Twenty Ideas for Engaging Projects The start of the school year offers an ideal time to introduce students to project-based learning. By starting with engaging projects, you'll grab their interest while establishing a solid foundation of important skills, such as knowing how to conduct research, engage experts, and collaborate with peers. In honor of Edutopia's 20th anniversary, here are 20 project ideas to get learning off to a good start. 1. Flat Stanley Refresh: Flat Stanley literacy projects are perennial favorites for inspiring students to communicate and connect, often across great distances. Now Flat Stanley has his own apps for iPhone and iPad, along with new online resources. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Please tell us about the projects you are planning for this school year.
8 Steps To Design Problem-Based Learning In Your Classroom What Is Problem-Based Learning? by TeachThought Staff What is problem-based learning? One definition, if we want to start simple, is learning that is based around a problem. That is, the development, analysis, and thinking towards a problem drives student learning forward. We’ve been meaning to write a kind of beginner’s guide/primer to problem-based learning for, oh, about 18 months now and haven’t yet, so Mia MacMeekin’ss graphic here is going to have to do. The graphic eschews Mia’s usual squared, grid approach for something a bit more linear and comprehensive–an 8-step sequence to designing problem-based learning in your classroom. 8 Steps To Design Problem-Based Learning In Your Classroom 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. You can read more about learning models and theories in our 21st Century Dictionary for Teachers. 8 Steps To Design Problem-Based Learning In Your Classroom
Integrated PBL Projects: A Full-Course Meal! In the project-based learning field, we use the metaphor that projects are the "main course, not the dessert" (as coined in an article from the Buck Institute for Education). Projects are intended to create the need-to-know content and skills, and the opportunity for students to learn them in an authentic context. When teachers first design PBL projects, they are often limited. In fact, I recommend that. Teachers develop PBL curriculum for the coming year. Photo Credit: Andrew Miller Use a Variety of Planning Strategies I wrote about many of these strategies in a previous blog post. Larger Part of the Meal Not all integrated projects are equal when it comes to the disciplines. Many "Courses" in the Project Sometimes, all components of the project can happen at the same time, where the meal includes not only what could be the larger part or "meat" of the project, but also the sides.
A Project-Based Learning Cheat Sheet For Authentic Learning A Project-Based Learning Cheat Sheet by TeachThought Staff Like most buzzwords in education, “authenticity” isn’t a new idea. For decades, teachers have sought to make student learning “authentic” by looking to the “real world”–the challenges, technology, and communities that students care about and connect with daily. We’re going to take a closer look at progressive approaches to teacher planning whenever Terry Heick can be convinced to finish that series. The function of this image is to act as a kind of brainstorm–to help you get your own creative juices going to decide what’s most important when designing an authentic project-based learning unit–audiences, technology, habits, purposes, and so on. You obviously don’t even have to use these categories; they are just a sampling of the kinds of thinking that can help you make the shift from academic to authentic learning. 3 Questions To Guide Authentic Project-Based Learning What role is the learner taking on?
How a TEDx Mission Makes Learning Relevant To Students’ Lives How a TEDx Mission Connects Students to Real-World Goals (Transcript) Cameron Brown: All right, your thirty seconds begins right now. Student: Let’s confess the U.S. is a mess. We are a mess. Student: Our TED Talk is about the fact that our country needs to step up their game and improve themselves. Cameron Brown: One of the great things about using missions to teach is that students really get hooked right from the start, something that we try to make really relatable to them. Student: I think really the nice part about this was we were only given a general subject. Cameron Brown: To me, my favorite part about the Quest model is that it’s so grounded in skills and real-world topics that students are interested in. One of the unique aspects of hosting this TEDx event is that the students, they really take ownership of it. The presentations are gonna start in a couple minutes from now, all right? Within this model as a teacher it challenges you to be a learner as well. [ laughter ]
Project-based learning moves into classrooms Project-based learning is gaining support in education circles Students at The Ellis School use the Hummingbird Robotics Kit to explore STEM. When it comes to classrooms today, students want more than the lectures and quiet classrooms of the past. Through project-based learning (PBL), students achieve a deeper understanding of lessons as they investigate and attempt to solve real-world problems. Educators across the country are integrating PBL into their classrooms. “It’s about getting away from the ‘perfect experiment,’” said Gary Garber, a physics instructor at Boston University Academy. (Next page: How Garber, and two other educators, leverage project-based learning)
PBL Research Review (Edutopia) Editor's Note: This article was originally written by Vanessa Vega, with subsequent updates made by the Edutopia staff. Studies have proven that when implemented well, project-based learning (PBL) can increase retention of content and improve students' attitudes towards learning, among other benefits. Edutopia's PBL research review explores the vast body of research on the topic and helps make sense of the results. In this series of five articles, learn how researchers define project-based learning, review some of the possible learning outcomes, get our recommendations of evidence-based components for successful PBL, learn about best practices across disciplines, find tips for avoiding pitfalls when implementing PBL programs, and dig in to a comprehensive annotated bibliography with links to all the studies and reports cited in these pages. What is Project-Based Learning? Learning Outcomes Keys to Project-Based Learning Success
Cómo construir Rúbricas o Matrices de Valoración ¿QUÉ SON LAS RÚBRICAS? Una Matriz de Valoración (Rúbrica – Rubric, en inglés [1]) es un instrumento que facilita la evaluación del desempeño de los estudiantes, especialmente, en temas complejos, imprecisos o subjetivos. Este instrumento podría describirse como una matriz de criterios específicos que permiten asignar u otorgar un valor (valorar), basándose en una escala de niveles de desempeño y un listado de aspectos que evidencian el aprendizaje, los conocimientos y/o las competencias alcanzadas por el estudiante en un tema particular. Le invitamos a conocer el esquema básico de una Rubrica y algunos ejemplos de Rúbricas. Esquema de una Rúbrica De acuerdo con la definición antes expuesta, una Matriz de Valoración o Rúbrica sirve para establecer o consultar cómo va el proceso de aprendizaje del estudiante. Promueve expectativas sanas, pues clarifica cuáles son los desempeños que los estudiantes deben alcanzar. Partes básicas de una Rúbrica Analítica Fase 1: Reflexionar. Rubistar
Classroom Guide: Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning (now available in Spanish!) Facebook Edutopia on Facebook Twitter Edutopia on Twitter Google+ Pinterest Edutopia on Pinterest WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation What's Inside the PDF? Keep It Real with Authentic Products Don’t Overlook Soft Skills Learn from Big Thinkers Use Formative Strategies to Keep Projects on Track Gather Feedback -- Fast Focus on Teamwork Track Progress with Digital Tools Grow Your Audience Do-It-Yourself Professional Development Assess Better Together BONUS TIP: How to Assemble Your PBL Tool Kit How to use Google tools in Project-Based Learning When you think about some of the key features of Project-Based Learning (PBL), what do you think of? PBL should be student-driven, with a real-world connection. It should be core to learning, include structured collaboration, and have a multifaceted assessment. Giving students a real problem to solve, getting them engaged in their work, having them work with others, and assessing their work with more than just a grade sounds a lot like how many things in the ‘real world’ work, doesn’t it? Many of the tech tools used in classrooms are made especially for classrooms. Google tools and project based learning Planning: Where do you start when deciding on a project your students will spend significant time on, have some say in, that will address a number of learning goals and be meaningful and relevant? Inquiry: Once you’ve decided what the students will be focusing on, they’ll need more information on the topic. Connecting and Collaborating: Student Voice:
Structuring Collaboration for Student Success (Keys to PBL Series Part 3) Peggy: The teacher doesn’t just throw control to the students and say, "Let me know what you figure out." She really has to plan ahead of time, she has to figure out how to group the students so that they're the most productive. She has to scaffold their work, so she provides hints or clues or templates, worksheets is necessary, to kinda show them what they need to do first, what they might consider doing next. Sheela: So we would have a anchor or a set of expectations about what kind of language would be used, what the roles and responsibilities are for each person in that group. Student: So you start with one trail mix and give out stickers. Student: I do the sticker charge thing. Liza: So when students are working on projects in different groups, it's difficult to get to all of them at once, and they may really need you. Student: Oh, that makes sense. Teacher: So what's this lake potentially used for? Sheela: So it's really the art of facilitation.