Challenge Based Learning Year 2!

My students once again poured their hearts into a new challenge. Our 2nd graders guided our 1st graders in learning the process of Challenge Based Learning (CBL). My 2nd graders were pro since this was their second challenge! This year I recruited my fabulous co-teacher to join in on the challenge. Mark Nichols came and presented again on the basics of CBL to our flipped classroom teachers. I LOVE listening to his ideas. This time around I learned that large international corporations implement this model in order to have their employees produce innovative ideas. It is amazing that the structure of CBL can easily translate to any group of people who desire to positively change in the world through collaboration, creativity, and communication. 

The 2nd graders were passionate about composting last year, but time limited us from composting for the purpose of using the soil in our class flower beds. This year they dove in head first to the idea!

The 2nd graders taught 1st graders the concept of sustainability through sharing their presentation from last year. 

They then brainstormed and voted on a essential question that would be the focus.

I then helped them turn their question into a challenge!

 

The students worked in groups to brainstorm and research answers to their guiding questions. This is my favorite part of the project because they seek out any and all avenues to teach themselves as much as possible in order to build their knowledge base on the topic. This allows students to begin imagining and creating ideas for solutions.  Several groups reached out to the community to find answers. We had guest speakers from companies and even a parent who manages a successful compost in her backyard.

Students then began to brainstorm solutions to meet our challenge. This year we had 14 solution groups mixed with first and second graders in each group. Once they were in teams, the students carefully planned steps to implement their solutions.

Gail, from the City of Phoenix, came to help build a vermi compost with the kids.

One group tended the garden.

Another group managed the tumbler.

They decided on 2 different composting bins and the vermi compost container (kept indoors)

This group is working on informational posters.

Here they are taking video for their challenge documentary.

Other exciting solutions were making composting buckets for other classrooms and writing a press release to the local newspaper. The kids had a ball and owned it all.

The last stage in the process is the reflection and evaluation of their work. This is the most powerful assessment tool. I am able to see if the students grasped the conceptual understanding of both content and the idea of working with other people to make our world a better place. Better yet, the students reflect on their work with each other. My students 100% took charge of the project. Thanks goodness because National Boards had me in over my head at this point in the year :)

Can learning get any cooler? Likely, the answer is yes... but my students inspire ME to be a stronger teacher because I get to see their deep love for learning and making their world better for future generations to come!