Project Based Learning Adams Dean

PBL is not… 0 Just doing a project 0 Just for fun after testing 0 Thrown together really quickly by the teacher

Intro to Project Based Learning

Key Knowledge, Understanding and Success Skills 0 Content Standards, concepts and in-depth understandings that are fundamental to subject areas 0 Content knowledge and conceptual understanding are not enough—students must be able to 0 Think critically and solve problems 0 Work well with others 0 Manage themselves effectively

Challenging Problem 0 This is the heart of the project 0 An engaging problem makes learning more meaningful 0 The problem should challenge students

Sustained Inquiry 0 To inquire means to seek or investigate 0 This inquiry process takes time 0 Students must: Ask questions, find resources to answer their questions, ask deeper questions and the process repeats until a satisfactory answer is found

Authenticity 0 Authenticity in the world means something is real and not fake 0 Authenticity in learning refers to how “real-world” the learning is for the student 0 Authenticity increases student motivation and learning 0 Projects can have personal authenticity when they speak to learner’s own concerns, interests, cultures, identities and issues

Student Voice and Choice 0 Having a say in the project gives students a sense of pride and ownership 0 Students can have input and control over many aspects of the project

Student Voice and Choice 0 Today was the culmination of a long month and a half of teaching grammar to middle schoolers. The test is Friday, and today they worked in groups to rotate through three stations: Inifinitive or prepositional phrase; gerund, participle, or verb; and participial phrases. I was in awe as I listened to 20+ middle schoolers working together to figure out the answers to some VERY difficult grammar. It was the best teacher feeling in the world: they didn't need me. At all. I was totally useless. They had all of the tools they needed to be successful; they took turns proposing answers and explaining their reasoning. When they didn't know, they worked together to figure it out. 0 This is, paradoxically, our goal as teachers: to become unnecessary. It's counterintuitive. It's unnerving at times. But mostly, it's the proudest moment you can have in the classroom: removing the training wheels and watching them take off, never looking back.

Reflection 0 “We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience” 0 John Dewey 0 Throughout the life of the project both teacher and student should spend time reflecting on the work being done 0 Can be informal (class dialogue) but also needs to be formal as an explicit part of journaling, formative assessment, discussions at checkpoints and presentations of the work

Critique and Revision 0 High quality work is the standard—this standard can only come through explicit critique and revision of the work 0 Students must be explicitly taught how to give and receive constructive peer feedback 0 Outside adults and agency can be apart of the critique and revision process 0 Students must spend time evaluating their work and peers work

What does critique and review look like?

Public Product 0 The final product must be shown off and presented for 3 reasons: 1. Adds to PBL’s motivating power and encourages high-quality work 2. Students make their work tangible and therefor discussable. This adds to the social dimension of learning 3. Shows off what PBL is and what it does for students

PBL in practice in a middle school

Bibliography "5 Keys to rigorous project-based learning." Edutopia. N.p., Web. 15 June BIEPBL. "Middle school project: public art." YouTube. YouTube, Web. 17 June "Blog.” Gold standard PBL: essential project design elements. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June "Blog." Gold standard PBL: project based teaching practices. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June Edutopia. "Five keys to rigorous project-based learning." YouTube. YouTube, Web. 17 June Project-based learning teaching module. (n.d.). Retrieved June14, 2016 from Talilerner. "Critique and feedback – the story of austin's butterfly - Ron Berger.” YouTube. YouTube, Web. 15 June 2016.