Checked Environmental Green Cards - Project Based Learning (PBL): Evaluation and Improvement

Many teachers are still confused conducting Project Based Learning (PBL) in class. Many questions are asked?
What is PBL? What materials or core competencies can run PBL? What should be prepared for running PBL? Is
the time enough for running PBL in school? How do students get involved in PBL? What activities are in PBL?
Actually, those questions had been my questions before I tried PBL myself.

I applied PBL for the first time just by following my understanding. I chose one of the core competencies from the
curriculum in which I can ask my students to make a product. Then, I compared the PBL that I did with the
teaching method that I usually use. I found there was no difference. I thought there was something wrong with my
understanding. Then, I discussed it with my colleague from another school in English teacher forum. The
discussion clarifies some of my misunderstandings about the PBL. She said that students can decide themselves
the problem they want to discuss by observing the problem directly. Now I have a better idea to conduct PBL in
my class.

When I planned my semester teaching program, I put the PBL as the method that I will use to involve my students
to make invitation and greeting cards to achieve one of the core competencies in the curriculum. I stated the
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learning objectives, arranged the time and activities, and prepared the rubrics for evaluation. Since we live in 21
century, I want my students able to collaborate, use technology, care about one of the worlds problems, solve the
problem, think critically, and be creative.

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The core competency that I used was Invitation and Greeting Cards (Curriculum 2013, 8 grade, semester I). I
titled my project as Environmental Green Cards. Before I started the project, my students had learned how to
invite and greet someone. So, I started my project by introducing the structure of the cards and asking students to
comparing the structures in groups of 4. After students understood the structures, I asked them to watch videos
about environmental problems that our world faces nowadays and Go Green. After that, we had a discussion
about the problems that we saw in the movie.

Next, I guided the students to go around the school to learn about environmental problems that our school had.
This way I let them have awareness about the school environment. They found Inefficiency energy usage, poor
school cleanliness, careless water usage, unused papers, and bad plantation caring. From all problems they got
around the school, they only had to choose one problem to be solved together in groups of 4 from 36 pupils. They
also had to write a report and present it in front of the class to be discussed.

For final activity, I asked my students to make invitation and greeting cards. They could invite all school society to
take care of our school environment in order to solve school environment problems. They also chose an
environment day and distributed greeting cards on that day as a way to celebrate the day. I asked them to make
and decorate the invitation and greeting cards from unused things. They did this individually.

I run this project for 3 weeks plus. Students learned to differ and understand the contents of invitation and
greeting cards in a week. In the following week, students discussed school environmental problem to find the
solution, then wrote a report and prepared a presentation in groups. Students decorated their own cards in their
spare time at school after working in a group or at home. Students presented the report in the final week. They
handed in and distributed the cards on agreed day beyond the learning time. The project is still going on since
many school communities do not really care to the school environment. They should remind their friends about
school environment.

Students collaborated in their group mates in discussing how to solve school environment problem. They used
power point in presenting the discussion result. Most of them used pictures and animation but some added movie
and music in presentation. They tried to give solution on school environment problems by inviting school society
to care the environment. They made and decorated the cards creatively from unused paper.
As a teacher, we need to collect students portfolio. So, I recorded the ongoing presentation, the situation when
my pupils distributed the cards in group, and took photograph of the cards. I forgot to record the situation when
they discussed and made cards.

I learn it by doing it. And I still need more learning.