PBL, Week 3

It's amazing how quickly I can move from working at warp speed to speed bump!  I'm finding that more and more, PBL really encompasses my teaching style.  With that said, I hit a SPEED BUMP!  Or really, more like gridlock!
In response to my project in which I have the students creating an activity, a classmate asked what I had in mind for the activity.  Great question!  In my head, the student groups would each be responsible for their own activity.  Using what they have learned about relationships and communication, to build their own activity that would be presented to students at our school.  After using 20% time in my classroom, I've witnessed first hand what students can create when boundaries are removed.  The open ended activity is what I wanted for my product of my PBL project as well.  I was bound and determined to make it work!
Fast forward days later, I realized I was getting in my own way.  The activity needed to really show what the students had learned from their project and the project didn't need to span over months.  White flag, I surrender!
Back to the drawing board.  What did I really have in mind for students to present for activities?  After bouncing ideas off of others and making a list, I could really narrow activities down to a couple of areas.  Also, I realized that mentors or peer leaders had to use the skills needed to build relationships and effective communication.  Combining the two together, I was able to create a product that fit my needs.
I have to say, in the beginning I was pretty adamant that giving the students a specific task for my project would limit their creativity.  Now, I feel like my project will use their creativity along with their personal strengths.  A great combination!  Students will be allowed the choice of their outcome, but with some limits, I feel like they will be more successful within a smaller time frame.  Win-Win!
My personal learning lesson for the week:  Don't let yourself sit in gridlock, while the carpool lane is wide open.  Ask for help, reevaluate your ideas, focus on your needs, and remember the design process requires revisiting and revision to be successful.