Project Based Learning to Enhance 21 st Century Skills Philadelphia Academies, Inc NAF Conference July 13, 2010

Opening Activity Constructivist Protocol National School Reform Faculty OBJECTIVE: To gain a deeper understanding of what a student who is prepared for post-secondary opportunities looks like

Individual Brainstorm Think of a student that you saw graduate and knew would be successful either in college or the workforce

Guiding Questions What about that student (what characteristics) made him/her seem likely to be successful? Did he/she have the support of mentors/peers/teachers? What did that look like? Did he/she tend to work alone or with other people? Was it hard for him/her to reach success? Easy? Risky? Safe? What motivated him/her to do well?

Small Group Share Out Each person should share out about their student Group members are allowed to ask clarifying questions After everyone has shared, group should compile list of characteristics, based on the guiding questions, that describe: High School Graduate Prepared to Go to College or Into Workforce

Full Group Share Out What do we see? Any surprises? Do all of our students look this way? Why or why not? What does this mean for our work as practitioners in a school?

PAI Discovery: 21 st Century Skills

21 st Century Skills Basic Knowledge English language (spoken) Reading comprehension (English) Writing in English Mathematics & Science Government & Economics Humanities/Arts Foreign Languages History/Geography

21 st Century Skills Applied Skills Critical thinking Oral Communications Written Communications Teamwork/ Collaboration Diversity Info. Tech. Application Leadership Creativity/ Innovation Lifelong Learning Professionalism Ethics/Social Responsibility

Project Based Learning Orange Activity In your group, come up with as many different lessons as possible that you could teach with your item. What did you come up with? What 21 st Century Skills are developed during this lesson?

The Student Learning Problem 21 st Century Skills were not being emphasized in schools.

Our Solution Project Based Learning British Math Study in 1997 Three times as many students in the PBL school received the top grade on the national math exam Challenge 2000 Study found increased student engagement, greater responsibility for learning, increased peer collaboration, and greater achievement gains by students labeled “low level learners.”

How Do I… Teachers interested in the skills, but concerned about how they could be implemented within the constraints of the core curriculum.

Why Ford PAS? “Learning Pillars” = 21 st Century Skills Academically rigorous Standards-based Collaborative Project-and-inquiry based Modules available online, free of cost Technical assistance hubs around the country can offer PD and support with integration

Experiencing Ford PAS: Making Product Decisions Acme Soft Drink Company

About the company… Product Distribution: Acme Soft Drinks are available in the United States, Europe, Japan, and China Current Products: Retro Root Beer, Super Orange Fizz, Extreme Cola Number of Employees: 1,000 worldwide Manufacturing Plants: One in Iowa, one in Georgia, and several other plants around the world Consumer Base: Young adults between the ages of 14 and 26 Acme Soft Drink Company is a medium-sized soft-drink maker with a strong presence in both the United States and several other countries. Acme is unusual among soft-drink manufacturers in that it makes both soft drinks and their containers (aluminum cans).The company sells three soft drinks, of which its cola is the most popular, but it is thinking of expanding its product line. Acme Soft Drink Company is a medium-sized soft-drink maker with a strong presence in both the United States and several other countries. Acme is unusual among soft-drink manufacturers in that it makes both soft drinks and their containers (aluminum cans).The company sells three soft drinks, of which its cola is the most popular, but it is thinking of expanding its product line.

The Problem!! Acme wants to expand its line by developing a new brand of soft drink for the U.S. market. The company is thinking about a lemon-lime-flavored soft drink. Competition with other brands will be stiff, so its product will have to meet customer needs and be favorably priced. This new soft drink will also need an aggressive marketing campaign. Many different departments at Acme will be involved in the development, production, and marketing of this new product, and they all have different concerns. How can Acme develop a new soft drink that will satisfy everyone and make a profit for the company?

Your Job Acme is planning to hold a company-wide meeting to decide on a strategy for producing the new soft drink. Acme has asked members from the following teams to come up with a Soft Drink Production Plan to share with the company. Corporate Citizenship Finance Marketing and Sales Production Departments

The Process Work in small groups, by department Corporate Citizenship Finance Marketing and Sales Production Departments Select one representative from your department This person will represent your department in a company- wide meeting to make decisions about Acme Soft Drink Company Company Meeting

The Company Meeting What is Acme’s soft drink release date? What is the cost of the product? What is the marketing strategy and cost? How many milligrams of caffeine per 12 Oz.? What Acme Soft Drink Company use for packaging materials? What is the packaging design (such as 20 oz wide mouth) At which plant will the product will be manufactured? It’s decision time….

Reflection Decision-making process: Did one department have more influence over the decision making process than the others? Were there some goals that took precedence over others? If so, why do you think that happened? Learning from Teamwork: How did teamwork aspect deepen and/or support your learning? Challenges of Teamwork: What are the challenges of working in a team? What are some strategies to overcome the challenges of teamwork in the classroom/with colleagues? Making the Connection: How does this type of learning relate to how tasks are accomplished in your practice?

Resources Philadelphia Academies, Inc.: Partnership for 21 st Century Skills: National School Reform Faculty: Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies:

Contacts for Further Information Jennifer Cardoso, Manager of Post-Secondary and Academic Supports: Michael Hoch, Site Facilitator: Kate Balliet, Site Facilitator: