Project Based Learning and the Movies
John Larmer
and John R. Mergendoller of the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) wrote an
article called “Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning”. In it, they
described these components: a need to know, a driving question, voice and
choice, 21st century skill development, a process of inquiry and
innovation, feedback and revision, and a culminating event or end product. (http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx)
As I am a film teacher, my best running analogy of the project-based learning process is that of a screenplay. Creating a good driving question is key to the success of your overall project; this cannot be overstated. If your question is too narrow, it won’t provide the enough scope for the “voice and choice” that is an integral part of engagement. If your question is too broad, it might not clearly pave the way for your finished product, and a finished product and presentation is also key to the success of the project.
In the movie business, the driving question would be what is commonly called the “what if”. What if a mermaid fell in love with a man? (Splash) What if you fell in love with your computer avatar? (Her) What if Shakespeare had got writers block? (Shakespeare in Love) You need to capture your audience’s attention in the first ten minutes of the script. They have to “get it”. It’s called “high concept”. I know what this is about, and I know where this is going even if I don’t know how it is going to end. In PBL, that’s the entry event. Then you have to be able to know who your main character is and what their driving goal is. What must they accomplish by the end of the movie? That is your PBL whole class, small group or individual end product.
It is very much like plot development in any story; the resolution is always connected to the initial problem or conflict. Along the way, there will be “plot points” and “twists and turns” in the plot. As the teacher, you write the initial plot. As students, they re-write your first draft and also provide some interesting plot twists and turns. They might even change your idea for an end product. That is giving your students “voice and choice”. It is as collaborative an endeavor as the making of a real film is. Whether you are doing a project-based learning unit or problem-based learning unit, along the way, you should be asking essential questions and also asking, “How can this be innovative? How can I teach my students the 21st century skills they will need to survive?” We all know how it feels when we are watching a very predictable movie as compared to one that has moments that surprise us or that enlighten us.
Finally, we need to backward plan the unit to include core content standards that can be measured and assessed so that we can provide feedback and revision from all members of the PBL community: parents, teachers, peers, and community experts and audiences. This feedback occurs both along the way and with the final product. That’s your laughs or tears while you watch the movie and the roaring applause or standing ovation at the end! Hopefully, it is not the deafening silence of a predictable movie poorly wrought.
As I am a film teacher, my best running analogy of the project-based learning process is that of a screenplay. Creating a good driving question is key to the success of your overall project; this cannot be overstated. If your question is too narrow, it won’t provide the enough scope for the “voice and choice” that is an integral part of engagement. If your question is too broad, it might not clearly pave the way for your finished product, and a finished product and presentation is also key to the success of the project.
In the movie business, the driving question would be what is commonly called the “what if”. What if a mermaid fell in love with a man? (Splash) What if you fell in love with your computer avatar? (Her) What if Shakespeare had got writers block? (Shakespeare in Love) You need to capture your audience’s attention in the first ten minutes of the script. They have to “get it”. It’s called “high concept”. I know what this is about, and I know where this is going even if I don’t know how it is going to end. In PBL, that’s the entry event. Then you have to be able to know who your main character is and what their driving goal is. What must they accomplish by the end of the movie? That is your PBL whole class, small group or individual end product.
It is very much like plot development in any story; the resolution is always connected to the initial problem or conflict. Along the way, there will be “plot points” and “twists and turns” in the plot. As the teacher, you write the initial plot. As students, they re-write your first draft and also provide some interesting plot twists and turns. They might even change your idea for an end product. That is giving your students “voice and choice”. It is as collaborative an endeavor as the making of a real film is. Whether you are doing a project-based learning unit or problem-based learning unit, along the way, you should be asking essential questions and also asking, “How can this be innovative? How can I teach my students the 21st century skills they will need to survive?” We all know how it feels when we are watching a very predictable movie as compared to one that has moments that surprise us or that enlighten us.
Finally, we need to backward plan the unit to include core content standards that can be measured and assessed so that we can provide feedback and revision from all members of the PBL community: parents, teachers, peers, and community experts and audiences. This feedback occurs both along the way and with the final product. That’s your laughs or tears while you watch the movie and the roaring applause or standing ovation at the end! Hopefully, it is not the deafening silence of a predictable movie poorly wrought.