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Great resources for planned and executing project-based learning in your school: "According to Edutopia, studies have shown that students who use project-based learning remember the material much longer and have healthier attitudes toward education. "Project-based learning is based on the idea that students learn best by tackling and solving real world problems. Students are much more engaged with the subject matter and look to the teacher as more of a coach who guides them through their own reflections and ideas. Project-based learning often involves students working in pairs or groups, thus facilitating a deeper understanding of cooperation and communication in solving problems."

"A project based learning method is a comprehensive approach to instruction. Your students participate in projects and practice an interdisciplinary array of skills from math, language arts, fine arts, geography, science, and technology. .... "To help you start using PBL, we've created age-appropriate, customizable project checklists for written reports, multimedia projects, oral presentations, and science projects. The use of these checklists keeps students on track and allows them to take responsibility for their own learning through peer- and self-evaluation. " This site contains numerous rubric starter templates for each of the grades and for a wide-variety of topics. A way to get started.

"I'd rather see what students create to express their answer to a driving question than just read a summary of the project. I can find loads project ideas and descriptions online, but it's much harder to find quality end products by students. " This blog is a set of projects demonstrated by the student end projects, organized by grade level. Excellent examples of how PBL can work.

10 factors that stimulate success in student project-based learning, based on a class participating in a 3-week project at Manor H.S. "Manor New Technology High School in Manor, Texas, is a 100 percent project-based learning school. They are part of the New Tech Network of schools and their approach has yielded remarkable results, including a 98 percent graduation rate, with all of their graduates accepted to college."

"You'll find all the resources you need to design and manage high quality projects for middle and high school students." Lern how to design a project with 21st century skills; search for projects made by others; learn strategies for online teaching and learning; review research and find Web resources.

"Project learning, also known as project-based learning, is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges, simultaneously developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups. Because project-based learning is filled with active and engaged learning, it inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. Research also indicates that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning. In addition, students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work."

"Building bridges for the future through collaborative projects" This site is a huge collection of inter-related blogs, videos of collaborative student projects, likes to wikis, Twitter and Skype pals, etc., etc.--open the box and start devouring the candy! Based on Tom Friedman's concept, "the world is flat," this is the place to find help with teaching, display your students' work, discuss issues and projects, et al.

"What if a project mattered outside the classroom? What if we did something real?" An important example of how project-based learning can create something "real" and useful to others. Very fully described so that it could be a model for similar types of real projects.

"What if a project mattered outside the classroom? What if we did something real?" An important example of how project-based learning can create something "real" and useful to others. Very fully described so that it could be a model for similar types of real projects.

This set of questions is very inclusive and should help you creative good projects. The questions are conveniently categorized as "simple," "basic," etc. through "complex," so you can choose whether to do a quick survey of your planning or a thorough scan, perhaps for a more long-term project. These questions would also be useful for content-based learning.

"Providing your students with a public audience is not only a critical part of the project-based learning process, but it's also a great strategy for building authenticity into assignments to create work that matters. We often leverage our students' parents and guardians in this process because 1) they are easily accessible, and 2) they are our partners in their children's learning plans. Why not then continue and build this partnership in PBL? John Larmer wrote a great blog about how to build parent support for PBL, and one of the best ways he mentions is to keep them involved in the PBL project you launch in your classroom. Here are some strategies to consider as you leverage parents for your next PBL project."

A nice collection of site with Project-based ideas -- "awesome, engaging, rigorous, and relevant projects." Hundreds of lesson plans and over 30 websites with examples, rubrics, templates, etc., for language arts, science, math, and social studies. Great resource blog.

"Edutopia's curated compilation of online resources for understanding and beginning to implement project-based learning." A great list of resources to define and clarify what PBL is, examples of projects, and tips from teachers who use PBL.

A good explanation of students' (and teachers') common misconceptions about projects and project-based learning, with examples of ways to overcome them.

"Freelancers, small business owners, college students and family members have found that the Internet has made it easier to work from home, collaborate on group projects, and share important files and links. This list of web tools is ideal for anyone working on a group project, whether you're looking for task management support, scheduling and calendar organization, or just a place to collect all your materials and brainstorms." These tools may be of more use to teachers than students, and you will need to try them out individually, although there are short snips of information about each one.

"The goal of the Rich Internet Applications project is to create tools that are informed by language acquisition research, and engage language learners in active learning. "Using our Rich Internet Applications toolset, incorporating speaking and listening into your language class is easier and more flexible than ever! The tools can be used in many different ways: for in-class activities, student projects, homework, or assessment. Because they are tools, not completed materials, they will work with your textbook, language, and level. RIA is a way to help you easily integrate technology into your language class. "The programs are free to use. The project is funded by a US Department of Education grant, and managed by the Center for Language Education And Research at Michigan State University." These applications run in your browser and require only Flash player. Well worth exploring and free.

This is an example of what would be a great project for students using the rich capabilities of Diigo. Here the author used the slideshow of sites feature of Diigo to create a show with pictures of graffiti. This project could be done internationally, as here in the example, or with students taking pictures of local graffiti and writing comments about them in their blogs to eventually produce a team-made project about their local surroundings.

"The Google Art Project puts some of the most important art museums, and their collections, online with amazing features, including being able to create your own art collection. I've embedded a very short video from the site that shows what it can do - I can't do justice to it just with words. I'm adding it to The Best Ways For Students To Create Their Own Online Art Collections." Really neat for content-based or project-based learning.

The Virtual Schoolhouse is a compendium of project-based learning practices from across the country. We invite you to explore the site and discover both the principles behind project-based learning, as well as the work of teachers and students who are making project-based learning happen in the classroom.

"Mathtrain.TV is a free, educational "kids teaching kids" project from Mr. Marcos & his Students at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, CA." Thousands of videos created by high school students to teach each other. RSS subscription to keep up with updates. This is so far a 7-year project. It would be a good project display point for students as well as a learning tool.