Mission, the Indianapolis Fire Department, IBEW power and light company, Kwik Kopy Inc., and RTV6 (our local news channel). Each of the community partners played an important role in the culmination of the project. Wheeler Mission is a “non-denominational, Christian, social services organization, which provides critically needed goods and services to the homeless, poor, and needy of central Indiana”. During the research phase of the project one of the employees from Wheeler Mission visited the 3rd grade students to share shocking statistics, and information about homelessness.
During this visit students really connected with two things that our guest spoke about: people living homeless rarely hear their name spoken and the best ways to help someone who is homeless is not with money, it’s with service, or with giving a tangible item. This had a big impact on how students made their decision about making and delivering blankets rather than raising money, and it also lead students to their idea of writing personalized holiday cards that were professionally printed by Kwik Kopy Inc. to attach to each blanket. The blankets were made with the help of our local firefighters and other community partners and were then donated to fire stations, Wheeler Mission, and hand delivered by Southport Elementary teachers. Thanks to our local news channel, RTV6, students were able to share their story with the entire community in order to bring smiles and teach others that true happiness lies within the things we do for others.
What PBL Gives to Facilitator
Projects have the power to leave lasting positive impressions on students and community partners, but they also have the power to leave a positive impression on the facilitator. After the culmination of this project I stepped back and allowed myself the time to reflect on what my students had taught me about project-based learning. My reflection was as follows: I used to think that projects could only be taught in one content area at a time, now I know that they can be taught in multiple content areas even when doing the same project. Let me explain, as an elementary facilitator it can be challenging to find ways to incorporate standards for more than one content area during a project. Many projects fit naturally within English language arts (ELA) standards, but finding ways to incorporate social studies, science, and mathematics is more of a challenge.
During the Keeping Indy Warm project I learned that projects can naturally fit into many content areas even when the project is just covering one topic. For this project students were meeting reading literature standards as they asked and answered questions and developed knows and need to knows. They were distinguishing personal point of view from characters point of view when reading the Little Match Girl and creating a new page that solved a problem for the homeless character. They were meeting reading nonfiction standards as they researched information about homelessness to share with community members. They were meeting their writing process standards as they created holiday letters, and how-to informational videos or text to share with their community partners when making fleece blankets. They were meeting measurement standards as they explored and found the area and perimeter needed to cut and tie fleece into a blanket. In social studies students were learning about being good citizens and sharing that learning with their community. For a look at our criteria you can view our project rubric. Throughout this project students were able to learn their 3rd grade standards, but the most amazing part of that is they now have meaningful memories and experiences to connect back to. When students see words like point of view, area, perimeter, or informational text on assessments they have had opportunities that they experienced in their real lives to help them be successful, not only on assessments, but in life.
‘Tis the Season
The season to spread joy and cheer and overall find ways to make spirits bright! We could all use a reminder of the feeling we get when we give, not just gifts, but services. That’s the true purpose behind this PBL unit. As a facilitator I want to leave my students with a gift, not just tied to academics, but tied to the 21st century skills that will lead them to success in their bright futures. The real beauty of the Keeping Indy Warm project came from the compassion, empathy, confidence, and inspiration my students got the opportunity to experience. These are the gifts they can take and use forever. I want to leave you all with a challenge. My challenge to you is to step back and let your students inspire you with the great ideas they come up with when they’re facilitated by teachers who have the drive to grow students in preparation for the world. I’m now filled with joy after writing this blog post because I am reminded of the mark I get to leave on the world. Educators have the ability to truly impact the future. Let’s make spirits bright all season long through the work of our students!
*If you’d like to learn more about this PBL, listen to the PBL Playbook Project Blitz, Episode 6 Keep Indy Warm.
Brittany Tinkler teaches 3rd grade at Southport Elementary School located on the south side of Indianapolis. She loves teaching in the same district that she graduated from. This year is her 8th year teaching, and her first year serving as a mentor on her school’s leadership team. She has spent the last 3 years becoming trained, implementing projects, and working on becoming PBL Certified with the support of Magnify Learning. In her free time she enjoys living an active lifestyle alongside her husband and their two children. She strives to model her love of learning wherever she goes, and hopes to inspire all kids to find their purpose.
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