Problem based learning activity - Essay Example

Problem Based Learning Activity al Affiliation: Problem Based Learning Activity In the past, I thought education wasoffered in schools through the management of the ministry of education. I believed that the ministry of education performed roles such as changing curricula, managing school buildings, careful choosing of teachers, and other tasks that benefit the students. However, after taking the Professional Staff Development and Evaluation class with other teammates, I have realized that this is not the case.

They are various critical areas in schools and educational institutes that need special care. During the meetings with the fellow team members, we discussed schools found in the Lamar area. In our initial meeting, we spoke about the locations of the schools. We discussed the education area of Lamar, the administration governing the schools and the number of schools in the region. From our research, we found out that Lamar city consists of five schools ;Primary School, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and Lamar Career & Technical Center.

We also discussed the history of the area. In this discussion, we talked about where people work in agriculture, ranches, and trading. We found out that the area is known for being the home of President Harry Truman. It is located about 292 miles west St. Louis in a beautiful agricultural land with 5.43 square miles area. The population of the area is approximately 4500 with 95% being whites while the rest are from different ethnicities; 0.7% African Americans, 0.3% Asians, 0.6% Native Americans.

In our second meeting, we had an intention of creating a plan for improving weaknesses in the education system by collecting data on internal documents, exam results and curricula. This was important in helping us identify the subjects that needed improvement, making a three-year plan for professional development and offering solutions to the current problems. By studying the data for different subjects during the last three years and the effect on students’ comprehension, we could determine the current problems with the system.

Moreover, the study would help us find a solution to solve the current problems. Comparing information from different areas was very beneficial in terms of identifying problems and making suggestions.In the third meeting, we discussed the results of our data research on the previous two meetings. We realized that half of the students in grades 3 to 8 had bad results in English. In mathematics, we identified that at least half of the students had good results. However, less than half of the students had good results in the other classes.

Based on the results found from our research, we came up with a three-year plan to help improve education in Lamar.First year: Formation of a group of 3-6 members to start studying and analyzing student’s education data and their comprehension in each school. To achieve this, the group members must come up with a work plan, attend research seminars, and finally send monthly reports about the effect on students.Second year: The student’s work will be analyzed. This will be compared to the results of other classes in the area.

A group of teachers can do this and discuss their results and its effect on the students. Department chairs will watch the group standards and know the progress of group members. All teachers will record student data based on their exam results. Each exam and evaluation for current aims for the students’ education will be examined to see if progress has been made.Third year: Continuation of classes should be done, and teachers should offer evidence based on student comprehension results. Teachers from elementary and middle schools should start visual discussions instead of just normal lecturing.

Evaluating the effect of school processes, programs and determining success indicators all over the school system should be performed. This will be achieved in the three years of high-quality professional development. All schools in Lamar will try to offer high-quality education to all students. This will have a positive influence to their lives.ConclusionEducation is a continuous process. A goo base of education is created in the initial stages of education. Therefore, public schools should provide positive and safe environments for learning.

Providing high-quality education in each school is key to improving overall education standards. Continuous monitoring of the impact of education on children helps identify their weak areas. This in turn leads to an improvement of the system of education. Therefore, department heads and teachers are very influential towards creating sound systems of education in any area.