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By: Andrew Larson, High School PBL Facilitator
Columbus Signature Academy New Tech High School
Columbus, IN
In the world of educational reform, the term authenticity seems to be finding its moment in the sun. When students ask, “Why do we need to learn this,” it behooves us to be able to answer them. One of the common guiding principles in Project Based Learning known as “The Six A’s of Good Project Design” is authenticity, and for good reason. When students know that their tasks are authentic learning experiences, I have found that their motivation, engagement and achievement increase.
In terms of authenticity, though, perfection is overrated. When brainstorming project ideas, typically there are questions such as, “Is this a problem that our students can help solve?” or “How, in real life, will the knowledge or skills gained be applied by students?” Sometimes, these questions are real sticking points for moving forward (i.e. meeting classroom deadlines.) I think it’s every PBL educator’s personal Super Bowl when a community partner approaches us for help with a problem, challenge, or project in the community. In eleven years as a science and language arts facilitator at Columbus Signature Academy New Tech High School, I can count on one hand the number of times that has actually happened! And yet, I have facilitated hundreds of projects, and I would say that they all (imperfectly) meet the principles of authenticity as originally described by Adria Steinberg. In the paragraphs below, I’d like to offer my opinion that authenticity can be defined more broadly than you may think. I do this because I have seen educators (including me) stuck in purgatory for more time than is productive as they grapple with finding project ideas that are perfect. This can result in overwhelmed, burned out teachers and lost classroom momentum/ student engagement.
Here are the three guiding questions offered by Steinberg around authenticity, and some examples of very successful projects I have done with students that are imperfectly authentic.
Does the PBL emanate from a problem that has meaning to the student?
To me, this means knowing kids and what they like, care about, and experience personally. My colleagues and I are always trying to boil down what the “hot button” topics are, while also considering our population’s demographics and engagement in the community. Sometimes that means doing projects that are unapologetically simulations, such as mock trials. Each year the case will change to reflect big issues in society such as migration, natural disasters, climate change, discrimination. This project makes up for the fact that no one is actually going to jail as a result of the project with a very authentic setting-- a real courtroom. Students learn how to do court from real lawyers and judges. Couple that with the fact that most students love a competition of some kind and you’re looking at a perennial student favorite. Even a simulation can be an authentic learning experience, as long as the context and topics have meaning to students and are happening in the real world.
Is it a problem or question that might actually be tackled by an adult at work or in the community?
In my Advanced Biology classes, we always devote a sizable chunk of the year to exploring biotechnology topics and lab approaches. Sometimes, that work is connected to a larger project done by a colleague and friend at Purdue University where our students are actually contributing to a body of microbial biodiversity data. Other times, we are using authentic techniques to answer novel questions. This past semester we used electrophoresis to compare the proteins from different sources of fish with the premise that “counterfeit foods” is more common that we think. I really needed an expert to provide a protocol and some of the equipment, so we went to a local college and did the experiment in their lab, under the guidance of two professional scientists.
While the question we were answering was engaging and relevant, no one needed us to do this work. Quite the contrary, in fact; I needed the scientists to provide the protocol and instruction far more than they needed me or my students. Students reported their results to me, their teacher, in a formal piece of scientific writing (the most authentic for the task.) I considered sending a couple of the best artifacts of writing to the scientists but ultimately did not, because I knew that they already had the results. They might have enjoyed, or perhaps even been impressed by the student work, but they did not need it. The process that students experienced had enough innate authenticity to justify them means, at least to me. And in general, I would maintain that an authentic process--- be it the collection of data, designing a prototype, or writing for an audience-- can be enough.
Do students create or produce something that has personal and/or social value, beyond the school setting?
When we receive our brand new ninth grade students in Global Science Perspectives class (an integration of English 9 and Environmental Studies,) one of the first projects we ask them to complete is to write a “personal nature narrative.” This is a true story account, written and told live, of an interaction with nature that they have had in their lives. Some of our students’ experiences in nature are very limited. That is quite ok; in fact, part of the whole point is for us to get a better sense of how they define nature and how they think of those interactions, small or large, as shaping who they are. The project also helps us learn who they are as people. It is also worth noting that since this project is inherently personal, they complete their projects individually.
In terms of authenticity, the reason we do this project is to better know them as humans and learners. Students have told us that the reflective aspects of this project is inherently valuable to them. To me, that is authentic work.
Over the course of the year, I like to maintain a pretty even keel with respect to authenticity. I would much rather have eight projects that check all boxes but one or two than to have one project that I put all of my energy into, in an effort to maximize authenticity, at the expense of others down the road that have questionable authenticity. This work is exhausting and it is both important and necessary to arrive at the end of the year with your sanity still in tact.
Ultimately, I hope this reflection on authenticity is reassuring to teachers who are grasping for the most Earth- shattering authentic project possible. The school year is a marathon and requires a balance of big thinking and pragmatism to end it with the satisfaction of knowing that your students did a lot of authentic work over that time.
*Click here for more resources related to the 6 A’s of Project Design.
Andrew Larson is a science facilitator at the Columbus Signature Academy New Tech High School and an experienced Magnify Learning workshop facilitator. He writes for our regularly updated blog about Project Based Learning. When he’s not doing awesome PBL work, you can find him mountain biking, spending time with his family, or digging around in the garden.
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