Project Based Learning Inspired
Collaboration Produces Positive Results
A Presentation for Ohio HSTW C/SE Region
Best Practices Showcase
April 29, 2015
Carrie Hess, CPhT – Health Informatics/ CBI Instructor
Stephanie Meyers, M.A. Ed. – Science Instructor
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Collins Career Center was awarded the
Problem/Project Based Learning (PBL)Center
of Excellence Grant from the Ohio Association
of Career Technical Superintendents
The grant was designed to establish three
centers of excellence for PBL in the state of
Ohio
Collins Career Center was designated as the
recipient of the grant for the southeastern
region of the state
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Incorporates an extended process of inquiry in
response to a complex question, problem, or
challenge
Includes significant content, 21st century
competencies, in-depth inquiry, driving question,
need to know, voice and choice, critique and
revision, and a public audience
Utilizes rigorous projects that are planned,
managed, and assessed to help students learn key
academic content, practice 21st Century Skills, and
create authentic products & presentations
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Teacher collaboration
Students use inquiry and become life long
learners
Students gain deeper understanding through
real world application
Students take ownership of learning
Drives student engagement
Builds student - teacher relationships
Classroom management
Increases attendance
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PBL professional development for staff and
administrators
All program and academic teachers have written
and/or participated in PBL projects
Ongoing support to minimize initiative fatigue
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Helping staff become comfortable with the
relationships and connections among multiple
initiatives (PBL, OTES, HSTW Key Practices and other
local initiatives)
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Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
4 teams meet monthly for one hour to collaborate on PBL,
professional growth, resident educator requirements, and
new teacher induction
 Team Leaders are PBL Team members, RE Mentors and
Induction Team (now absorbed into the PLC) members
 Team Leaders are a diverse group of program and
academic teachers – Math, Science, Social Studies, Auto
Technology, Health Occupations, Cosmetology and Career
Based Intervention
 PBL Team members have received extensive training from
the Buck Institute for Education
 RE Mentors complete state provided training
 Induction Team members receive mentorship training
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How can a school effectively implement PBL to
produce instructor competency and student
achievement through the use of academic rigor
and collaboration?
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Rigor
Collaboration
The Partnership Principles
 Teacher Leaders
 PLC
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District Initiatives
Essential Elements of PBL
Instructor Competency – OTES Rubric Categories
Student Achievement – HSTW Key Practices
Action Steps for PBL implementation
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Creates an environment in which students are
expected to learn at high levels and are supported so
they have the ability to demonstrate learning at high
levels
Involves literacy with high level reading and
comprehension
Utilizes written deliverables that are authentic
products used in the field
Uses math concepts for data analysis and to
communicate quantifiable information to specific
audiences
Supports scientific research skills necessary to prepare
for and participate in post-secondary education
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Working together to complete a task or achieve
a shared goal
The Partnership Principles
Teacher Leaders
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
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Equality through teacher leaders as coaches
Choice in how it's done
Reflection
Voice
Dialogue
Product
Two way communication
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Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan
(CCIP) Teams
Each team co-led by academic and program
teachers
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Combine teams of individuals with a similar
interest to achieve a common goal
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Grade level, department specific, district-wide
Adhere to core principles to avoid “flavor of the
month” syndrome
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Ensure that students learn
 Learn what?
 Assess how?
 React to difficulty?
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Create a culture of collaboration
 Remove barriers
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Focus on results
 Continuous improvement
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Silent Sustained Reading
Formula/ Reflective Writing
Vocabulary
Short Cycle Assessments
Common Core Standards
Career Tech Competencies
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Significant Content - At its core, the project is
focused on teaching students important
knowledge and skills, derived from standards
and key concepts at the heart of academic
subjects
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21st century competencies - Students build
competencies valuable for today’s world, such
as problem solving, critical thinking,
collaboration, communication, and
creativity/innovation, which are explicitly
taught and assessed
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Inquiry & Innovation - Students are engaged
in an extended, rigorous process of asking
questions, using resources, and developing
answers
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Driving Question - Project work is focused by
an open-ended question that students
understand and find intriguing, which captures
their task or frames their exploration
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Need to Know - Students see the need to gain
knowledge, understand concepts, and apply
skills in order to answer the Driving Question
and create project products, beginning with an
Entry Event that generates interest and
curiosity
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Voice and Choice - Students are allowed to
make some choices about the products to be
created, how they work, and how they use
their time, guided by the teacher and
depending on age level and PBL experience
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Critique and Revision - The project includes
processes for students to give and receive
feedback on the quality of their work, leading
them to make revisions or conduct further
inquiry
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Public Audience - Students present their work
to other people, beyond their classmates and
teacher
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Instructional Planning
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Focus for Learning
 Measurable goals aligned with standards
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Assessment Data
 Uses data to purposely plan and differentiate
assessment based on needs, abilities and learning styles
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Prior Content Knowledge/ Sequence/ Connections
 Uses multiple sources to identify prior knowledge to
sequence and connect learning and instruction
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Knowledge of Students
 Meets the needs of individual and groups of students
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Instruction and Assessment
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Lesson Delivery
 Explains information well and anticipates confusion
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Differentiation
 Matches strategies, materials, and pacing to individual
needs
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Resources
 Aligns and varies resources
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Classroom Environment
 Positive rapport, effective communication, established
routines, seamless transitions, student led classroom
management
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Assessment of Student Learning
 Uses assessment data to identify strengths and needs to
modify and differentiate instruction and assessment,
continually monitors and adjusts with a variety of
methods, provides timely feedback and time for
revision
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Professionalism
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Professional Responsibilities
 Communicates and collaborates effectively, meets
ethical and professional responsibilities, sets and
modifies short and long term goals based on selfassessment and student performance data
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High Expectations: Integrate high expectations
into classroom practices and provide frequent
feedback to motivate students to meet higher
standards
Program of study: Require each student to
complete an upgraded academic core and a
rigorous technical concentration
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Academic studies: Encourage students to apply
academic content and skills to real-world problems
and projects to teach them the essential concepts of
a college-level curriculum
Career-technical studies: Provide more students
access to intellectually challenging career-technical
studies in high-demand fields that emphasize the
higher-level academic and problem-solving skills
needed in the workplace and in further education
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Work-based learning: Enable students and
their parents to choose from programs that
integrate challenging school studies and workbased learning and are planned by educators,
employers and students
Teachers working together: Provide crossdisciplinary teams of teachers time and support
to work together to help students succeed in
challenging academic and career/technical
studies
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Students actively engaged: Engage students in
academic and career-technical classrooms in
rigorous and challenging proficient-level
assignments using research-based instructional
strategies and technology
Guidance: Involve students and their parents in a
guidance and advisement system that develops
positive relationships and ensures completion of
an accelerated program of study with an academic
or career-technical concentration
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Extra help: Provide a structured system of
extra help to assist students in completing
accelerated programs of study with high-level
academic and technical content
Culture of continuous improvement: Use data
continually to improve school culture,
organization, management, curriculum and
instruction to advance student learning
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Feedback via student and teacher surveys
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Clinical and internship evaluations
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High expectations
Teachers working together
Students actively engaged
Guidance
Extra Help
Culture of continuous improvement
Program of study
Work-based learning
Advisory Committee feedback
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Academic studies
Career technical studies
Work-based learning
Culture of continuous improvement
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Certification exam and student placement data
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Academic studies
Career technical studies
Work-based learning
High expectations
Teachers working together
Students actively engaged
Guidance
Extra Help
Culture of continuous improvement
Program of study
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Model PBL in Professional Development
Develop an infographic of PBL
Provide evidence of 21st Century skills through
student work
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Model PBL instruction
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Provide a different approach to training
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Revision, feedback, mini sessions, formative assessment,
21st Century skills, project launch, flexibility
Interactive modeling of creating a project and utilizing
PBL
Create rubrics and supply examples
Create and revise individual and/or crosscurricular projects
Encourage active participation
Adjust to learner needs
Promote authentic audience relationships
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Create an infographic that reflects the focus
and the initiatives of your institution
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Celebrate examples of Critical Thinking,
Communication, Collaboration and Creativity &
Innovation in Student Work
Hydraulic Fracturing Project
 “My seniors have been working on PBL projects on
hydraulic fracturing and I opened it up for submission
today. Here's a video created by graphic design seniors.
It's far more amazing that I could have imagined and is
probably the most rewarding thing that I have
experienced so far as a teacher. They have given me
permission to share it publicly. I’m just stupid excited
and wanted to share it with someone.” – James Woda,
Social Studies Instructor CCTC
 Hydraulic Fracturing Project video
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Review Need to Know List
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Rigor
Collaboration
The Partnership Principles
 Teacher Leaders
 PLC
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District Initiatives
Essential Elements of PBL
Instructor Competency – OTES Rubric Categories
Student Achievement – HSTW Key Practices
Action Steps for PBL implementation
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www.bie.org
www.edutopia.org
www.hightechhigh.org
www.newtechhigh.org
www.ted.com
www.sreb.org
www.ode.gov
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the
lighting of a fire.
-William Butler Yeats