As the sole representative (as far as I could tell!) of the United Kingdom at PBL world 2014, I
thought it vital to communicate some of the key learning from day 1 to all the
practitioners out there currently in the process of planning projects for
2014-15 or looking to experiment with PBL in their own classrooms.
Day 1
Today kicked off with a hilarious little skit from the students of
Katherine Smith Elementary School who outlined (with real comedic genius) some
of the major advantages of Project Based Learning. The confidence and clarity
of communication these students showed really confirmed why I had signed up to
this conference. However, I was about to be further inspired.
“PBL is not just for the
wealthy”
Nothing can prepare anyone for Steven Ritz live. Like most PBL
advocates worldwide I had watched the TED talk and been blown away, live
however Ritz’s enthusiasm is infectious. He really is ‘the oldest sixth grader
you will meet’.
The impact Ritz has had on his students through community
oriented PBL in the South Bronx is really jaw dropping. A project that began
with the planting of a single seed has turned into a social enterprise that has
transformed the physical appearance of the South Bronx, reduced the dropout
rate in his class to 0%, increased the graduation rate from 30 to 100%, ensured that 100%
of his kids have progressed onto college courses and fed his school (and community) with healthy home-grown food. Many are also earning a living wage
managing the projects started in his classroom. Now that ladies and gentlemen, is an authentic project.
Ritzs' passionate belief that students “... should not have to leave the
community they live in to live, learn and earn in a ‘better’ one” will strike a
chord with all educators who work in challenging circumstances. However, it is
his incredibly positive ‘glass 100% full’ attitude that has been instrumental
in achieving what he has in a community that many have written off. Most people
filed out to workshops a) smiling b) muttering one of his many catchphrases: YES WE CAN!
I would encourage everyone,
PBL advocate or not to check out his remarkable achievements by going watching this clip & taking a look at Green Bronx Machine.
Workshop time: PBL 101 Key Learning
from Day 1
As you can see from the picture below, we started with plenty of questions ("need to knows"), but here are 3 things I took away from day 1 of PBL 101.
1. PBL must be the ‘main
course and not the dessert’
This will be a familiar phrase to anyone who has been to a PBL
Professional Development session but still an incredibly important one. A PBL
project is not a board game at the
end of a unit on the digestive system, a poster at the end of a scheme of
traditional lessons on algebra or a model of a Catholic mission after a social studies
unit on the history of California. Sure, these are “projects” but they are not
PBL projects.
A PBL project is the main course. That is, the learning takes place through the completion of the project. It is engaging, but also rigorous as the curriculum content and 21st Century competencies are learned through the completion of the project.
2. Effective projects have 8 essential elements
1.
Public Audience
2.
In-Depth Inquiry
3.
Driving Question
4.
Significant Content
5.
21st Century
Competencies
6.
Critique & Revision
7.
Voice & Choice
8.
Need to know
Used by many schools across the states, these 8 elements will be
present in every effective PBL project to some degree.
One vital component of this checklist is the explicit teaching and assessment of 21st Century skills. If we are to expect our students to develop the competencies needed for success in the wider world, we need to teach them and check that they are making progress. This is often done by building in opportunities for students to pause and reflect on their learning (not just their academic progress).
I had a fascinating discussion with two teachers, reaching the conclusion that building in time to teach and assess these competencies had a number of benefits:
a) Preparation for life beyond the classroom - i.e. Students will be better prepared for university and employment if these skills are taught and assessed.
b) "Positive spillover" - students take the competencies learned and developed through the project and apply these in other subject areas and in more 'traditional' learning scenarios in the future.
c) "Metacognitive awareness" - through the focus on process and not just outcome, we can develop students who are aware of how they learn and therefore become more effective learners.
3. Designing an effective
Driving Question
The Driving Question (or "DQ") is a vital part of the planning process that can be the difference between a rigorous and engaging project and one that falls flat. An effective DQ will:
a) Capture the projects main focus
b) Be open ended to allow students to develop more than one (often complex) answer
c) Be inspiring, understood and often remembered by students
d) Ensure that through answering the DQ students will have to acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding that will be learned through the project.
For more tips on effective DQ's check out these resources:
So there you go! A full and inspirational day 1 at #PBLworld.
More news tomorrow!
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