What about Project Based Learning?
PBL…Project Based Learning. I’ll start off by saying that in the Education industry (like all industries I reckon), we frequently see a recycling of ideas stamped with a new name. You could say that, a little bit, about PBL, because anyone who’s gone to school or been schooled knows that hands-on problem-solving, group projects, etc have always been around (and except for group projects maybe, always more enjoyable than a lecture. I only mention group projects here because some of us always end up doing the work in a group project and then everyone gets an A. Ok. Small personal rant. Moving on. Not bitter at all). I mean, from the beginning of time, or at least John Dewey’s time, “learning by doing” has been touted as one of the most effective instructional tools in a teacher’s arsenal.
Can you use PBL in a carceral space, or in an educational space with students who are there because they in general behave badly? You know I’m gonna say yes. And I’m gonna ignore “behave badly” for another post. :)
PBL is just as effective in an alternative setting as a traditional one, maybe more. In working with incarcerated juveniles, I led a team of educators across the state to implement PBL topics a few times a year, and in adult prisons and jails, I’ve led teams of staff and incarcerated students to solve real-world problems with real-life solutions using PBL. In a nutshell, it works like this:
Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience. As a result, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills.
No matter the age or situation, learners always respond positively to authentic problem-solving. As facilitators, we teach students how to research, how to find resources, how to test hypotheses, how to evaluate results, but we let them do the work. We watch them find the answers. Then we let them present their solutions to an audience that could actually implement the solution, or at the very least engage in subject-matter-expert-level discussions about the solution. In a carceral space, engaging in PBL methodology does a few things:
extends learning
teaches students to work in teams
brings the community inside (for the Showcase)
takes the student outside of their own problems to be a solution-finder, a thought-leader, and a contributor to the community
teaches self-discipline
creates a safe space for learning
showcases the correctional agency as forward-thinking, student-centered, and an active community partner
Ok, well, I could go on and on here. Done well, PBL is a win/win/win/win….infinity.
If you want to know more, there are a plethora of resources online. Here are a few:
If you want to know more about how I and my team have put PBL into practice in adult and juvenile prisons, jails, and detention centers, contact me and let’s talk!
