Group items tagged

Regardless of what social and emotional learning (SEL), character development, or any other related program you might use in your school, two things are true: They have a problem-solving component, and generalization is greatly enhanced when what is being taught as SEL/character is also integrated into the rest of the school day. Because of the importance of language arts skills, reading activities provide an ideal way to build students' problem-solving skills by applying them to deepen their insights into the written materials.

When we think of project-based learning we think about things like collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, and Creativity Fluency. But what about what about things such as committment, trust, and relationship building? It's all part of one Texas high school's vision to bring PBL to every student at every grade level. This Edutopia article by Mariko Nobori has more.

"Traditional American classrooms tend to fit a particular mold: Students face the front of the class where teachers lecture. Students take notes, finish assignments at home, and hope to memorize enough information just long enough to pass a test. Engagement and passion are often in short supply - among students and teachers. The system does not necessarily accommodate all learning styles, and even those who fair well may be missing out on other important work-life lessons, like how to creatively solve problems, stay focused, work as part of a team, and organize their thoughts in a way others will understand. This is where project-based learning enters the equation."

These "recipe cards" for Project/Problem Based Learning are intended for teachers to use with K12 students in groups, as well as individual students. Each card creates student learning categorized as TimeTravelers, Artists & Inventors, Historian Challenges, StoryTellers, ProblemSolvers, Scientist Challenges, Career & Tech Ed. The cards are meant to help teachers integrate core content and deeply embed creativity, problem-solving, and collaborative learning in each student, with or without the use of technology tools. The core content pieces are the basic ingredients with which teachers can cook delicious content for their hungry learners. Teachers are able to customize the driving questions in each of the content areas to fit the unique needs of their learners. The cards guide teachers through the basic steps of the project, with ideas and suggestions for best practice. The tips & tricks help establish a safe and respectful learning environment every single day of the year.

When people ask about the inspiration for our style of videos, I often say that our videos reflect the way that I wish I had learned in school. My learning style wasn't a good match for the way I was taught. Recently we completed a custom video project with the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) that focuses on a Project Based Learning or "PBL", and boy did it open my eyes. I can now see that I needed teachers who put PBL to work. I needed to get up from my desk and engage. I needed to work on a real-world issue and use creativity and problem solving - what are known as 21st century skills these days. This video is an introduction to PBL and how it impacted a science teacher's students and helped their community.

Strategies and techniques are provided for integrating podcasts lessons to promote the benefits of greater student engagement and alternative assessment.