Project learning can inspire the best of high-performance teamwork, or it can be devolve into unfocused chaos. How can we support each other to keep our eye on the prize? Share your project ideas, questions, and implementation experiences.
Your favorite PBL curriculum resources?
Seeking PBL resources: Rigorous project-based learning for core subject matter and critical 21st century skills (such as self-directed learning, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking).
What are your favorite sources for PBL curriculum?
Thanks!
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PBL Resources that came in via Twitter
We put this question out to Twitter and one person recommended The PBL starter kit by Buck Institute - http://www.bie.org/tools/toolkit/starter
BIE
I used BIE in my teaching position and I loved their project planning form. Here's a link to it: http://www.us.iearn.org/professional_development/multimedia/envision/BIE...
I used it to help me plan out every PBL project I did!
webquests
I believe webquests are a form of PBL. Here is a site that I have used over and over again in my classroom, in my research and in my curriculum development job.
http://webquest.org/index.php
[quote]We put this question out to Twitter and one person recommended The PBL starter kit by Buck Institute - http://www.bie.org/tools/toolkit/starter[/quote]
The Buck Institute is amazing!
Project Based Learning
My favorite project based learning curriculums have been based on LEGO Robotics. Not only are the kids using math, science and engineering techniques in a way to show real results, they have also come up with ways to help their communities. They are writing reports and increasing their communication skills while learning to work as a member of a team. Every time I get the chance to teach one of these classes I'm amazed at the change in their ability to start thinking intelligently. WE have been able to incorporate history and research techniques as well as literature into these classes. It has been as much as a blast for me as it has been for the students!
Games and Robots
I have just begun teaching Engineering, and it's all VEX Autodesk robotics. Very fun, very effective!
In addition, I've done Game Programming for years. You can start with Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) or Alice (alice.org), but when I teach real programming with code, I move up to Greenfoot (greenfoot.org) but most recently have moved back over to Flash Actionscript. I hope to join forces with Social Studies and Language Arts to make games with them in a 3-hour block next year.
Place for Ideas and site for PBL management
A few links that are push beyond teacher-directed projects, but I think that's a good thing :)
- http://www.NEXT.cc
- http://www.Instructables.com (smaller more prescriptive project ideas)
- http://www.projectfoundry.org
Two Suggestions
Check out the PBL site at the University of Delaware website. And check out the wealth of material on the website www.asee.com.
Some Resources
You might consider this textbook: Teaching Science to Children: A Project-Based Science Approach. Krajcik, J. & Czerniak, C. M. (2007). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Middle school PBS curriculum is also being developed by It's About Time Publishers
This web site is also very good: http://know.umich.edu/
where are LEGO projects?
My son loves LEGO and my first inspirational teacher was a middle school teacher who used LEGO for fantastic projects with high student enthusiasm. Do you know where any examples are shown or posted?