Time-shifting instruction: flipped classroom and teaching. Research-Supported PBL Practices. At one New Tech Network high school, strategies backed by research make project-based learning effective and engaging for teachers and students.
At Manor New Technology High School in Manor, Texas, several research-based practices interact to promote successful inquiry-based learning: Manor New Tech is part of the New Tech Network, a nonprofit that works with schools and districts around the country providing services and support to help reform learning through project-based learning (PBL). Since opening its doors in fall 2007, the school has achieved several notable accomplishments: It has graduated two classes with an average annual graduation rate of 98 percent. All 39 students in the first senior class graduated, and 95 percent of the 74 students in the class of 2011 graduated. Collaborative Project-Based Learning Supporting Teachers' Development and Leadership This system of supports helps teachers to design and lead engaging, rigorous projects at Manor New Tech. Technology Integration. Start Me Up: Project-Learning Primers. Plan your first lesson with these online resources.
Credit: Ian Roberts The days of summer are slowly winding down, and you've been thinking ahead to the new school year -- and how to add some luster to your lesson plans. Project learning, which has generated plenty of buzz, could do just the trick. Project learning is becoming increasingly de rigueur, from districtwide initiatives coordinated by organizations such as Project Lead the Way to schools across the nation, such as those started by the New Technology Foundation, where hands-on experiential learning is fully integrated into the curriculum. But getting started can seem daunting: How do you design a good project? Getting Started with Project-Based Learning (Hint: Don't Go Crazy) Before the start of the school year, many of us want to use the remaining weeks of summer to learn some new skills -- such as project-based learning (PBL).
One of the things we stress for new PBL practitioners is, as I say, "don't go crazy. " It's easy to go "too big" when you first start PBL. I have heard from many teachers new to PBL that a large, eight-week integrated project was a mistake. So how do you start PBL in ways that will ensure your success as a learner and teacher?
Here are a few tips to consider. Start Small As I said, "Don't go crazy! " Plan Now One of the challenges of PBL, but also one of the joys, is the planning process. Limited Technology We love technology, but sometimes we get too "tech happy. " Know the Difference Between PBL and Projects This is the big one! We are all learners, and when we start something new, we start small. Photo credit: wwworks via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)