Why Project Based Learning?

Sig Rogich Middle School2012-2013

When society changes – so too must education if it is to remain

viable.

Job Outlook 2002,National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

Characteristics of PBL

• Organizes standards-based curriculum around a meaningful open-ended problem or project with more than one approach or answer

• Encourages active inquiry and higher-order thinking skills

• Engages students as stakeholders• Creates a learning environment where

teachers coach, guide inquiry, and facilitate deeper levels of understanding

• Concludes with realistic products3

Project Based Learning

• emphasizes learning activities that are:– student-centered

• They become the problem solver, decisions maker, investigator, documentarian

• They take on the role of those working in a particular discipline

– long-term• Projects can be a variety of lengths• What they are not is one-day teacher centered

lessons

– integrated with real world issues and practices and have compelling questions

• Significance beyond the classroom walls

4

The Rigor/Relevance Framework

6

AAcquisition

BApplication

CAssimilation

DAdaptation

KNOWLEDGE

TAXONOMY

6

5

4

3

2

1

Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Application

Understanding

Awareness

APPLICATION MODEL

1 2 3 4 5Knowledge Apply in

discipline

Apply acrossdisciplines

Apply toreal worldpredictable situations

Apply to real-worldunpredictable situations

International Center for Leadership in Education

Success Beyond the Test

• Core Academics• Stretch learning• Learner Engagement• Personal Skill

Development

Rigor

Relationships

Relevance

Learning Criteria

• Core Academics – Achievement in the core subjects of English language arts, math, science, social studies and others identified by the school or district

• Stretch Learning – Demonstration of rigorous and relevant learning beyond the minimum requirements

Learning Criteria

• Learner Engagement – The extent to which students are motivated and committed to learning; have a sense of belonging and accomplishment; and have relationships with adults, peers and parents that support learning

• Personal Skill Development – Measures of personal, social, service, and leadership skills and demonstrations of positive behaviors and attitudes

21st Century Skills

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving• Creativity & Innovation• Collaboration, Teamwork &

Leadership• Cross-cultural Understanding• Communication & Media Literacy• Computing and ITC Technology• Career & Learning Self-direction

A Project Learning Classroom is ...

• Project-centered• Open-ended• Real-world• Student-centered• Constructive• Collaborative• Creative

• Communication- focused

• Research-based• Technology-

enhanced• 21st Century

reform-friendly• Hard, but fun!

Today’s Students are Digital Natives

Conventional Twitch SpeedSpeed

Step-by-Step Random AccessLinear Processing Parallel ProcessingText First Graphics FirstWork-Oriented Play-OrientedStand-alone Connected

Students Develop Needed Skills in…

Information Searching & Researching

Critical AnalysisSummarizing and SynthesizingInquiry, Questioning and

Exploratory InvestigationsDesign and Problem-solving

In a project learning classroom…

The teacher’s role is one of coach, facilitator, guide,

advisor, mentor…

not directing and managing all student work.

Project Based Learning—The Titanic

• Research the sinking of the RMS Titanic• Students choose teams• Team Contracts—decide leadership

responsibilities, etc.• Planning documents—Buck Institute• Determine driving question• Research question—sometimes devise

new questions

7th Titanic PBLDriving Questions:

•Was the Titanic disaster caused by human error?•What is the relationship of captaining the Titanic with driving a car in Summerlin?•Was poor design and inferior product to blame for the RMS Titanic’s demise?•Can you blame the captain for the Titanic disaster?•What happens when people are over confident?•What are the similarities and differences between the Titanic and modern day mega ships?

•What if a woman was sailing that ship?—Scientific studies in thinking and accident theory.

Prezi Presentation

• http://prezi.com/ggz3iegxpapz/titanic-pbl/

Students used the online presentation software to explain how history could be recreated to keep the Titanic from sinking.

Glogster.com

• http://titanicpbl.edu.glogster.com/glog-6493/?voucher=ebeb0c0aa90fbdee858c75a77916c99e

References:

• Intel: Innovation in Education• International Center for Leadership in

Education• The Buck Institute for Education--

http://www.bie.org/http://www.bie.org/videos/video/project_based_learning_explained