Response: The Best Advice On Doing Project-Based Learning - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo. Last week's question was: What's your best advice on doing project-based learning? This post is a Part Two to last year's popular one by Suzie Boss (and readers!) On Do's and Don'ts for Better Project-Based Learning. Suzie agreed to share additional ideas this year, as did many readers. You might also be interested in resources I've collected at The Best Sites For Cooperative Learning Ideas.
Response From Suzie Boss Suzie Boss is an education writer and consultant who focuses on project-based learning (PBL) and social change. (More) Do's and Don'ts for Better Project-Based Learning The start of the new school year offers an opportunity to get off to a strong start with project-based learning. Here are six do's and don'ts to help you build a strong foundation for PBL in the coming academic year. Do find out about students' interests and talents. What matters to students in their life outside of school? Do encourage curiosity. The project-based classroom is a place for asking good questions. The 8 Elements Project-Based Learning Must Have.
If you’re contemplating using Project-Based Learning or are already trying out the latest craze to hit the modern classroom, you should know about this checklist. It details if you’re actually doing it correctly. For example, does your project focus on significant content, develop 21st century skills, and engage students in in-depth inquirty (just to name a few)? If not, you might want to reconsider your PBL approach. See Also: What Is Project-Based Learning? The checklist is by the PBL masters over at BIE and they’ve outlined 8 different ‘essential elements’ that must be present in a project in order for it to be considered PBL.
These elements are actually useful for even more than PBL. What do you think about this PBL Checklist? Via TeachBytes and BIE.org. Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning. If kids can access information from sources other than school, and if school is no longer the only place where information lives, what, then happens to the role of this institution? “Our whole reason for showing up for school has changed, but infrastructure has stayed behind,” said Diana Laufenberg, who taught history at the progressive public school Science Leadership Academy for many years. Laufenberg provided some insight into how she guided students to find their own learning paths at school, and enumerated some of these ideas at SXSWEdu last week. 1. BE FLEXIBLE. The less educators try to control what kids learn, the more students’ voices will be heard and, eventually, their ability to drive their own learning.
But that requires a flexible mindset on the part of the teacher. “That’s a scary proposition for teachers,” Laufenberg said. 2. Laufenberg’s answer: Get them curious enough in the subject to do research on their own. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Related. Response: Do's and Don'ts for Better Project-Based Learning - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo. Last week's question was: What are the Do's & Don'ts of Project-Based Learning? Few people know more about Project-Based Learning than Suzie Boss, and she graciously agreed to respond to this "question of the week. " In addition, several readers left thoughtful comments. Between them, I don't really have much to add. Response From Suzie Boss Suzie Boss is an education writer and consultant who focuses on project-based learning and social change.
What are some do's and don'ts for project-based learning? This is a question well worth considering, given the groundswell of interest in project-based learning that's occurring across the country--and beyond. The new standards call on students to--among other things--think critically, read carefully, apply math to analyze and solve real-world problems, make well-founded arguments, and use technology to communicate effectively. Such benefits aren't automatic.
Here are ten teacher-tested tips to help you get on the right track with PBL. Jeremy Aldrich: Ramping Up Technology for Your Next PBL Project. In my last post about taking PBL projects up a notch, I focused on integration of subject matters and disciplines. Fittingly, this post focuses on integrating technology. Teachers often adjust and improve projects by finding new and innovative ways to infuse technology into the PBL process and products.
However, it's not about more technology tools, but about the intentional use of the tools available. In my classroom, one of the driving forces for reflection in terms of technology integration is the Technology Integration Matrix from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. The matrix is a great way to focus on how to improve collaboration and knowledge construction by using technology, and also on how to make learning more active and authentic as students work towards specific goals. In fact, I feel this matrix aligns well to PBL and how technology should be used in the PBL classroom (or any classroom). Authentic Audience Communication From Products to Management. Integration Strategies for PBL. This series is about taking your PBL projects "up a notch.
" I wrote a blog about how to get started, but after you get started and are familiar with the benefits of keeping it small and focused, what are some of your next steps? One area where I see teachers taking their PBL projects up a notch is through integration. However, integration is actually quite complicated and includes many levels of implementation. Here are some tips to consider for integrating content areas into your next PBL project. Know Your Level of Integration When you plan your integrated PBL project, consider the following definitions and levels of integration articulated in Integrated Curriculum, an ASCD book edited by Heidi Hayes Jacob. When you examine these definitions, you'll realize there are many ways to integrate.
Know Content that Isn't Your Own Teachers of the Blood Project at High Tech High really articulate this well. It's Gotta Fit This one is crucial. Limit Products to Target ALL Content Standards. Giving Students Meaningful Work:Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning. New Website Launch to Further Project Based Learning in North American Schools. (PRWEB) November 24, 2012 PBL, Project Based Learning (PBL), or Problem Based Learning is a method of instruction where student learning is based upon real world experiences.
PBL helps to bridge the gap between the classroom and real life, as students design, create, collaborate and solve problems rather than sit as passive listeners. Although the concept of “learn by doing,” dates back to early proponents like Aristotle, PBL is becoming increasingly prevalent in public education recently, and for good reason. In fact, districts, states, and provinces have already set into motion changes in their curriculum that make PBL components like collaboration, reflection, and critical thinking a mandated part of the curriculum.
The new PBLSuperStore website offers project based learning units online for students, teachers and educators. PBL shifts the focus from teaching, to learning, with teachers becoming more of a resource, rather than disseminators of information. Practical Tips for Mobile Learning in the PBL Classroom. Given the number of technology tools being used by educators and students, it's no wonder that mobile technologies and mobile learning are being explored in various implementations. From data collection tools to mobile phones, students are learning at school and on their own. Remember, however, that technology is a tool for learning, so we still need to focus on models that provide engaging uses for these tools. Project-based learning can pair well with tenets and best practices for mobile learning to create intention and flexible contexts for learning. Here are some tips and ideas to consider if you want to try mobile learning with your next PBL project. 1.
Educators can use the "Need to Know" activity, and have students create a list of questions and "need to knows" to compete the project. Use Twitter, or another related tool, with a hashtag to create a backchannel list of "need to knows. " 2. PBL projects present a great opportunity to have students go out in the field. 3. 4. 5. Wheaton High to model project-based learning for Montgomery County schools. This is project-based learning, where educational instruction moves away from a traditional academic setting to an active classroom that encourages collaboration and communication among students. As the Montgomery County Public Schools system plans to replace the Wheaton High School building in Silver Spring, officials aren’t just aiming for physical classroom overhauls.
They’re also planning to redesign the curriculum, expanding a project-based learning environment that will resemble adult work settings and real-life situations. It is part of a larger quest to “redefine the school” and prepare students for “21st century education,” Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said. “Critical competencies for workers now include skills and knowledge acquired beyond a high school education as well as the ability to apply learning, think critically about information, solve novel problems, collaborate, create new products and processes, and adapt to change,” Starr said. School projects aren’t new. Ten Tips for Better PBL - San Rafael, CA. 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) What is PBL? To help teachers do PBL well, we created a comprehensive, research-based model for PBL — a "gold standard" to help teachers, schools, and organizations to measure, calibrate, and improve their practice. In Gold Standard PBL, projects are focused on student learning goals and include Essential Project Design Elements: