PBL - TECHNOLOGY - SAMR - STEAM

PBL - TECHNOLOGY - SAMR - STEAM

As a Technology Education Instructor, the integrated relationship of Project Based Learning (PBL), technology and SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition) model is one that is blatantly obvious.

To start with, let’s break each of these major components down, and analyze what they are composed of:

Project Based Learning.

What is PBL?  PBL is, according to Edutopia, “a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges.”  (https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning ).  Within PBL, students are not just encouraged, but expected to take ownership of their learning, developing the skills necessary to promote lifelong learning and adaptability in an exponentially changing global society.  Students are no longer are required to just memorize and regurgitate information, but to gather definitive information, analyze and adapt said information to meet specified requirements, and then create a new and diverse solution to a given problem.  They have to actually think and adapt!

Technology.

As soon as a person mentions technology, it is automatically assumed that we are talking about computers or electronics.  That is not the case.  A definition of technology which was once given to me by one of my mentors goes like this:   

TECHNOLOGY – the use of knowledge, tools and skills to solve practical problems and enhance human capabilities.

I have had that definition, as well as a self-made poster depicting the integration of technology into the liberal arts posted in my classrooms for more than two decades at this point in time.  As was mentioned by Michael Gorman,     

“I began with technology integration at the start of my career integrating the use of scientific recording equipment, cameras, compasses, and archaeology tools to teach content area skills in the outdoor environment back in the 70’s. I tell this story because it is important to remember that tools are the foundation for technology integration.” (What Would Dewey Think?, Gorman, 2015)  

Technology is not necessarily about using a computer, tablet or smart phone.  It can be about using a hammer or saw, an inclined plane, or a magnifying glass.  I used to do a problem-solving project with second grade students using a bisected piece of PVC pipe, cut into short lengths, and a tennis ball.  The students had to move the ball from one side of the room to another without physically moving their feet if they had the ball in their possession.  This developed not only some teamwork skills, but the need to comprehend how high to start the ball off (if they started off too low, they couldn’t get to the other side), how to control the ball while in their possession, communication skills and an understanding of gravity and simple machines.  Then they had to learn to control those items. 

Take a look at the definition of both PBL and Technology, and you will see how these two topics fit hand in hand.  And that is only a basic, simple project for younger students.  

SAMR.

The integration of the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition) model, to me, is simply an augmented modification of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Vanderbilt, 2017)  .  The Substitution / Augmentation level  of SAMR is comparable to the remember / understand / apply levels of Bloom, while the Modification / Redefinition levels relate to Bloom’s analyze / evaluate / create. The biggest difference is that, according to the SAMR model, electronic technology is to be used to develop and create new projects by the students (Puentedura, 2014).  

This is where many teachers fumble the ball, so to speak.  They look upon “technology” as a necessary evil, one to do basic research and writing with, yet not to explore or create new and exciting projects to enhance their student’s development.  In talking with many students throughout the school year, I have come to realize that most teachers only pay homage to Bloom’s taxonomy, and constrain most of their instruction to the basic levels:  Remember, Understand and Apply.  Even with the integration of technology (computers, tablets and applications), many still only use them for the basics of reading, writing and regurgitation.  Few are the teachers that do something different like the development of storyboards, videos and other projects, yet these are also the most popular of the teachers among the students...

As a Technology Education Instructor in the 90’s, it was part of my task to show how I incorporated common core subjects into what I taught on a daily basis.   It was the height of “teaching to the test”, and I had to show how students were gaining math skills, how history and language arts fell into the program, and even the use of scientific principles.  This was accomplished not so much with computers, but with what I referred to as “hands-on / minds-on” learning.  Hands-on / minds-on was (and is) just what is suggests:  students are learning through physically doing things.  Projects.  Projects which incorporated core learning, but which was broken down and presented in such a way that the students had to think for themselves, create items based on what they had learned, and develop the skills necessary to complete the task at hand.    This, basically, is the STEAM initiative which had exploded onto the scene within the last few years.  

What is STEAM to me?  Here is how I look at it:

S	Science	Science is the study of things, whether it be agricultural, biological, chemical or zoological.  It can relate to history, English or even health.  It is the development of knowing information, and determining what questions to ask to enhance ones knowledge.
T	Technology	The use of knowledge, tools and skills to solve practical problems and enhance human capabilities.  This does not necessarily mean the use of computers, even though that is what it represents in today’s society.
E	Engineering	The analyzation, evaluation and creation of newer, more advanced or more ergonomic technological devices for the advancement of a purpose
A	Art	The ergonomic and fashion (imagination) incorporated into a design or project.  The personal creativity of a person and how they wish to express themselves.
M	Math	The development of numerical skills to support, augment and prove the STEA part of STEAM.

The incorporation of STEAM into the common core classroom is still being fought by many teachers.  For too long, the “three R’s”, “common core”, and “teaching to the test” have been at the forefront of the visible educational spectrum.  Programs such as art, music and the “shops” have been portrayed as unnecessary and have been cut, to the detriment of the students.  Now, common core teachers are being encouraged to redevelop their classes to include STEAM topics and to teach students more than just being able to answer questions on a test…

Resources:

Project-Based Learning, https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning

21centuryedtech, Essential Connections of STEM, PBL, and Technology Integration… What Would Dewey Think?, Michael Gorman,, September 15, 2014 https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/essential-connections-of-stem-pbl-and-tech-integration-what-would-dewey-think/

Vanderbilt University, Center for Teaching, Bloom’s Taxonomy, https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

Commonsense.org, SAMR and Bloom’s Taxonomy: Assembling the Puzzle, https://www.commonsense.org/education/blog/samr-and-blooms-taxonomy-assembling-the-puzzle