Yong Zhao: PBL Develop Students' Creative Confidence. Editor's note: Today is the fourth in a series of posts from PBL World, a global gathering of educators interested in project-based learning.
Join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #pblworld. Yong Zhao, author of Catching Up or Leading the Way, kicked off the third day of PBL World with a fast-paced tour of global education challenges and a ringing endorsement of project-based learning as a key strategy to help students succeed. Countries around the world -- and especially China, where Zhao grew up -- are eager to help children "develop the skills, confidence, and creativity to survive in the 21st century," he said. PBL Planning Resources. Project Planning Form. Project Based Learning. A Step-by-Step Guide to the Best Projects. Manor New Technology High School in Manor, Texas, is a 100 percent project-based learning school.
They are part of the New Tech Network of schools and their approach has yielded remarkable results, including a 98 percent graduation rate, with all of their graduates accepted to college. The success of their PBL approach is largely attributable to the fact that their process is designed to stimulate student inquiry. Additionally, their process can be applied to any project in any subject, which means there is a consistent approach across grades and subjects at Manor. We followed a sophomore world studies class through a three-week project called Controlling Factors, created by teaching partners Mary Mobley (English) and Michael Chambers (world history). They designed a project that capitalized on the wild popularity among their students of the best-selling novel The Hunger Games.
Project-Based Learning: Success Start to Finish.