Project-Based Learning Professional Development Guide

An overview of the Edutopia professional development guide for teaching how to

use project-based learning in the classroom.

 Introduction

Edutopia.org's Project-Based Learning professional development guide can be used for

a two- to three-hour session, or expanded for a one- to two-day workshop, and is
divided into two parts.

Part one is a guided process, designed to give participants a brief introduction to

project-based learning (PBL), and answers the questions "Why is PBL
important?", "What is PBL about?", and"How does PBL work?"

Part two assigns readings and activities for experiential PBL. Ideally, the tasks will be
accomplished using group collaboration and with the use of technology. These
activities are outlined in the Workshop Activities section. You will also find links to
examples, from the Edutopia.org video library, of PBL in action at the elementary,
middle, and high school levels.

he Resources for PBL page includes a PowerPoint presentation (including presenter

notes), which can be shown directly from the website or downloaded for use as a
stand-alone slide show, and sample session schedules. You will also find recommended
websites, books, and additional videos to learn more about PBL in this section.

This guide was designed to address many of the National Educational Technology
Standards (NETS), established by the International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE).

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 To find the specific standards for your state, visit this page atEducation World that lists
standards by academic subject and by state.

Continue to the next section of the guide, Why Is PBL Important?

 Why Is PBL Important?

PBL Helps Students Develop Skills for Living in a Knowledge-Based, Highly

Technological Society

The old-school model of passively learning facts and reciting them out of context is no
longer sufficient to prepare students to survive in today's world. Solving highly
complex problems requires that students have both fundamental skills (reading,
writing, and math) and 21st century skills (teamwork, problem solving, research
gathering, time management, information synthesizing, utilizing high tech tools). With
this combination of skills, students become directors and managers of their learning
process, guided and mentored by a skilled teacher.

These 21st century skills include

 personal and social responsibility

 planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity
 strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and presentation needs
 cross-cultural understanding
 visualizing and decision making
 knowing how and when to use technology and choosing the most appropriate tool
for the task

"One of the major advantages of project work is that it makes school more like real life.
It's an in-depth investigation of a real-world topic worthy of children's attention and
effort."-EDUCATION RESEARCHER SYLVIA CHARD

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 A number of excellent works published in the last few decades promote 21st century
skills. As early as 1990, The U.S. Department of Labor Secretary's Commission on
Achieving Necessary Skills published a report (

PDF download) about the changing skills young people need to succeed in the
workplace. WestEd's 1999 publication, Learning, Technology, and Education Reform in
the Knowledge Age, explores the "new learning landscape" of the 21st
century. Educations Sector's 2008 report Measuring Skills for the 21st
Century discusses assessment of these skills, and ASCD's 2009 publication 21st Century
Skills: The Challenges Ahead describes the goals and hurdles of the movement. A great
starting point for information about 21st century skills is the Partnership for 21st
Century Skills website.

PBL and Technology Use Bring a New Relevance to the Learning at Hand

By bringing real-life context and technology to the curriculum through a PBL approach,
students are encouraged to become independent workers, critical thinkers, and
lifelong learners. Teachers can communicate with administrators, exchange ideas with
other teachers and subject-area experts, and communicate with parents, all the while
breaking down invisible barriers such as isolation of the classroom, fear of embarking
on an unfamiliar process, and lack of assurances of success.

PBL is not just a way of learning; it's a way of working together. If students learn to
take responsibility for their own learning, they will form the basis for the way they will
work with others in their adult lives.

PBL Lends Itself to Authentic Assessment

Authentic assessment and evaluation allow us to systematically document a child's

progress and development. PBL encourages this by doing the following:

 It lets the teacher have multiple assessment opportunities.

 It allows a child to demonstrate his or her capabilities while working independently.
 It shows the child's ability to apply desired skills such as doing research.

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 It develops the child's ability to work with his or her peers, building teamwork and
group skills.
 It allows the teacher to learn more about the child as a person.
 It helps the teacher communicate in progressive and meaningful ways with the child
or a group of children on a range of issues.

Visit our Comprehensive Assessment Core Strategy page to learn more.

PBL Promotes Lifelong Learning

Lee Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching,
has observed, "Teaching has been an activity undertaken behind closed doors between
moderately consenting participants." PBL promotes lifelong learning because

 PBL and the use of technology enable students, teachers, and administrators to
reach out beyond the school building.
 Students become engaged builders of a new knowledge base and become active,
lifelong learners.
 PBL teaches children to take control of their learning, the first step as lifelong
learners.

In that pursuit of new knowledge, technology allows students access to research and
experts, from such sources as first-person accounts to movies of the Civil War found on
the Library of Congress'sAmerican Memory collection to online chats
with NASA astronauts.

PBL Accommodates Students with Varying Learning Styles and Differences

"We are living in a new economy - powered by technology, fueled by information, and
driven by knowledge."--"FUTUREWORKS: TRENDS AND CHALLENGES FOR WORK IN THE
21ST CENTURY" (U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR)

It is known that children have various learning styles. They build their knowledge on
varying backgrounds and experiences. It is also recognized that children have a
broader range of capabilities than they have been permitted to show in regular
classrooms with the traditional text-based focus. PBL addresses these differences,

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because students must use all modalities in the process of researching and solving a
problem, then communicating the solutions. When children are interested in what
they are doing and are able to use their areas of strength, they achieve at a higher
level.

Research Supports PBL

A growing body of research supports the use of PBL. Schools where PBL is practiced
find a decline in absenteeism, an increase in cooperative learning skills, and
improvement in student achievement. When technology is used to promote critical
thinking and communication, these benefits are enhanced.

Visit our PBL Research page for the latest findings about PBL.

Continue to the next section of the guide, What Is PBL About

What Is Project-Based Learning About?

A description of what teachers can accomplish in the classroom using project-based

learning.

PBL Is Curriculum Fueled and Standards Based

Project-based learning addresses the required content standards. In PBL, the inquiry
process starts with a guiding question and lends itself to collaborative projects that
integrate various subjects within the curriculum. Questions are asked that direct
students to encounter the major elements and principles of a discipline.

PBL Asks a Question or Poses a Problem That Each Student Can Answer

In PBL, the teacher or the students pose a guiding, or essential, question: "What is
cystic fibrosis, and how is it caused?" "What would happen if our class formed a
business with a real product and started selling stock?" "What will a high school look
like in 2050?" "What simple machines can be found in a mill's water wheel?" "How do
bacteria in the soil help support life?" "How can we use DNA barcoding to combat the

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African bushmeat trade?" (These questions are the basis for projects you'll see in
Edutopia.org articles and videos.)

"The classroom is a place where people can live a fulfilling life together as a community
of learners if needs and concerns are appropriately expressed. Problems can be
discussed. Support, encouragement, and models can be provided by both teacher and
peers. Where expectations for children's learning are high, it is important that the
social interaction itself is designed to facilitate learning."-EDUCATION RESEARCHER
SYLVIA CHARD

There is more information about crafting essential questions in the How Does PBL
Work? section.

PBL Allows Students to Delve into Content in a More Direct and Meaningful Way

Recognizing that children have different learning styles, concrete, hands-on

experiences come together during PBL. Field trips, experiments, model building,
posters, and creation of multimedia presentations are all viable activities within PBL,
and present multiple ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge -- there is no
one right answer.

PBL Asks Students to Investigate Issues and Topics Addressing Real-World Problems
While Integrating Subjects Across the Curriculum

By creating bridges between subjects, students view knowledge holistically, rather

than looking at isolated facts. Education scholar Sylvia Chard says on her Project
Approach website that the project approach is an "in-depth investigation of a real-
world topic worthy of children's attention and effort."

PBL Fosters Abstract, Intellectual Tasks to Explore Complex Issues

PBL promotes understanding, which is true knowledge. Students explore, make

judgments, interpret, and synthesize information in meaningful ways. This approach is
more representative of how adults are asked to learn and demonstrate knowledge.

Visit our Project-Based Learning Core Strategy page for more information about PBL.

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 Continue to the next section of the guide, How Does PBL Work?

How Does Project-Based Learning Work?

Tools for understanding the process of planning and building projects.

Project-based learning, as with all lessons, requires much preparation and planning. It
begins with an idea and an essential question . When you are designing the project and
the essential question that will launch the activities, it is important to remember that
many content standards will be addressed. With these standards in mind, devise a plan
that will integrate as many subjects as possible into the project.

Have in mind what materials and resources will be accessible to the students. Next,
students will need assistance in managing their time -- a definite life skill. Finally, have
multiple means for assessing your students' completion of the project: Did the
students master the content? Were they able to apply their new knowledge and skills?
Many educators involve their students in developing these rubrics.

Here are steps for implementing PBL, which are detailed below:

 Start with the Essential Question

 Design a Plan for the Project
 Create a Schedule
 Monitor the Students and the Progress of the Project
 Assess the Outcome
 Evaluate the Experience

Start with the Essential Question

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The question that will launch a PBL lesson must be one that will engage your students.
It is greater than the task at hand. It is open ended. It will pose a problem or a situation
they can tackle, knowing that there is no one answer or solution.

"Questions may be the most powerful technology we have ever created. Questions and
questioning allow us to make sense of a confusing world. They are the tools that lead
to insight and understanding."--JAMIE MCKENZIE, THE QUESTION MARK

Take a real-world topic and begin an in-depth investigation. Base your question on an
authentic situation or topic. What is happening in your classroom? In your community?
Select a question about an issue students will believe that, by answering, they are
having an impact on. Make it relevant for them. The question should be a "now"
question -- a question that has meaning in your students' lives.

Among many other wonderful resources for understanding PBL, theBuck Institute for
Education (BIE) offers a great tutorial on how to"Craft the Driving Question." BIE
consultant Andrew Miller recently wrote two blog posts for Edutopia.org, How to
Write Effective Driving Questions for Project-Based Learning and How to Refine Driving
Questions for Effective Project-Based Learning.

Edutopia.org PBL blogger Suzie Boss describes a variety of project kickoff ideas in How
to Get Projects Off to a Good Start.

Design a Plan for the Project

When designing the project, it is essential that you have in mind which content
standards will be addressed. Involve the students in planning; they will feel ownership
of the project when they are actively involved in decision making. Select activities that
support the question and utilize the curriculum, thus fueling the process. Integrate as
many subjects as possible into the project. Know what materials and resources will be
accessible to the students to assist them. Be prepared to delve deeper into new topics
and new issues that arise as the students become increasingly involved in the active
pursuit of answers.

Create a Schedule

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 Design a timeline for project components. Realize that changes to the schedule will
happen. Be flexible, but help the students realize that a time will come when they
need to finalize their thoughts, findings, and evaluations. Consider these issues when
creating a schedule:

"We have to know the curriculum. We've got to know the standards inside and out.
Even though it looks like the kids are doing all the hard work, there's a lot of planning
that goes on behind it to make sure that the work is there for them."--PATTY
VREELAND, KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST-GRADE TEACHER, NEWSOME PARK
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA

 What time allotment will be given to the project?

 Will this project be conducted during the entire school day or during dedicated
blocks of time?
 How many days will be devoted to the project?

Enable success by practicing the following tactics:

 Help students who may not perceive time limits.

 Set benchmarks.
 Give students direction for managing their time.
 Teach them how to schedule their tasks.
 Remind them of the timeline.
 Help them set deadlines.
 Keep the essential question simple and age appropriate.
 Initiate projects that will let all students meet with success.

Also, allow students to go in new directions, but guide them when they appear to
digress from the project. When a group seems to be going in a different direction, ask
the students to explain the reasoning behind their actions. They may have an insight to
a solution you haven't seen. Help the children stay on course, but don't accidentally set
limitations.

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 Check out guest blogger Andrew Miller's post How to Build a Calendar for Project-
Based Learning for more tips on scheduling.

Monitor the Students and the Progress of the Project

To maintain control without preventing students from taking responsibility for their
work, follow these steps:

 Facilitate the process and the love of learning.

 Teach the students how to work collaboratively.
 Designate fluid roles for group members.
 Have students choose their primary roles, but assume responsibility and interactivity
for all group roles.
 Remind them that every part of the process belongs to each individual and needs
each student's total involvement.
 Provide resources and guidance.
 Assess the process by creating team and project rubrics.

"As the number of ideas to consider or the number of procedures that need to be
followed increases, students may need to stay organized, track their progress, and
maintain a focus on the problem rather than get confused by its elements."--PHYLLIS P.
BLUMENFELD AND OTHERS, "MOTIVATING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING: SUSTAINING
THE DOING, SUPPORTING THE LEARNING," EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST MAGAZINE

What's the difference between team rubrics and project rubrics?

Team rubrics state the expectations of each team member: Watch the group
dynamics. How well are the members participating? How engaged are they in the
process? Assess the outcome.

Project rubrics, on the other hand, ask these questions: What is required for project
completion? What is the final product: A document? A multimedia presentation? A
poster? A combination of products? What does a good report, multimedia
presentation, poster, or other product look like? Make the requirements clear to the
students so they can all meet with success.

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 Discovery Education offers a great resource; a collection of assessment rubrics and
graphic organizersthat may be helpful to you as you create your own.

Assess the Outcome

Assessment meets many needs. It

 provides diagnostic feedback.

 helps educators set standards.
 allows one to evaluate progress and relate that progress to others.
 gives students feedback on how well they understand the information and on what
they need to improve.
 helps the teacher design instruction to teach more effectively.

"Project-based learning is focused on teaching by engaging students in investigation.

Within this framework, students pursue solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and
refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or
experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating their
ideas and findings to others, asking new questions, and creating artifacts (e.g., a
model, a report, a videotape, or a computer program)."--PHYLLIS P. BLUMENFELD AND
OTHERS, "MOTIVATING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING: SUSTAINING THE DOING,
SUPPORTING THE LEARNING," EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST MAGAZINE

Whenever possible, give the students the opportunity to conduct self-assessment.

When a student's assessment and the teacher's assessment don't agree, schedule a
student-teacher conference to let the student explain in more detail his or her
understanding of the content and justify the outcome.

Edutopia.org PBL blogger Suzie Bossalso wrote a great post on culminating events
in How to End Projects on a High Note.

Evaluate the Experience

Little time for reflection is available in the busy schedule of the school day, yet
reflection is a key component of learning. How do we expect our students to
synthesize new knowledge if they are not given time to reflect on what they have

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 discovered? Too often, we teachers do not allow ourselves that time, either. Designate
a time for reflection of the daily activities. Allow for individual reflection, such as
journaling, as well as group reflection and discussion. (For example, validate what
students have learned and make suggestions for improvements.)

To enable effective self-evaluation, follow these steps:

 Take time to reflect, individually and as a group.

 Share feelings and experiences.
 Discuss what worked well.
 Discuss what needs change.
 Share ideas that will lead to new questions and new projects.

Continue to the next section of the guide, Workshop Activities.

Project-Based Learning Workshop Activities

Hands-on lessons you can adapt for your PBL workshops.

Now that you've established the basics of PBL, you're ready for part two. On this page,
you will find a wide range of activities that will get workshop participants thinking and
talking about PBL.

1. Prepare Participants for Critical Viewing of Case Study Videos

Before watching a set of videos that demonstrate PBL at work, ask participants, "What
questions do you have about good PBL projects that might be answered by looking
carefully at a video of students working on a project?"

Suggest that participants view the videos shown with particular questions in mind. For
example, they can be asked to watch the Newsome Park video while looking for
evidence of how students were included in developing a key question for a project.

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 2. Watch Case Study Videos
Choose a video from the following list to share with class participants, based on their
grade level interest. There are links to accompanying articles from the video pages for
more information.

 Lower Elementary: Worm Project at Newsome Park Elementary School in Newport

News, VA
 Upper Elementary: Water Wheel Project at Ferryway School in Malden, MA
 Middle School: Soil Superheroes Project at King Middle School in Portland, ME
 High School: African Wildlife DNA Project at High Tech High in San Diego, CA

After a brief small-group discussion and reflection, engage the larger group of
participants in conversation about what they saw. Ideas for post-viewing questions
include:

 "What steps did the students take to work on their project?"

 "What curriculum standards did the students meet through work on their project?"
 "What is the role of the teacher in PBL?"

3. PBL Experts
Ask participants, "What do the experts have to say about the effectiveness of PBL
activities?"

 Introduce participants to the article PBL: What Experts Say on Edutopia.org

 Suggest that small groups (2-4 participants) read and talk about the questions and
responses of one expert, or assign particular experts to small groups. There are
several options: focus on national experts such as Seymour Papert or Sylvia Chard,
concentrate on individual school personnel (principals and/or teachers and/or
students), or assign two or more experts within a category so participants can
compare and contrast their comments.
 Suggest that participants conduct external research on their expert to see what else
he or she has to say about PBL.

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 Have the small groups present their findings to the large group. Participants may
develop a PowerPoint presentation, role-play an interview, or report their findings in
other ways.

4. Criteria for Good Projects

Ask participants, "What makes a project a good one?" and then follow these steps:

 Suggest that participants think about projects they may have conducted, are
thinking about conducting, or have seen others conduct.
 Show the video Applying Math Skills to a Real-World Problem.
 Ask participants to talk in small groups about what evidence they saw of a good
project (for example, the project revolved around a real-world topic; students were
involved in project definition by suggesting questions; experts were included).
 Solicit ideas from the whole group, and start a list of criteria for good projects on a
flip chart or other media (so criteria can be added as more learning about good
projects takes place).
 View another Edutopia.org video featuring a class at a different grade level and talk
about the differences (if any) in criteria for a good project based on the age and
experience of the students. Many additional videos about PBL can be found in
the Resources for PBL section of this guide, or on Edutopia.org's Video Library
page (in the "Select a Topic" pull-down menu, choose "Project-Based Learning," then
click on "Apply"; you may also filter your results by grade level).

5. Sylvia Chard's Project Approach

In the What Is PBL About? section of this professional development guide, the work of
education researcher Sylvia Chard is cited. Chard, who defines project learning as "an
in-depth investigation of a real-world topic worthy of children's attention and effort,"
has developed the Project Approach, a website that explores project learning and
suggests good practices. Introduce participants to Chard's work by following these
steps:

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 Show Project Approach to the class, have them read the About page, and review the
site's main topics with them.
 Divide the class into several groups and assign them to look at the Theory, Planning,
and Learning and Teaching sections and prepare to report to the class about their
assigned section. Each section includes several parts, so suggest that one or more
members of each group study each part.
 To finish this assignment, all small groups should explore a few project examples,
based on their grade level interest.
 Have participants share the most interesting things they learned or saw with the rest
of the group.

6. Identifying and Asking Good Questions

The importance of helping students identify and ask good questions is explored in
the What Is PBL About? section of this professional development guide.

From Now On, a website published by educational-technology champion Jamie

McKenzie, offers a wide array of ideas for good teaching and learning. Key to many of
them is a good guiding question -- how to recognize one, how to develop one for
students, and how to help students develop their own. To guarantee effective PBL, it is
essential that the starting point is a good question. To explore this idea with the class,
follow these steps:

 Have participants go to McKenzie's article "The Question is the Answer".

 Assign individuals or small groups to read, review, and discuss different parts of the
article.
 Have individuals or small groups share their findings with the class.
 Conclude with a general discussion on what makes a good PBL question.

The Buck Institute for Education also offers a great tutorial on how to "Craft the Driving
Question."

7. Examples of Online Collaboration in Projects Among Schools

For a number of years, education scholar Judi Harris and her graduate students studied
how teachers were using the Internet. The International Society for Technology in

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 Education (ISTE) published the results in Virtual Architecture, a book written by Harris,
who has also maintained a website by that name that highlights key findings and
provides links to a variety of project examples. To help your students become more
familiar with Harris's work, follow these steps:

 Direct participants to visit Harris's website and explore the various sections.
 Have participants explore the links to projects found in Curriculum-Based
Telecomputing Projects & Resources, according to their interests. The projects cover
a range of ages, grades, subject areas, and purposes.
 Ask participants to identify three projects they find most interesting and thoroughly
explore those projects.
 Have participants describe what they found to the class.

8. More Examples of PBL in Schools Across the Country

Here are more ideas for using the wealth of resources on Edutopia.org in your class:

 Show Edutopia.org to the participants.

 Suggest that they visit the Project-Based Learning Core Strategy page and explore
the articles and videos under the heading "Real-Life Examples."
 Have participants divide into small groups to read various articles and view their
accompanying videos. See the list in the Readings and Viewings section in
the Resources for PBL section for additional PBL article and video suggestions.
 Have participants share what they saw with the larger group.
 Encourage participants to join the PBL Discussion Group in the Edutopia.org
community.

9. Effective Rubrics for PBL

Ask participants: "How will you evaluate student projects?" Being able to evaluate the
effectiveness of projects in terms of student learning is key to their success, as well as
to whether the time and energy put into developing projects is worthwhile. A number
of websites provide links to rubrics sites. For example, see Kathy Schrock's Guide for
Educators, on DiscoverySchool.com. To familiarize participants with rubrics, follow
these steps:

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 Have participants explore the Web sites RubiStar and Project-Based Learning
Checklists.
 Ask participants to talk about the pros and cons of the kinds of rubrics that can be
developed.
 Direct participants to develop a sample rubric based on their research.
 Have participants share their work with the whole group when they are finished.
 Review Edutopia.org's Assessment Teaching Module, which explores a variety of
forms of assessment, including rubrics, and their use in evaluating PBL activities.
 Direct participants to visit Edutopia.org's Comprehensive Assessment Core Strategy
page for more information about assessment.

10. Project Template: Develop a Project

Ask participants: "What ideas do you have for a project?" This activity can be divided
into a number of sections. For example, before actually creating a project, participants
might share their own project ideas:

 Have small groups discuss new project ideas.

 Have participants speculate.
 Have them create, discussing what they will imagine, how they will prepare, and
how they will mentor.

Participants might then be asked to brainstorm effective questions. Have them

 share ideas for essential questions.

 reflect on the standards that will be addressed.
 talk about subjects that can be woven into the process.
 create concept maps illustrating the brainstorming process.
 share their concept maps with the rest of the group.

When participants are ready to develop their own projects, have them review Sylvia
Chard's Project Approach planning structure. Participants can then begin to plan their
projects and fill in the project template. This template should be used as a planning
tool, providing formative evaluation as the project progresses. Part of the "Evaluating

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 the Experience" step will be to suggest what might be done differently in the future to
make the project more effective.

Continue to the next section of the guide, Resources for PBL.

Resources for Project-Based Learning

Free materials and downloads for building rigorous projects for all grade levels.

In this section, you will find materials and resources for teaching about project-based
learning, whether you are conducting a two-hour session or class or can spend a day or
two on the topic.

We believe you will find much here from which you can build a set of experiences
tailored to class participants for the purpose of exploring PBL:

 Suggested Readings and Viewings

 Sample Session Schedules
 A PowerPoint Presentation

SUGGESTED READINGS AND VIEWINGS

More Edutopia.org Resources on Project-Based Learning:

 Edutopia's Project-Based Learning Core Strategy page

 Article: Real-World Issues Motivate Students: An Overview of PBL
 Video: An Introduction to Project-Based Learning
 Research: Project-Based Learning Research Review
 Schools That Work Package: Project-Based Learning, Success Start to Finish
 Schools That Work Package: Project Learning in Maine
 Resource Roundup: Project Learning: Model Schools with Solutions
 Article: The PBL Launch Pad: Worthwhile Projects for High School Students
 Article: How to Turn Project-Learning Setbacks to Your Advantage

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 Article: 10 Takeaway Tips for Project-Based Learning
 Article: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Best Projects
 Resource Roundup: A Reading List for Project-Based Learning
 Resource Roundup: Free Resources and Downloads for Project Learning
 Discussion Group: Project-Based Learning
 See all blogs related to Project-Based Learning

Top Edutopia.org Case Study Videos on Project-Based Learning:

Lower Elementary

 Worm Project at Newsome Park Elementary School in Newport News, VA

 Various Projects at Auburn Early Education Center in Auburn, AL

Upper Elementary

 Water Wheel Project at Ferryway School in Malden, MA

 NatureMapping Project at Waterville Elementary School in Waterville, WA
 Journey North Project at Rockledge Elementary School in Bowie, MD
 Geo-Literacy Project at Tolenas Elementary School in Fairfield, CA

Middle School

 Soil Superheroes Project at King Middle School in Portland, ME

 Kinetic Conundrum Project at King Middle School in Portland, ME
 Wetland Watchers Project at Harry M. Hurst Middle School in Destrehan, LA

High School

 Whole-School Transformation to PBL at Sammamish High School in Bellevue, WA

 Hunger Games Cross-Curricular Project at Manor New Tech High School in Manor,
TX
 African Wildlife DNA Project at High Tech High School in San Diego, CA
 "Give Me Shelter" Project at Casco Bay High School in Portland, ME
 Wing Strength Design Project at Aviation High School in Seattle, WA

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  UrbanPlan Project at Alameda High School in Alameda, CA
 Schools for the Year 2050 Project at Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake
Terrace, WA

BACK TO TOP

Additional Resources Elsewhere on the Web:

Organizations That Provide PBL Guidelines and Tools

 Buck Institute for Education (BIE): Project-Based Learning for the 21st Century
 Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound
 PBL University (also from Buck Institute for Education)
 High Tech High
 The Project Approach (Sylvia Chard)
 Questioning.org (Jamie McKenzie)

Research and Readings

 Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning (ASCD)

 Reinventing Project-Based Learning blog by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss (check out their
book as well)
 Project-Based Learning: Building Motivation (from 4Teachers.org)

Recommended Texts:

 Edutopia: Success Stories for Learning in the Digital Age

 The George Lucas Educational Foundation
 Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company
 Copyright © 2002
 ISBN: 0-7879-6082-9

 PBL in the Elementary Grades

 Hallermann, Sara; Larmer, John; and Mergendoller, John R.
 The Buck Institute for Education

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 Copyright © 2011
 ISBN: 0-9740343-1-7

 PBL Starter Kit for Middle and High School

 Larmer, John
 The Buck Institute for Education
 Copyright © 2009
 ISBN: 0-9740343-2-4

 PBL Handbook
 Markham, Thom; Larmer, John; and Ravitz, Jason
 The Buck Institute for Education
 Copyright © 2003
 ISBN: 0-974034-304

 Beyond Technology: Questioning, Research, and the Information Literate School

 McKenzie, Jamie
 1st ed. Copyright © 2000
 ISBN: 0-9674078-2-6

 Learning by Heart
 Barth, Roland S.
 1st ed., Copyright © 2001
 ISBN: 0-7879-5543-4

 The Project Approach: Making Curriculum Come Alive

 Chard, Sylvia C.
 Book One Copyright © 1998
 ISBN: 0-590-12852-3

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SAMPLE SESSION SCHEDULES

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The sample schedule provides ideas for one- and two-day sessions. Depending on your
resources, videos can be viewed online or downloaded via iTunes U. Edutopia.org also
offers a Project-Based Learning DVD featuring eight documentaries. Ideally,
participants should have online access to Internet resources, particularly for the
afternoon and second-day sessions.

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POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

This PowerPoint presentation introduces PBL, based on research and case studies, and
discusses why the method should be used, what it is, and how to begin, touching on
the process of questioning, planning, scheduling, monitoring, assessing, and
evaluating. The presentation then asks for group participation, and activities to be
done in small groups are suggested on the final slides. Active links are provided for
websites.

The presentation consists of 17 slides, and is available either as an online HTML

presentation,downloadable PowerPoint file, or a slide show.

You can use the HTML version online during class time if you have a computer and a
presentation system with Internet access; use it as you would any lecture presentation
material.

Download the PowerPoint file to your hard drive for use on your laptop or a classroom
computer; open and run the PowerPoint file just as you would any other PowerPoint
presentation. You can also make changes and insert your own course information. For
presentations, double-click on the downloaded PowerPoint slide show to begin, and
use the arrow keys on your keyboard to toggle back and forth between slides.

In addition, each slide in the downloaded and online versions contains Speaker Notes
you can use as lecture notes when you show the presentation.

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If you do not have Microsoft PowerPoint and do not wish to use the online HTML
presentation, you candownload PowerPoint Viewer for your PC, which will allow you
to share this presentation with an audience but will not allow you to edit it in any way.

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http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-implementation

Chapter 11. The Nine Steps of Project-Based Learning

Whether students work individually, in pairs, or in groups, having them design

something from scratch taps their creative abilities. When using the project-based
learning strategy, it is almost guaranteed that the endeavor will be interdisciplinary.
The teacher's role is to serve as coach, guiding students to use a variety of resources,
employ a strategy that is fun and motivating, and uncover content with depth and
breadth.
If we examine project-based learning in the most general way, we can break it down
into the following nine steps (of course, teacher-coaches should modify the steps
accordingly to suit the task and the students):
1. The teacher-coach sets the stage for students with real-life samplesof the projects
they will be doing.
2. Students take on the role of project designers, possibly establishing a forum for
display or competition.
3. Students discuss and accumulate the background informationneeded for their
designs.
4. The teacher-coach and students negotiate the criteria for evaluating the projects.
5. Students accumulate the materials necessary for the project.
6. Students create their projects.
7. Students prepare to present their projects.
8. Students present their projects.
9. Students reflect on the process and evaluate the projects based on the criteria
established in Step 4.
Now let's examine how these nine steps apply to a real-life project.

Project-Based Learning Example: The Roman Arch Bridge Activity

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When studying transportation and its effects on the economy of Ancient Rome,
students in Mr. Jordan's 9th grade social studies class honed in on the Roman
invention of the arch bridge. Realizing the depth and breadth of the innovation, Mr.
Jordan decided that the students should role-play Roman engineers and design their
own Roman arch bridges using paper materials.

Step 1: Setting the Stage with Real-Life Examples

With the help of the school's science teacher, Mr. Jordan set the stage for his students
to study the arch bridge. He explained that the major advantage of the construction
was that it had a large passage for vessels to pass through. The Roman transportation
system was a key priority for continuous military campaigns, as well as for the trade
that was carried to all corners of the empire. Mr. Jordan showed the students different
types of bridges, demonstrating the differences between the arch bridge and the
primitive structures that existed prior to its invention.

Step 2: Taking on the Role of Project Designers

Having his goal in mind, Mr. Jordan assigned the students their roles as engineers for
Roman firms. He explained that they were commissioned by the emperor, but had to
use paper materials for their model constructions. Each group of two to three students
was to be a firm competing with other groups to build a bridge that would meet
predetermined specifications and be subjected to heavy weight.

Step 3: Discussing and Accumulating Necessary Background Information

Students conducted research on the arch bridge and learned that the center keystone
was critical to distributing weight evenly to each side. They saw the advantage of the
Roman arch bridge over post-and-lintel constructions, which did not offer as much
clearance for whatever passed beneath. The even distribution of weight created by an
arch bridge's keystone made the structure more reliable, adding a degree of stability
and security.
Mr. Jordan and his students determined the parameters of the construction, setting
strictly defined limits to the length of the bridge and the roadway above.

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 Step 4: Negotiating the Criteria for Evaluation
Mr. Jordan and his students decided that the projects should be assessed by asking the
following questions:
 Did the group design and construct a bridge that employed the Roman arch concept?

 Did the “engineers” try to keep their expenditures low?

 Did the bridge support the weight that was placed upon it?

Once the criteria were clearly defined, the students realized that they might have to be
modified in the future.

Step 5: Accumulating the Necessary Materials

The students decided that they would use paper or soft balsa wood and glue or tape to
make their arch bridges. Mr. Jordan told them that any material they needed would
have to be purchased at a mock store, and they were expected to keep track of their
expenditures on an expense sheet. For example, a sheet of paper, representing stone,
“cost” $1,000; a tablespoon of glue, representing cement, “cost” $2,000. Mr. Jordan
reminded students that construction commodities were very expensive in Ancient
Rome. Students decided that the bridge that withstood the most weight and was most
cost-effective would win.

Step 6: Creating the Project

Students in each group worked on preliminary sketches and graphic organizers until
they decided on a final design. During this stage, Mr. Jordan served as coach, moving
from group to group to guide the students' work. As he did so, he asked himself the
following COACHing questions (reflective of the COACH Model in Chapter 3):
 Do the students have a clear understanding of the task?
 Does each student have ownership of her role within the group?
 Are the students attentive and working together cooperatively?
 Are the resources that students use geared to their comprehensive level of
understanding?
 Are any groups stumbling in a way that is blocking their work due
to heightened emotions?

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 Mr. Jordan's role as coach obtained a clarity of purpose throughout this process.
Prompted by the COACHing questions and the GOPER Model, the students used their
own intellects to solve problems while attaining a higher level of learning.

Step 7: Preparing to Present the Project

The students in each group prepared for the final stages, discussing whether or not the
presentations needed to be rehearsed, or whether display cards had to be written.
They also made note of the following:
 Who designed and built the arch bridge

 The cost expended on materials

 What made their design aesthetically appealing

 What they thought was unique about their design

 What made their arch bridge strong enough to hold the weight that was placed on it

Step 8: Presenting the Project

During this stage, students become aware of the ways their presentations meet the
criteria of assessment. The teacher-coach observes how engaged they are in
presenting their projects. Each group in Mr. Jordan's class showcased its arch bridge to
the class, explaining how the design was achieved. Testing one bridge at a time, weight
was placed on top of it, to determine how much stress the bridge could bear without
collapsing. Not one student was absent on the day of the competition.

Step 9: Reflecting on the Process and Evaluating the Process

In this simulation, the students discussed what they enjoyed about working in pairs or
small groups, and how one student's idea would spawn another student's idea. They
discussed what they liked about the materials and what they found to be frustrating.
Students shared their reflections to note what they had in common and what was
special to each pair or to each individual personally. They reviewed the criteria of
assessment and discussed how well they met them.

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***
The chart in the Appendix can serve as an example, and also as a catalyst, for teachers
to creatively brainstorm ways to include project-based learning using the workshop
model within their curricula. Note that the chart is brief, thus allowing teachers to
generate their own ideas for projects that would be applicable to their own areas of
specialization.

Section Summary
When students practice decision making and deductive reasoning and are exposed to
examples from real life, they are able to expand their skills, evaluate their options, and
think critically. The activities in this section help students visualize how events actually
unfold by having students conduct research, discuss and write about the material,
collect or draw illustrations, and reflect on their work. Students learn from each other
by analyzing and synthesizing material, reinforcing main points, and moving
information from short- to long-term memory. Most importantly, students “talk
content” and write for a purpose, because their work is often presented in front of
their peers. We hope that you will use these hands-on, interactive strategies to
motivate and engage your students, and to foster an environment that makes learning
fun.

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