1. PROJECT BASED LEARNING INCREASING ACADEMICS AND CAREER SKILLS VERNA ROCHON EDU 671 ACTION RESEARCH INSTRUCTOR MILLER

2. ACTION RESEARCH FOCUS STATEMENT The purpose of this study is to increase student academic achievement and knowledge of 21st century skills with the use of relevant Project Based Learning strategies.

3. PROJECT BASED LEARNING research to determine if PBL activities will prove beneficial academic growth and job readiness skills Current Research states: Growing research supports the use of PBL. Schools where PBL is practiced find a decline in absenteeism, an increase in cooperative learning skills, improvement in student achievement. technology enhances critical thinking and communication skills

4. DEFINE RESEARCH QUESTIONS RESEARCH PURPOSE AND QUESTIONS: Q1: How can we evaluate the use of Project Based Learning can benefit and support academic achievement in the 8 th grade ECD students. Q2: Can we compare the amount of engagement demonstrated with and without project based learning strategies Q3: Determine how Project Based Learning used in conjunction with 21 st Century Skills such as collaboration, teamwork, decision making, critical thinking and technology skills can increase career readiness.

5. DEFINE THE PROBLEM Many students are afraid to speak orally alone Some students learn faster or slower than others Students don’t fully understand the value of education Strategies for academic growth are not supported in normal core subjects Increased use of technology will provide positive benefits to all students Students need to be academically successful, and working alongside their peers can offer numerous positive benefits.

6. DEFINE THE PROBLEM Many students are not aware of what 21 st Century skills are PBL offers opportunities to solve complex problems in a team method Creativity and critical thinking are enhanced in PBL Technology skills and e-learning strategies strengthened Students need the 21 st century career skills that will prepare them to be globally competitive

7. DEFINE THE VARIABLES Benefits of Project Based Learning Students solving highly complex problems uses fundamental skills (reading, writing, and math) 21st century skills (teamwork, problem solving, research gathering, time management, information synthesizing, utilizing high tech tools). students become directors and managers of their learning process, skilled teacher provides guidance and mentoring

8. INCREASED USE OF 21ST CENTURY SKILLS PBL shifts the focus of learning from teacher focused to student centered

9. MEMBERSHIP OF THE ACTION RESEARCH GROUP MS Students  Career & Technical Education Class  Boys 18, Girls 12 (students given random number for anonymity  Mixed diversity: 95% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 1% Caucasian  0-AG or ELL students  4 Students with IEP’s and/or modifications  All data collected will be and placed under student number  As the current classroom teacher all items are under my Locus of control Eighth Grade student Participants

10. NEGOTIATIONS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN: INFORMED CONSENT Students (Participants) Written Informed consent and signature is not necessary as these are students I teach Verbal conversation about AR project before onset of project to inform students of observations-current teacher Administrators Permission in writing on the Informed consent sheet is needed from the Principal prior to the initiation of the Action Research project

11. INVALUABLE NEGOTIATIONS Parents of the participating students If parents see the benefits of student participation, they may provide support and additional resources Additional teachers within the school As teachers see the benefits of PBL, they will begin to seek guidance and training in how to implement this process within their arena. As teachers see the importance and impact of PBL then they will extend the reach of academic success and career readiness Additional buy in needed for other stakeholders.

12. ETHICS Locus of Control Confidentiality contained as data will remain in my care All information will be placed under the anonymous number instead of the student name to control access to data Verbal informed consent for all students that I teach. A written Intent of Consent will not be needed as these are my current students

13. INTERVENTIONS OR INNOVATIONS Interventions Step 1: Survey participants on knowledge of 21 st Century skills Introduce students to AR project and gain informed consent (verbal) CTE Academic pre-test Step 2: Explain PBL activity to class and observe Step 3: Observe through Project, post test, survey again Step 4: Analyze data, show academic growth

14. INNOVATIONS: Create Project Based Learning activities that require use of collaboration, communication (oral and written) teamwork, technology use, decision making and critical thinking skills Career Projects such as: Creating a high school Relocation to another planet A day in a Life a Teen Vision Board and Dream Life Skills learned within the PBL setting will be transferable to the workplace

15. INTERVENTION STEP 1: Student Pre-Survey One day before the project begins (10 min. survey on 21 st century skills giving using www.mentimeter.com) Explanation of project to participant (Day 1 of the project) 15 minutes direct instruction Administer teacher made test- Day 1 of the project using CTE Teacher testbank questions. (1.5 hrs.) Teacher to review student demographic and resource information prior to assessment and provide modification s where applicable Step 1: Survey participants on knowledge of 21st Century skills Step 1 :

16. DIRECTIONS FOR PBL ACTIVITY TO CLASS AND OBSERVE Direct Instruction Explain the PBL Activity to class with presentation Introduce activity and rubric Timeline for completion 3-4 weeks, then oral presentation of PowerPoint to class (3 mins each) Teamwork Collaboration skills Oral, written communication skills Technology skills Decision making/critical thinking skills Step 2

17. STEP 3 OBSERVATION AND DATA COLLECTION: This is when the researcher is the silent observer and records notes and information to make data comparisons Review student demographics Document beginning survey information Observe, and record data Analyze pre and post data

18. STEP 4 After Project completion 3 weeks PBL presentation After Project completion 3 weeks Post Survey Repeat of the pre-survey to compare understanding of information to pre-survey After project completion 3 weeks Final assessment using CTE test bank to gage understanding and academic increases. After completion of the PBL project presentation, the post survey and the final assessment will gage growth in academics and understanding of 21 st century skills.

19. TIMELINE RECAP: Action Research Project One Month from start to finish Students are seen every other day Expected timeline from onset of program to the end will be 3 weeks. PBL project 2 weeks Pre-survey 1 day before start date of AR Pretest-day one of project Post project-redo survey and pre-test for growth Analyze data

20. RESOURCES NEEDED Computer equipment with internet access Access to surveys and online quiz creation Excel sheet for data collection Access to CTE Test Banks and curriculum Project boards, markers, dry erase board, markers Creativity to promote project once it begins

21. DATA COLLECTION IDEAS Pre-Project www.surveymonkey.com- 21 st Century Skills www.surveymonkey.com- IEP, ELL or AG information on students from Resource Teachers Teacher made test from CTE test bank on 21 st Century skills. Tests and surveys online Post Research www.surveymonkey.com- 21st Century Skills (the same survey pre & post to show growth) Same CTE test as pretest

22. STATEMENT OF RESOURCES Quantitative data Tests created from the CTE-ECD test bank administered with student modifications Will provide quantitative data needed to seek if academic achievement has increased Quantitative data will be gained by student demographic breakdown. EOC tests will determine how well students have achieved on Qualitative data Using pre and post surveys created using www.mentimeter.com, will allow for the collection of qualitative data Used to identify whether students understand what/how 21st century skills are used. Surveys will provide graphs which can be easily read and utilized as data for collection. The same survey will be done before and after the project is complete.

23. EXPECTED RESULTS FOR STUDENTS Academic achievement: Goals for 21st century learning emphasize mastery of significant academic content, which also is the foundation of any well-designed project. Comparisons of learning outcomes in PBL versus more traditional, textbook-and-lecture driven instruction show Students enjoy collaborating on interesting PBL activities that:  Enhanced written and communication skills  Promotes the use of critical thinking skills  Students must make important decisions and justify them  Technology use is increased  Retention of information is increased 21 st Century skills strengthened:

24. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS WITH PBL PBL allow students to work at their own pace no matter what level they are As students notice the increase in their grades, they will work even harder to obtain better grades When students realize that they can solve complex problems, the information gained will be more valuable Retention is increased in PBL College and career readiness skills

25. With the data received from the Action Research participant’s increased grades will be positive proof that PBL would be a positive benefit if incorporated into any type of curriculum. This data will assist me in promoting the use of PBL within my school and possibly extend to the District as well. “as a self-renewing school faculty or as an individual teacher with a reflective professional disposition, you will continue your systematic inquiry into some other aspect of your practice” (Mills 163) Vocational and global career readiness components should include the 21 st Century model to prepare future employees for the workforce. Summary

26. REFERENCES : Mills, Geoffrey E. Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 5th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions, 01/2013. VitalBook file. Research Summary on the Benefits of PBL, 2 0 1 3 Buck Institute for Education, http://bie.org/object/document/research_summary_on_the _benefits_of_pbl