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Blogs on Project-Based Learning

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Practical PBL: The Ongoing Challenges of Assessment

Katie PiperSeptember 18, 2012

Tags Performance Assessment, Project-Based Learning, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

In recent years, most students in my project-based AP Government classes have indicated, in both class discussions and anonymously on surveys, that they prefer project-based learning to a more traditional classroom experience. They find PBL more fun and believe that it leads to deeper learning. However, two types of students often resist this model. Students of the first type generally do not enjoy school at all, and are looking for the path of least resistance. Because a PBL classroom is student-centered and calls on students to produce, less-motivated students will find it more difficult to "hide" and be left alone. The second type of student has already been very successful in traditional classrooms and is deterred by the challenges of this new model. These students are often highly motivated by grades, and worry that the project cycles will detract from direct content delivery.

Practical PBL: Four Tips for Better Implementation

Adrienne Curtis DickinsonSeptember 18, 2012

Tags Best Practices, Project-Based Learning, High (9-12)

Embarking on your first project-based learning unit is an exhilarating time full of big ideas and even bigger hopes about how this new avenue for teaching and learning will change your students' lives. As you begin to think about the intersection between the reality of your classroom and the promise of PBL, remember that PBL presents an authentic problem to the teacher, too!

Caine's Arcade & The Global Cardboard Challenge: Celebrating Imagination Around the World

Nirvan MullickSeptember 17, 2012

Tags Arts Education, Game-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, All Grades

Who could have imagined that a nine-year-old boy's cardboard arcade could spark a global wave of creativity? I sure didn't. All I thought I was doing was buying a door handle for my car.

Girls Launch Their Own High-Interest STEM Project -- into Space

Suzie BossSeptember 14, 2012

Tags Project-Based Learning, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), Science

When six middle-school girls from Bowling Green, Kentucky, got the wild idea to launch a camera into space, they knew there would be big challenges ahead. They would have to learn about everything from weather balloons to high-definition cameras, raise thousands of dollars to buy the gear they needed, and work together (with help from a few trusty adults) to address a host of technical challenges.

Practical PBL Series: Design an Instructional Unit in Seven Phases

Amber GraeberSeptember 11, 2012

Tags Best Practices, Curriculum, Performance Assessment, Project-Based Learning, High (9-12)

As a new teacher, I once believed that teaching and learning were one and the same. I taught, and the students learned. In creating a student-centered classroom, I began to embrace project-based learning. However, I did so in a very superficial way. I thought I had PBL nailed if my students did a presentation or poster at the end of an instructional unit. My room was full of student work. Anyone who walked in my room could see learning . . . or could they?

Current Events in the STEM Classroom: Mars Curiosity

Shawn CornallySeptember 11, 2012

Tags Best Practices, Curriculum, Project-Based Learning, Math, Science

This summer was quite literally a windfall for any teacher involved in educating students about STEM ideas. In one summer we were treated to the physics-laden Olympics, the engineering marvel of NASA's Mars Curiosity, and the statistically significant fingerprint of the Higgs Boson. It's little wonder why so many sources extol teaching STEM using current events in an attempt to generate relevancy in the classroom.

Video Resources for PBL and Deeper Learning

Bob LenzAugust 23, 2012

Tags Curriculum, Performance Assessment, Project-Based Learning, All Grades

I am excited to announce that Envision Schools is now Envision Education. Envision Education encompasses our schools division, with our four high-performing college prep schools in the Bay Area, as well as our consulting division, Envision Learning Partners, which is bringing professional development and coaching to schools and districts around the country.

How to Roll Out a 1:1 iPad Program

Jac de HaanAugust 15, 2012

Tags 1:1 Implementation, Classroom Technology, Mobile Learning, Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8)

When The Westside School decided to grow its established primary school into a leading middle school program, parents, teachers, students and administrators mapped out an integrated project-based learning environment designed to engage and challenge all participants. The planning team made a list of skills and tools that would support learning, and decided on a 1:1 iPad program to support their vision. I was brought on as technology coordinator to plan and support the curricular and technical deployment for the start of the 2011-12 school year.

Getting Started with Project-Based Learning (Hint: Don't Go Crazy)

Andrew MillerAugust 6, 2012

Tags Best Practices, Curriculum, New Teachers, Project-Based Learning, Teacher Development

Before the start of the school year, many of us want to use the remaining weeks of summer to learn some new skills -- such as project-based learning (PBL). One of the things we stress for new PBL practitioners is, as I say, "don't go crazy." It's easy to go "too big" when you first start PBL. I have heard from many teachers new to PBL that a large, eight-week integrated project was a mistake. So how do you start PBL in ways that will ensure your success as a learner and teacher? Here are a few tips to consider.

Whole-School Project Builds Pride

Suzie BossJuly 13, 2012

Tags Mentoring, Performance Assessment, Place-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, High (9-12), Oklahoma

In rural Howe, Oklahoma, home to about 700 people, the school has long been the heart of the community. Students from pre-K through high school all congregate on the same campus. Now, thanks to the creative efforts of high school students and their teachers, the campus will be getting a facelift that should make local pride shine even brighter.