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):
Doing It Differently: Tips for Teaching Vocabulary Every Monday my seventh grade English teacher would have us copy a list of 25 words she'd written on the board. We'd then look up the dictionary definitions and copy those down. For homework, we'd re-write each word seven times. Good, now you know it. Test on Friday and never for those 25 words to be seen again. Poof. Copying definitions from the dictionary we would probably all agree is not an effective way to learn vocabulary. The truth is, and the research shows, students need multiple and various exposures to a word before they fully understand that word and can apply it. Selecting Words Ah, so many words, so little time. My first year teaching, before my tenth graders began reading Lord of the Flies, I went through every chapter and made lists of all the vocabulary words I thought they'd have trouble with, so that I could pre-teach them. When I looked at those long lists, I began to freak out. Then, here's what to do after the students pick their own words: Ranking Words Teaching Words
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)? 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
Starting With Why: The Power of Student-Driven Learning I know a high school student who is quite amazing. She’s keen. She’s hungry. She wants to be challenged. In the graded world, She’s a 95-percent student, and like many of our most capable students, she’s disengaged from her learning. She’s a student who would thrive in an environment that allowed her to co-create her education. She would thrive after being asked: “What do you want to learn?” But she can’t She’s stuck in a traditional school, in a traditional classroom, and she’s just putting in time. In all honesty, I used to run one of those classrooms. We start in the wrong place So often in education we focus on the wrong things. As Sinek states: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. I think teachers and school organizations need to ask themselves the Why questions, beginning with: Why do we own the learning and not our students? Why do we have so many students like the one I know, frustrated and bored, just waiting to be challenged? Fear.
A Detailed Visual Guide To Distributed Project-Based Learning Project-based Learning is a passion of ours at Edudemic. We’ve seen how effective it can be in and out of the classroom. Quite simply, it provides the opportunity for students to learn from each other, get their hands dirty, work in an active learning environment, and to simply have fun at school. This chart reminds me a bit of the popular ‘Padagogy Chart’ by Allan Carrington we shared here on Edudemic. This diagram breaks down the different phases and goals of PBL into bite-size chunks. As you can see, the tools and apps are all organized quite neatly into each phase. For example, you can use YouTube as part of your project-based learning to build background knowledge, inspire learning from classmates, elaborate on details of your project, make some contextual annotation, create an adaptive video tutorial, and ultimately lead to instant learning. Each tool and app is organized into these types of phases and goals. Want a bigger version of this incredible diagram? Source: Visual.ly
Inclusion in the 21st-century classroom: Differentiating with technology - Reaching every learner: Differentiating instruction in theory and practice In this video, students in a gifted classroom use the multi-user learning environment Quest Atlantis to explore issues related to the creation of a game reserve in Tanzania. Interviews with the teacher and students offer perspectives on the value of using virtual worlds in the classroom . About the videoDownload video (Right-click or option-click) The diversity of the 21st-century classroom creates numerous challenges for teachers who may not have known the same diversity themselves as students. Among these, teachers must balance the requirements of high-stakes accountability while meeting the needs of diverse students within their classroom. The 26th Annual Report to Congress on IDEA reported that approximately ninety-six percent of general education teachers have students in their classroom with learning disabilities. Differentiation as effective instruction Overcoming obstacles to effective differentiation Setting the scope A framework for technology integration Differentiation in 2-D
Excellent Poster Featuring The 7 Essentials of Project Based Learning Hi everybody, I am sorry I am very late in posting my articles today as I have been very busy preparing my PhD research plan and a paper for a conference I participated in this morning. The paper was on the use of digital technologies to facilitate project based learning. I will share with you the slideshow together with an attached Google Doc probably tomorrow or the day after. One of the things I talked about in my presentation are the 7 essentials of project based learning as advanced by the folks in BIE. These are things that every teacher keen on integrating PBL approach into his/her class should think about. This graphic is created by Davidleeedtech.
How (And Why) Teachers Should Get Started With Blended Learning Blended learning is quite simply one of the most overused terms to describe the current state of education’s relationship with technology. However, it fits. Blended learning is marrying the influx of technology with the learning principles that are proven to work. It’s a powerful combination if done properly. That’s why this new-ish term is, as stated just a few sentences ago, such an overused term. Because it’s important! So how does your average everyday teacher get started with blending up your learning? See Also: How Teachers Are Using Blended Learning Right Now Why yes! Source: Digital Learning Now
How To Use Project-Based Learning To Redefine Learning It almost seems too good to be true… Students asking for more work? Using emoticons to describe an assignment? Taking pride in their work? But it’s not a just a dream, it’s reality. The following are real comments from my eighth grade English Language Arts students when I asked for their feedback about the project they had just completed: “This was the best project I ever did! “It was the best project I have ever done” – Patrick G. “We should have more projects like this” – Giselle G. “:D” – Jack M. These were the results when I completely redesigned a unit to incorporate Project Based Learning using technology. “It helped me understand how to take information from research and apply it to a real life product.” – Julia K. “I knew I had to get good information because other people were going to be looking at the website, so if it wasn’t good, people wouldn’t want to look at our website.” – Erin M. A Case Study in Your Own Classroom Technology is a natural fit for Project Based Learning.
PBLU - Project Based Learning resource for Educators PBLU is a site I just found that is a new online social network of educators who use Project Based Learning in their classrooms. It is officially launching this summer and will provide free online courses (2 weeks long) and project ideas for teachers to use. It will have resources, links, help, and ways to connect with other PBL educators. Some of the classes they will be offering include: How to Launch the Project • How to Create a Project Calendar • How to Manage the Project • How to Grade the Project • How to Showcase Student Work • How to Get PBL Teacher Certification Project Based Learning is an excellent way to teach students content, along with other important skills like teamwork, communications, critical thinking, and problem solving. Sign up to be notified when it launches: Related: Project Based Learning resources, getting started help, and more 10 Important Skills Students need to be Successful in the Future
What Keeps Students Motivated to Learn? Educators have lots of ideas about how to improve education, to better reach learners and to give students the skills they’ll need in college and beyond the classroom. But often those conversations remain between adults. The real test of any idea is in the classroom, though students are rarely asked about what they think about their education. A panel of seven students attending schools that are part of the “deeper learning” movement gave their perspective on what it means for them to learn and how educators can work to create a school culture that fosters creativity, collaboration, trust, the ability to fail, and perhaps most importantly, one in which students want to participate. Project-based learning is the norm among these students, but they also have a lot of ideas about what makes a good project work. “Treat students like adults. At first Chavez wasn’t excited about the project, but she ended up enjoying it because she loves art. Related
IAR: Assess students > Answer: Good/Poor fixed-choice questions Question 1 1A. The promiscuous use of sprays, oils, and antiseptics in the nose during acute colds is a pernicious practice because it may have a deleterious effect on: the sinuses red blood cells white blood cells the olfactory nerve 1B. the spreading of the infection to the sinuses damage to the olfactory nerve destruction of white blood cells congestion of the mucous membrane in the nose 1B is the better question. 1A is wordy and uses vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to many students. 1B not only asks what part of the body is affected (sinuses) but also what is the result (spreading of infection). Question 2 2A. 2B. respiratory disease cancer accidents rheumatic heart disease 2B is the better question. Question 3 3A. 3B. 3A is the better question. 3B contains a distractor that is not plausible (0 calories). Question 4 4A. Reasoning ability Critical thinking Rote learning All of the above None of the above 4B. Knowledge Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Comprehension Question 5 9A.
Planning for Project Learning in Your Classroom, School, or Scho How to adopt best practices in 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, 5 months, and 5 years. Editor's Note: Special thanks to Cacso Bay High School teacher Susan McCray and principal, Derek Pierce for their assistance compiling this list. Energizing Work: A King Middle School student works on her Kinetic Conundrum art project. Credit: Michael Warren You've read the articles, watched some videos, and come away feeling as inspired as you are frustrated. "I used to work with a teacher who always said, 'it takes five years to incorporate any new dimension into your teaching effectively, to fully incorporate it and to own it,'" said Casco Bay humanities teacher Susan McCray. In 5 minutes, you can Join the Project Learning and Technology Integration: High School community groups and hear how others are doing it. In 5 hours, you can Upend a lecture and get students involved in an investigation to unearth information for themselves. In 5 days, you can Give your students a real audience for their work.