Wanted:  Passionate People to Become Educators!
 By:  Annette Coval

Project at a Glance :

High school students were asked to investigate the current teacher shortage in Michigan, discover ways to encourage people to participate in GVSU's pre-service teaching program, and how to improve the overall program.
       
Driving Question:

How can colleges better prepare pre-service teachers?           

Standards:

• Skills4Success - Collaboration, Communication, & Global Thinking.

Team / Culture Building:

• Creative DNA Protocol
• 6 Word Memoirs​​

• Hopes, Fears, and Norms protocol

Entry Event:

• Scavenger Hunt- Students looked for clues to uncover the challenge.​

Stakeholders:

• GVSU faculty
• GVSU students
• School administrators & staff

Empathy Building:

• Students created a Stakeholders Map with GVSU staff members
• Next, they developed an Empathy Map to understand the typical pre-service teacher.

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Students visited downtown Holland and Hope College campus to interview local community members about the driving question and to gather insight on how the general public felt.
• Interviewed and/or surveyed current educators, administrators, college students, high school students, GVSU and Hope College Education Department employees.​​

Incubation:

• Using  information gathered from interviews and surveys students brainstormed solution ideas using the Idea Quota protocol.
• Next students organized their solution ideas using  Saturate & Group.
• Prior to landing on one or two solutions students used the NUF Test to narrow down ideas.​​​

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Solution Building:

• Students developed 'Elevator Pitches' to share with a variety of stakeholders.  using the feedback they received they developed their solution pitch.
• ​Solutions included:  A GVSU Mentor program for post grads, more emphasis on Mental Health awareness, Shadow current K - 12 students - ' a day in the life of. . .', partner with  Grand Rapids Public to develop a HS Pre-service teacher prep program, and tuition free student teaching.

Critique and Revision: 

• Revisit "THE WHY"
• Critical Friends
• Gallery Walk- with I like  . . ., I wonder . . . feedback

​

Authentic Audience:

• GVSU faculty
• GVSU students
• School administrators & staff

Final Presentation:

• Students presented at GVSU's Spring Design Thinking conference.​

Project Template:

• Click here for teacher's full plan.

​​Reflection and Feedback:​

• Rubric available upon request

Click here for the  teacher's journey through PBL on Padlet.

Meet the Educator:
Annette Coval taught English 9 and Yearbook at Hamilton High School.  
      
     "PBL makes learning relevant and allows students to see the 'real world' impact of their work."