A 3 Step Strategy for Sustaining Student Engagement in PBL
James Fester introduces a three-step strategy called "Surprise, Rehook, Engage (SRE)" tomaintain student engagement in project-based learning (PBL). This method is beneficial tocounter the drop in interest often experienced during the "messy middle" phase of a PBL unit. The first step, 'Surprise,' involves breaking away from routine classroom norms to recapturestudent attention. This could be anything from reorganizing the classroom, introducing a novel teaching method, using multimedia, or even the teacher dressing up in a costume. Theobjective is to create an unexpected change that refocuses the students on the project.
Following the initial surprise, the 'Rehook' step aims to rebuild student confidence througheasily accessible activities. These activities are designed to be light regarding academicdemands but still valuable for learning. The idea is to give students a sense of achievement, which reengages them with the project.
The final step, 'Engage,' is used if re-engagement through the rehook step is unsuccessful. This involves refreshing the project with new questioning activities, as questions driveinquiry and self-directed learning in PBL. This could mean relaunching the project on a smaller scale with a new entry event that stimulates curiosity, followed by a process of question formulation to renew the students' avenues of inquiry. Fester's SRE strategy offers a practical approach to keeping students engaged throughout a PBL unit, wildly when they start veering off the project's intended path.