Objective
To explore a variety of ways in which students can build self-awareness and identity-affirming activities through the PBL approach.
This activity should take approximately 25–30 minutes.
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In The PBL-SEL Connection, Dr. Nancy Sulla, founder of IDE Corp.. states: “When you engage students in the design process to solve a problem, you build many SEL competencies …” Through problem-, project-, pursuit-, or placed-based learning approaches, students engage in authentic experiences directly tied to the learning. These experiences not only encourage risk-taking, problem-solving, and community engagement, but also help reinforce key social-emotional competencies needed for personal, academic, and social growth. Furthermore, the NYSED Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework emphasizes that teachers should “encourage students to take academic risks in order to create an environment that capitalizes on student mistakes as learning opportunities that help students grow academically and emotionally” (p. 28). These are the opportunities that exist when you give a student a problem to solve, a pursuit to explore, or a challenge to overcome.
The connection between PBL and SEL is a natural one that automatically encourages students to:
- Collaborate with teachers, peers, and administrators to create opportunities for meaningful long-term projects, project-based learning activities, and field visits that allow all students to demonstrate their knowledge and growth over time, and align to the varied learning styles and interests of those in the class community.
- Ask questions about self, community, and society that may serve as opportunities to connect in-school learning with the world outside the classroom.
Through these objectives, teachers can provide opportunities for students to engage in activities that integrate students’ personal and social identities; identify their emotions; express their values and beliefs; and develop their sense of purpose, self-efficacy, and growth mindset. These skills speak directly to building self-awareness and an affirming identity.
Brainstorm & Design
Directions: When students feel an authentic connection to the learning, their sense of efficacy, engagement, and empowerment grows. How can you utilize and develop students’ self-awareness to further enhance their PBL experiences? Reflect on the self-awareness competency as referenced on www.CASEL.org and determine different ways in which you can build self-awareness and positive identity through PBL approaches, resources, and structures within the classroom.
PBL-SEL Connection: Self-Awareness
Skill: Identifying Emotions
- Opening free-write for students to share how they feel about the real-world problem
- Written or video journal reflection on students’ feelings about group interactions and learning activities
- A discussion about how others may feel about a challenge or real-world problem
PBL Connection
Write down any ideas that resonate with you, as well as any additional thoughts that will promote students’ self-awareness throughout their PBL journey.
Skill: Accurate Self-Perception
- Allow students to self-assess and monitor progress and performance on their PBL goals using a rubric and see how their perceptions measure with your own. To view examples, revisit Module 2 — A Welcoming and Affirming Environment: Implementing a Great Hybrid Learner Rubric.
- As students progress though their PBL unit, encourage them to self-reflect in a shared or private document or video using self-reflection strategies in The Importance of Student Reflection.
- Offer students PBL opportunities to explore and express their sense of identity. Students can create a virtual gallery, make a pre-recorded or live-streamed TedX talk, write a personal narrative or online blog post, or conduct a peer interview. (View samples from Module 3.)
PBL Connection
Write down any ideas that resonate with you, as well as any additional thoughts that will promote students’ self-awareness throughout their PBL journey.
Skill: Recognizing Strengths
- Allow students working in groups or partnerships to build connections and share how their strengths will help accomplish group PBL goals.(Sample Activity: Values and Strengths Affirmation)
- Facets Are Assets: A Reflection for Teachers: Explore this tool to reflect on how the different facets of your students’ lives can be used as assets for project/problem-based learning in the classroom.
PBL Connection
Write down any ideas that resonate with you, as well as any additional thoughts that will promote students’ self-awareness throughout their PBL journey.
Skill: Self Confidence
- Journal reflections can be used to express parts of the PBL task where students feel they already will succeed or have already succeeded.
- Give voice to students by providing them with differentiated activities from which students select those they feel they can tackle.
- Implement this resource, “How Can I Help,” within your LMS for lower elementary students who feel confident in helping others navigate a problem.
PBL Connection
Write down any ideas that resonate with you, as well as any additional thoughts that will promote students’ self-awareness throughout their PBL journey.
Skill: Self-Efficacy
- Design and implement a “Digital Efficacy Notebook” for each student to reflect on their learning activities and learning journey.
- Encourage students to take a stand on an issue they feel passionate about. (View samples from Module 3.)
PBL Connection
Write down any ideas that resonate with you, as well as any additional thoughts that will promote students’ self-awareness throughout their PBL journey.