Why Project Based Learning?
Sig Rogich Middle School
2012-2013
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 products
3
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
K
N
O
W
L
E
D
G
E
T
A
X
O
N
O
M
Y
Evaluation
6
Synthesis
C
5 Assimilation
Analysis
4
D
Adaptation
Application 3
Understanding 2
Awareness
A
Acquisition
B
Application
1
1
Knowledge
2
Apply in
discipline
APPLICATION MODEL
International Center for Leadership in Education
3
Apply
across
disciplines
4
Apply to
real world
predictable
situations
5
Apply to realworld
unpredictable
situations
6
Success Beyond the Test
•
•
•
•
Core Academics
Stretch learning
Learner Engagement
Personal Skill
Development
Relationships
Rigor
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
• Communicationfocused
• Research-based
• Technologyenhanced
• 21st Century reformfriendly
• Hard, but fun!
Today’s Students are Digital Natives
Conventional
Speed
Step-by-Step
Linear Processing
Text First
Work-Oriented
Stand-alone
Twitch Speed
Random Access
Parallel Processing
Graphics First
Play-Oriented
Connected
Students Develop Needed Skills in…
Information Searching & Researching
Critical Analysis
Summarizing and Synthesizing
Inquiry, Questioning and Exploratory
Investigations
Design 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 PBL
Driving 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/glog6493/?voucher=ebeb0c0aa90fbdee858c75a77
916c99e
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