A Presentation for OACTE PACE and USO/TDN Spring Conference: Faculty and Instruction April 22, 2015 Project Based Learning Implementation: Academic Rigor and Collaboration Produce Instructor Competency and Student Achievement Andrea Zaph, MA Ed., MT(ASCP) – Academic Supervisor

 Collins Career Center was awarded the Problem/Project Based Learning (PBL)Center of Excellence Grant from the Ohio Association of Career Technical Superintendents  The grant was designed to establish three centers of excellence for PBL in the state of Ohio  Collins Career Center was designated as the recipient of the grant for the southeastern region of the state

 Incorporates an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge  Includes significant content, 21 st century competencies, in-depth inquiry, driving question, need to know, voice and choice, critique and revision, and a public audience  Utilizes rigorous projects that are planned, managed, and assessed to help students learn key academic content, practice 21st Century Skills, and create authentic products & presentations

 Teacher collaboration  Students use inquiry and become life long learners  Students gain deeper understanding through real world application  Students take ownership of learning  Drives student engagement  Builds student - teacher relationships  Classroom management  Increases attendance

 PBL professional development for staff and administrators  All program and academic teachers have written and/or participated in PBL projects  Ongoing support to minimize initiative fatigue  Helping staff become comfortable with the relationships and connections among multiple initiatives (PBL, OTES, HSTW Key Practices and other local initiatives)

 Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)  4 teams meet monthly for one hour to collaborate on PBL, professional growth, resident educator requirements, and new teacher induction  Team Leaders are PBL Team members, RE Mentors and Induction Team (now absorbed into the PLC) members  Team Leaders are a diverse group of program and academic teachers – Math, Science, Social Studies, Auto Technology, Health Occupations, Cosmetology and Career Based Intervention  PBL Team members have received extensive training from the Buck Institute for Education  RE Mentors complete state provided training  Induction Team members receive mentorship training

How can a school effectively implement PBL to produce instructor competency and student achievement through the use of academic rigor and collaboration?

 Rigor  Collaboration  The Partnership Principles  Teacher Leaders  PLC  Essential Elements of PBL  Instructor Competency  Student Achievement  Action Steps for PBL implementation

 Creates an environment in which students are expected to learn at high levels and are supported so they have the ability to demonstrate learning at high levels  Involves literacy with high level reading and comprehension  Utilizes written deliverables that are authentic products used in the field  Uses math concepts for data analysis and to communicate quantifiable information to specific audiences  Supports scientific research skills necessary to prepare for and participate in post-secondary education

 Working together to complete a task or achieve a shared goal

 Equality through teacher leaders as coaches  Choice in how it's done  Reflection  Voice  Dialogue  Product  Two way communication

 Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP) Teams  Each team co-led by academic and program teachers

 Combine teams of individuals with a similar interest to achieve a common goal  Grade level, department specific, district-wide  Adhere to core principles to avoid “flavor of the month” syndrome  Ensure that students learn  Learn what?  Assess how?  React to difficulty?  Create a culture of collaboration  Remove barriers  Focus on results  Continuous improvement

 Significant Content - At its core, the project is focused on teaching students important knowledge and skills, derived from standards and key concepts at the heart of academic subjects

 21st century competencies - Students build competencies valuable for today’s world, such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity/innovation, which are explicitly taught and assessed

 Inquiry & Innovation - Students are engaged in an extended, rigorous process of asking questions, using resources, and developing answers

 Driving Question - Project work is focused by an open-ended question that students understand and find intriguing, which captures their task or frames their exploration

 Need to Know - Students see the need to gain knowledge, understand concepts, and apply skills in order to answer the Driving Question and create project products, beginning with an Entry Event that generates interest and curiosity

 Voice and Choice - Students are allowed to make some choices about the products to be created, how they work, and how they use their time, guided by the teacher and depending on age level and PBL experience

 Critique and Revision - The project includes processes for students to give and receive feedback on the quality of their work, leading them to make revisions or conduct further inquiry

 Public Audience - Students present their work to other people, beyond their classmates and teacher

 Instructional Planning  Focus for Learning  Measurable goals aligned with standards  Assessment Data  Uses data to purposely plan and differentiate assessment based on needs, abilities and learning styles  Prior Content Knowledge/ Sequence/ Connections  Uses multiple sources to identify prior knowledge to sequence and connect learning and instruction  Knowledge of Students  Meets the needs of individual and groups of students

 Instruction and Assessment  Lesson Delivery  Explains information well and anticipates confusion  Differentiation  Matches strategies, materials, and pacing to individual needs  Resources  Aligns and varies resources  Classroom Environment  Positive rapport, effective communication, established routines, seamless transitions, student led classroom management

 Assessment of Student Learning  Uses assessment data to identify strengths and needs to modify and differentiate instruction and assessment, continually monitors and adjusts with a variety of methods, provides timely feedback and time for revision  Professionalism  Professional Responsibilities  Communicates and collaborates effectively, meets ethical and professional responsibilities, sets and modifies short and long term goals based on self- assessment and student performance data

 High Expectations: Integrate high expectations into classroom practices and provide frequent feedback to motivate students to meet higher standards  Program of study : Require each student to complete an upgraded academic core and a rigorous technical concentration

 Academic studies : Encourage students to apply academic content and skills to real-world problems and projects to teach them the essential concepts of a college-level curriculum  Career-technical studies : Provide more students access to intellectually challenging career-technical studies in high-demand fields that emphasize the higher-level academic and problem-solving skills needed in the workplace and in further education

 Work-based learning : Enable students and their parents to choose from programs that integrate challenging school studies and work- based learning and are planned by educators, employers and students  Teachers working together : Provide cross- disciplinary teams of teachers time and support to work together to help students succeed in challenging academic and career/technical studies

 Students actively engaged : Engage students in academic and career-technical classrooms in rigorous and challenging proficient-level assignments using research-based instructional strategies and technology  Guidance : Involve students and their parents in a guidance and advisement system that develops positive relationships and ensures completion of an accelerated program of study with an academic or career-technical concentration

 Extra help : Provide a structured system of extra help to assist students in completing accelerated programs of study with high-level academic and technical content  Culture of continuous improvement : Use data continually to improve school culture, organization, management, curriculum and instruction to advance student learning

 Feedback via student and teacher surveys  High expectations  Teachers working together  Students actively engaged  Guidance  Extra Help  Culture of continuous improvement  Clinical and internship evaluations  Program of study  Work-based learning  Advisory Committee feedback  Academic studies  Career technical studies  Work-based learning  Culture of continuous improvement

 Certification exam and student placement data  Academic studies  Career technical studies  Work-based learning  High expectations  Teachers working together  Students actively engaged  Guidance  Extra Help  Culture of continuous improvement  Program of study

 Model PBL in Professional Development  Develop an infographic of PBL  Provide evidence of 21 st Century skills through student work

Model PBL instruction Revision, feedback, mini sessions, formative assessment, 21 st Century skills, project launch, flexibility Provide a different approach to training Interactive modeling of creating a project and utilizing PBL Create rubrics and supply examples Create and revise individual and/or cross- curricular projects Encourage active participation Adjust to learner needs Promote authentic audience relationships

 Create an infographic that reflects the focus and the initiatives of your institution

 Celebrate examples of Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity & Innovation in Student Work  Hydraulic Fracturing Project  “My seniors have been working on PBL projects on hydraulic fracturing and I opened it up for submission today. Here's a video created by graphic design seniors. It's far more amazing that I could have imagined and is probably the most rewarding thing that I have experienced so far as a teacher. They have given me permission to share it publicly. I’m just stupid excited and wanted to share it with someone.” – James Woda, Social Studies Instructor CCTC  Hydraulic Fracturing Project video Hydraulic Fracturing Project video

 Review Need to Know List

 Rigor  Collaboration  The Partnership Principles  Teacher Leaders  PLC  Essential Elements of PBL  Instructor Competency  Student Achievement  Action Steps for PBL implementation

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