A process of inquiry in response to a complex problem, question or challenge.
Promotes and develops 21st century skills: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity
Putting the "dessert" first, taking the end project and making it a focused aspect of inquiry-based learning from the beginning
Develops skills of innovation: insight, collaboration, and synthesis
How do I learn more about PBL?
Go to this site for helpful info. and all you need to know to use project-based learning in your classroom. It has many free resources (under "tools") including rubrics and project description sheets.
bie.org
(tools section has lots of free resources)
Also, two of our staff members have been thoroughly trained and use PBL in their instruction currently: Mike Fenlon and Jeff VanHuis. Both ran sessions on this at our recent professional development and would be willing to answer questions for you as you explore how this can be used to enhance your instruction and learning opportunities for your students.
I attended Mike's two-hour dual session in the morning, and these are the notes I came away with, now being passed on to you.
What about my discipline's curricular needs outside of the project?
Previous instructional methods do not cease, this is just integrated into curriculum
Less lecturing, more student interaction and student-driven learning
Instruction is based around student conferencing, individually and in groups
How do I design and integrate PBL into my curriculum?
Begin with the end project in mind, give it to the students to introduce and build the unit around, rather than as an end product to prove learning
Utilize backwards design when lesson planning
Professional goals: more collaboration amongst teachers and with area businesses and industries to prepare students for future work environments
Eight Essential Pieces:
1. Significant Content-- plan a project to focus on important knowledge, students must connect how the content is significant in terms of their own lives
2. Need to Know-- the reason for learning relevant material, have an engaging entry event to introduce the unit... projects need to involve genuine relevancy and inquiry that engages students' minds.
3. In-Depth Inquiry-- students need to conduct inquiry into all aspects of their learning, spawning creativity and encouraging genuine and interactive feedback for in-depth problems
4. Driving Question-- a good driving question captures the heart of the project in clear, concise language; question should be proactive, open-ended, complex and linked to the core of what you want students to learn... students need to drive the narrowing of the question (ex. Is our water safe to drink? How can we make the Haworth Center a more desirable destination?)
5. Student Voice and Choice-- students must have the right to design, create, and present their products; they need to have the freedom to use apps and presentation methods that work for them
6. Inquiry and Innovation-- students follow trail that begins with their own questions, leads to resources and the discovery of answers; these answers lead to new questions, testing ideas and new conclusions
7. Feedback and Revision-- revision during the project makes learning meaningful, because it emphasizes that creating high-quality products are important and worth the time for creation; students need to realize that people's first attempts do not result in a high quality product, arrange a way for feedback to be provided constructively (I wonder..., I like..., I wish...)
8. Public Audience-- schoolwork is more meaningful when it is done for the teacher or test; when students present their work to a "real" audience, they care more about its quality
Classroom Strategies--
Tips:
First project will most likely fail (for you), kids will enjoy it. You need to give it time.
Start small. First one can be a couple of days or a week.
Talk openly with students about the process and what or if they are learning.
Pick a really good driving question
Prepare resources ahead of time.
Front load students with what PBL is, why it is useful to them, what they can expect as they go through the process.
Students will have some trouble adjusting to not being given the answer by the teacher and having to find it on their own; let them figured this out on their own with limited guidance, and they will become more confident in their own abilities and mire independent learners.
Be sure students are clear on their roles and held accountable.
