PBL Now on the Menu

PBL. For the newer students, this acronym brings to mind images of some variation on the classic PB&J sandwich, but for the older students at Lincoln, it conjures up images of crumbling pasta bridges and professional business presentations. PBL stands for Project Based Learning, and Lincoln students can expect to experience a lot more of it on the campus in the coming month.

Students will be expected to carry out a number of projects dealing primarily with AP, Common Core, and Academic Visual and Performing Arts content. In an email sent to the faculty on Oct. 5th, Principal Hewitson noted that “a well executed project enhances the learning of that content by increasing student engagement.”

Lion Tales interviewed one student, Chau Le, about her impressions of PBL. She stated that, in her experience, “project based learning is less effective than regular classroom assignments…because projects take up too much time.” Le also found that she retained more information from “taking notes and studying” than she did from doing projects that “only focused on a small section of what [the class] needed to learn.”

This new wave of projects, however, promises to be much more engaging than those of the past. Teachers will have access to a PBL Capacity Team that can aid them in the development and implementation of their projects, and PBL meetings will regularly be held on Tuesday afternoons.

Students can look forward to a variety of projects that will cover a range of topics. Below is a preview of some of the projects that will be launched this month.

In Different Shoes
Driving question: As a 21st John Howard Griffin, what local or global community(ies) would you journey through to bring attention to problems of intolerance?
Teachers: Catherine Mitchell & Ileana Straus

You Are What You Eat
Driving Question: How can I influence others to make healthy food choices?
Teachers: Catherine Handschuh, Michelle Bennet, Kelli Berryhill

Singin’ In the Rain
Driving Question:How will we overcome the technical and talent challenges of Singin’ in the Rain to bring it to stage for an audience of our peers, parents and community members?
Teachers: Chuck Manthe, Anne-Marie Katemopoulos, Craig McKenzie

Revolutions Past and Present
Driving Question: Was it worth it?
Teachers: Evelyn Smith, George Adas, Alison Keiley

California Drought:
Driving Question: What can I do to help California reduce the effects of the drought?
Teachers: Chris Macko, Gail Cahn, Jean Gavin

Our Steps
Driving Question: How can students successfully choreograph their own show?
Teachers: Chris Scadina and Dana Brett

Lion Tales En Español
Driving Question: How can Lion Tales and T&I classes collaborate to produce bilingual school newspaper?
Teachers: Ryan Alpers and Ileana Straus

Student Success
Driving Question: How can I, as a senior at Lincoln, help 9th graders get fewer D’s and F’s on their report card?
Teachers: Joe Kappia