Digital Age PBL

Here's a great project that I found in my search of PBL units. I really took to this particular project because it has to do with the CTE field, and the department I am in has worked closely with district CTE specialists in the development of a relatively new Computer Essentials course that all 7th graders in our district must complete. I would like to develop a PBL unit for that course that teachers could use, if they wished to do so, and this project gave me some great ideas!

This checklist of criteria to be Gold Standard PBL is very helpful in evaluating ALL teaching, not just projects.

This very short summary would be a valuable resource to share with teachers who are reluctant to consider project-based learning. It addresses some of the concerns teachers may have about PBL, including student learning of content knowledge, student engagement and motivation, and outcomes with at-risk learners.

This is a case study of a school that used PBL to help a group of at-risk ninth graders.

In researching the differences between problem and project based learning I found this article about inquiry based learning that was somewhere in between. I believe that inquiry based learning is a stepping stool to project based learning and this was an easy read with good definitions.

PBL project examples

by Derek Bruff, CFT Assistant Director Back in November I attended the 30th annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching at Miami University in Ohio. I thought I'd share some session highlights with my Vanderbilt colleagues. Here's the third in a series of posts about the conference.

At its core, PBL is focused on important knowledge and concepts derived from standards, and skills valuable for today's world, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.

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

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.

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."