Five Keys to Rigorous Project-Based Learning Voiceover: How will today’s children function in a dangerous world? What means will they use to carve the future? Will they be equipped to find the answers to tomorrow’s problems? Teacher: When you think about traditional learning you think of a student sitting in a classroom and being talked at. Teacher: Now I imagine a lot of you are still thinking... Teacher: They are supposed to be a sponge. Peggy Ertmer: So there are a lot of different ways to approach PBL, a lot of different ways to implement it, but really it all boils down to five essential keys: real-world connection, core to learning, structured collaboration, student driven, and multifaceted assessment. Student: One of the problems in the ocean is that with the higher amount of CO2 calcifying organisms are decreasing and we’re testing to see how well life in the ocean lives without calcifying organisms. Student: --four by eight feet. Peggy Ertmer: So the second commonality is the PBL unit provides academic rigor. Student: Yes.
Project-Based Learning Research: Evidence-Based Components of Success What boosts PBL from a fun and engaging exercise to a rigorous and powerful real-world learning experience? Researchers have identified four key components that are critical to teaching successfully with PBL (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008; Ertmer & Simons, 2005; Mergendoller & Thomas, 2005; Hung, 2008). All of these play a role in the curriculum-design process. Schools That Work: Every student at Maine's King Middle School is issued a laptop to support the school-wide project-based learning (left). Carefully Calibrated Project Design In general, PBL projects begin by presenting a driving question, one that focuses on intended learning objectives, aligns with students' skills, and appeals to students' interests. If you are new to PBL, it's best to start with smaller projects that are already part of the curriculum (Ertmer & Simons, 2005). Define the Content. Structured Student Collaboration Two ingredients are critical for successful collaborative learning (Slavin, 1991):
PBL login info Time to Debunk Those PBL Myths What are the myths you hear most often about project-based learning? Here are some PBL misconceptions I encounter with surprising regularity: "Projects may be fun, but they'll never prepare students for ____ [fill in high-stakes test of your choice]" "If kids work in teams on projects, one or two will do all the work and the others will coast" "PBL won't work with my students because they are ____ [fill in the challenge of your choice]" "I'll never have time to cover all my content if I spend time on projects" "Projects just aren't rigorous" "Parents will wind up doing most of the work" "We can't do PBL because we don't have ____ [fill in the technology of your choice]" Once you start listening for PBL myths, you'll hear them in the most surprising places. During a long flight recently, I was reading to pass the time. If we dispel the myths, we can concentrate on helping teachers and students achieve the meaningful learning that's possible through high-quality PBL. Projects versus PBL
The Differences Between Projects And Project-Based Learning There’s a big difference between using projects in the classroom versus project-based learning in the classroom. What are those differences, you ask? Lucky for you, friEdTechnology (great name) whipped up this snazzy side-by-side comparison outlining the biggest differences. In the visual, they describe what ‘projects’ are and how they work in the classroom. On the flip side, Project-Based Learning is a fluid technique to enhance learning that really looks nothing like projects as they’re described below. As you can see, this is quite a slanted look at how projects are different from project-based learning but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Who Knows About PBL? | Chantellemorrison's Blog When I was having a professional coaching chat with a colleague today, she asked about the research behind PBL. As it turns out, she decided to make it her goal to research and find out more information on PBL. Firstly, what is PBL? PBL can be known as 1 of 3 things: 1. 2. 3. For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to squint in on Project-based Learning. What are some websites I can read about Project-based Learning? 1. 2. 3. Helpful Articles? 1. 2. 3. Who Can I Follow? New Tech Institute – @NTInstituteHigh Tech High – @hightechhighAlec Patton (HTH) – @AlecPattonBriony Chown (HTH) – @brionychownAdam Bellow – @adambellowMark Burgess – @matonfender Enjoy PBL :) Like this: Like Loading...
How to Get High-Quality Student Work in PBL “I thought the project was going well… but by the end, I felt that the work my students produced was not as good as I imagined it would be. I was a little embarrassed and almost wanted to dial back the audience’s expectations on the night of the presentations!” This is a common concern of teachers who are new to Project Based Learning. 1. Simply telling students that you want them to do high-quality work is not enough, nor is giving them a checklist that tracks completion, not quality. To have students practice using a rubric, find some exemplars of the kind of work required in the project. Another tip for clarifying high expectations: Depending on what kind of product the project requires, bring experts in to class, or visit them in person or online, to hear about the criteria used to judge the quality of a similar product in their work. 2. One of the 8 Essential Elements of PBL is “Critique and Revision.” 3. Maybe it’s hard to imagine adding another few days to your project calendar.
Practical PBL Series: Design an Instructional Unit in Seven Phases As a new teacher, I once believed that teaching and learning were one and the same. I taught, and the students learned. In creating a student-centered classroom, I began to embrace project-based learning. However, I did so in a very superficial way. I thought I had PBL nailed if my students did a presentation or poster at the end of an instructional unit. My room was full of student work. I enrolled in professional development courses, started a graduate degree, and collaborated with more experienced colleagues. In the spring of 2008, my colleagues and I were approached by a local university to participate in designing a project-based learning course. The Seven-Phase Model You can transform your classroom. To begin, ask yourself these questions: What instructional unit do I want to transform? Phase 1: Introducing the Driving Question The instructional unit must have a strong driving question. Phase 2: Introducing the Culminating Challenge Phase 3: Developing Subject Matter Expertise
Viewpoint on PBL: What Students Say We are Miles, Gaby, Ethan, Lauren, Madison, and Aiden from Novi Community Schools District, in Michigan. What we do we have in common? We were really lucky to have Project Based Learning teachers. Some of us are still in Project Based Learning classrooms and love it. Some of us have moved to more traditional classrooms. Individually, we answered a simple question “Why do you like PBL?” Shhh…It’s a secret! “Need to Know” Nibbles by Gaby, 6th grade In PBL we had “Need to Knows” that gave us a nibble of what we were going to discover in our projects. In a traditional classroom, I wasn’t motivated to talk about school past the classroom walls. PBL spells F-U-N! I felt like I learned more about the topic through a project than doing worksheets. In PBL, you get to work with new people and have collaboration. More-than-just-a-grade Production by Ethan, 6th grade PBL is hands on. It’s also more than just a grade. PBL is a very REAL life way of bringing REAL learning into a classroom.