When considering the advantages and challenges of PBL, I think about the new ELA curriculum my district adopted. It is the first year in implementation. Our students are assessed using two different types of assessment. The first type of assessment is a traditional assessment modeled after a PARCC test. This type of assessment is less than desirable for almost all of my students. The second type of assessment is a performance-based assessment that typically includes a type of project that is completed throughout the entire unit. For this last unit, my class was to create a magazine article on a nonfiction topic. As a class, we created our very own Red Oak Geographic magazine, similar to a National Geographic Magazine. Students had to come up with their own topics and make sure no one else was using that topic. Students created their magazine article using a slides presentation and were to include a variety of text features. Students helped each other and peer edited their writing before submitting their final project to me. 

Students found this final project to be much more enjoyable. The classroom environment was less stressful and students were engaged the entire time throughout the duration of this project. Students took ownership of their topic and were eager to continue learner. Some of the challenges I faced was managing the student productivity level. It was hard to manage all of the different topics students had. I also wanted to make sure I worked with each student to make sure they were on the right track. This was difficult to do during class and I found myself giving feedback electronically after class. Overall, I was very pleased with how everything went and I look forward to incorporating more project-based learning in the future!