Blogs on Project-Based Learning

Editor's Note: Andrew Miller is a consultant for the Buck Institute for Education, an organization that specializes in project-based curriculum. He also creates curriculum and instruction at Giant Campus, which seeks to create 21st century learners using PBL in an online environment.

Let's be honest. Designing PBL for Math can be a different beast. With the pressure of high-stakes testing and a packed curriculum, I often coach teachers who are nervous about giving time to a robust PBL project. In addition, because of the plethora of math standards, it can be difficult to choose the right learning target(s) for the project. Here are some tips for teachers designing individual Math PBL projects.

Recently, I watched a team of ninth-graders share their vision for a city of the future. They had clearly done their research, investigating everything from the politics of ancient Athens to the principles of sustainable design in the 21st century.

I was talking with a group of teachers who are relatively new to project-based learning. Near the end of our conversation, one of them asked a question that took me by surprise: "When do we decide to quit?"

Whether you are a fan or a cynic, the film, "Waiting for Superman" has shone a welcome spotlight on the long time crisis in our public education system. What I believe is really at stake when considering that crisis is whether or not we give a generation of kids the opportunity to move out of poverty.