Digital Age PBL

Can Immigrants Work? Great way to introduce an element of debate to 5th graders.

includes an element of art/creativity

At TeachThought, we're huge fans of project-based learning. While there is no magic bullet of practice, program, or framework that automatically produces progressive and effective learning, what makes project-based learning exceptional is its flexibility. As it is, first and foremost, simply a curriculum planning tool, so much other "good stuff" that can support learning (game-based learning, learning simulations, place-based education, self-directed learning, etc.)

Choosing an end product with project-based learning can be challenging due to the sheer number of possibilities. To encourage high-level products, it is benificial to know your students' interests and learning styles. We thought it would be helpful to some to jump start the creative process by listing a few project-based learning ideas that we've seen put into action.

I had the opportunity to go to a "PBL festival" at Trigg County, KY last year. This is a short newspaper article that shows that they are researching real world problems in their very own community.

first grade social studies PBL

Editor's Note:This post was co-authored by Lori Holm, a culinary arts and religion teacher at Loma Linda Academy in Loma Linda, California. Encouraged by recent educational research, more and more teachers are finding ways to integrate the arts into their curriculum.

This looks to be a good resource for K-12 inquiry-based projects that focus primarily on math and science (though there are connections to social studies and language arts). It is searchable by grade and subject.

On this page there are a variety of rubrics for evaluating PBL.

In this blog post, a high school teacher reflects on her experience with PBL.

The Teaching Channel has some powerful videos about Project Based learning.

I always find it helpful to watch instruction in action as I am trying to understand how the process works. The Teaching Channel has 16 videos on its site which are tagged as PBL. They cover a variety of topics.

Zoë Randall, Multi-Media, High Tech Middle Media Arts download pdf Students created digital stories about a defining moment, a message, or a lesson learned from their own lives or the life of someone they know. Through writing, storyboarding, and multiple cycles of critique, students developed their stories and hopefully discovered something new about themselves and others in the process.

While searching for PBL examples I came across this project that I think will be really useful in designing future PBL's in my Marketing class. It's on designing a magazine cover to attract target audiences!

What is It? Project-based learning is an instructional strategy in which students work cooperatively over time to create a product, presentation, or performance. The two essential components of project-based learning are an engaging and motivating question and a product that meaningfully addresses that question.

This article from BIE explains what makes a gold standard Project Design. Because so many teachers have adopted PBL, the Buck Institute decided to define a specific standard for PBL because many projects have been substandard.

These handouts are a good resource for teachers that are interested in implementing PBL.

Title Get Your Heads In the Clouds! Project Idea

Title How Does Physical Geography Influence Your Life? Project Idea: The physical geography of a location has a significant impact on the people living there. Entry Event: West Virginia governor Joe Manchin wants you to help create a series of vodcasts about West Virginia for a new website called "LearnWV."

"PBL Helps Students Develop Skills for Living in a Knowledge-Based, Highly Technological Society"