Project Based Learning By: Kathleen Gunn

Essential Elements

Significant Content 21st Century Skills The project is derived from standards and key concepts at the heart of academic content areas. The project is focused on teaching students important knowledge and skills. 21st Century Skills Students build skills valuable for today’s world. Examples include critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, and communication. These skills are taught and assessed.

In-depth Inquiry Driving Question Students are engaged in a rigorous, extended process. The process includes asking questions, using resources, and developing answers. Driving Question Project work is focused by an open-ended question. Students explore the question or the question captures the task they are completing.

Need to Know Voice and Choice Students see the need to gain knowledge, understand concepts, and apply skills in order to create project products. The beginning starts with an Entry Event that generates interest and curiosity. Voice and Choice Students are allowed to make choices about the products to be created, how they work, and how they use their time. Choices are guided by the teacher and depend on age level and PBL experience.

Critique and Revision Remember Public Audience The project includes processes for students to give and receive feedback on the quality of their work. This leads students to make revisions or conduct further inquiry. Public Audience Students present their work to other people. “Other people” means beyond their teacher and classmates. Remember Whatever form a project takes, it must have these essential elements to be Project Based Learning.

Selecting Content Standards & 21st Century Skills for your First Project

Selecting Content Standards for your 1st Project Choose 1-3 standards depending on how specifically they are written. Trying to include too many standards may mean you can’t teach or assess them well. Go for the “Power Standards”. These standards are the most important for your students determined by the teacher, or your school, district, and/or state. Aligned with higher frequency items found on state and district standardized tests. Examples: Your state test has 10% of its items about the scientific method 5 out of 20 questions on your district’s U.S. History assessment are about the Cold War period, these are considered “Power Standards”.

Selecting 21st Century Skills for your 1st Project Only explicitly teach and assess two 21st century skills Collaboration Presentation Design and manage the project to encourage critical thinking and problem solving. Don’t try to explicitly teach and assess it because it’s complicated-save it for later in your PBL career.

Grading PBL Work

Authors’ Recommendations for Grading Assign a grade or score to each product or performance in the project instead of 1 overall grade. This allows for strengths and weaknesses to be evident Gives students specific and timely feedback Easier to explain later if your asked about a grade

Additional Grading Recommendations Include a mix of individual grades and group grades in every project, and record them separately. Play it safe by giving more weight to individual grades. It’s more fair to a strong student who may be placed in a weak group. Save you from answering “Why is my grade based on what other people did?” Separate grades for demonstrating 21st century skills from subject matter grades. Both categories can receive appropriate weight. Raise the importance of 21st century skills in the minds of students and parents.

Phase Two

Phase Two: Step by Step 1. Present students with the Driving Question Let them discuss it, wonder and share thoughts about it, and brainstorm additional questions that explore various aspects of it. 2. Analyze the task(s) required in the project. Tell students about the culminating products and presentations. Ask students to identify exactly what they need to do to reach that goal. Ask students to identify the skills and knowledge that they will need.

Continue: Step by Step 3. Identify resources Ask students to contribute ideas Tell them what they can expect to be provided by you. 4. Explain some of the details Showing students the Project Calendar Contains due dates, checkpoints, and major events. Making sure students understand the rubric(s) and other assessment and grading details. Letting students know who they will be working with. Explaining how project work will organized Include how daily and weekly work will be monitored.

Continue: Step by Step 5. Have students meet in their groups Doing a team-builder or icebreaker activity Discussing and completing their Group Contract or other set of expectations and commitments. Brainstorming a list of ideas and/or creating a concept map Should be about the topic, task, and/or Driving Question. Begin managing their project work Start by creating an initial list of tasks to be done, by whom, by when, and an initial plan for gathering resources and doing research.

Summary of Phase Two Generate student questions and ideas Familiarize students with the requirements of the project Get them to work

References Lamar, J. (2009). PBL starter kit. Novato, CA: Buck Institute for Education.