Project Based Learning

An Overview Developed by

Teachers and Trainers inWalton County, Florida

Table of Contents Introduction Creating the Driving Question Creating Assessments Mapping the Project Monitoring and Managing the Process Reflecting Glossary Resources Bibliography

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What is Project Based Learning (PBL)?

PBL is a comprehensive instructional model in which project work is central to student understanding of the essential concepts and principles of the disciplines. Well designed PBL units:

Engage and build on student interests and passions Allow for a variety of learning styles Provide a meaningful and authentic context for learning Immerse students in complex, real-world problems/ investigations

without a predetermined solution Allow students to take the lead, making critical choices and decisions Connect students with community resources and experts Require students to develop and demonstrate essential skills and

knowledge Draw on multiple disciplines to solve problems and deepen

understanding Build in opportunities for reflection and self-assessment Result in useful products that demonstrate what students have learned Culminate in exhibitions or presentations to an authentic audience

Projects vs Project Based Learning

Projects PBL

Teacher-directed Student basedKnowledge transmission Knowledge constructionExtrinsic motivation Intrinsic motivationHighly-structured Open-endedSummative FormativeGroup Work Cooperative/CollaborationThematic Driving question/challengeFun EngagingAnswer giving Solution FindingDe-contextualized – School world Contextualized – Real world

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Designing Your Project

Project planning is organized according to five design principles:

www.pbl-online.org/pathway2htmlOn-line tutorial for creating a project

Begin with the End in Mind

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Project Based Learning is a powerful but challenging instructional method that requires vision, structure, and a solid understanding of the learning process. Good projects do not occur by accident. They result from rigorous up front planning that includes thoughtful outcomes, performance assessments, and authentic learning activities.

By beginning with the end in mind - you will improve your ability to plan projects, as well as communicate the purpose and context of a project to your students. Students who understand the meaning of what they are learning retain more information and apply their knowledge more skillfully, and feel more motivated to achieve.

Six Steps to Help You Begin Planning

1. Develop a Project Idea – (also known as a “Big Idea”):

Work backward from a topic. Use your standards. Find projects and ideas on the Web. Map your community. Match what people do in their daily work. Tie projects to local and national events. Focus on community service.

2. Decide the scope of the project

Often projects involve field research, interviews, library visits, and community inquiry. Decisions on the scope of activities in the project should be made before the project begins and should be based on students' experience and readiness, the school schedule, the subject, and your level of comfort and expertise.   Small Project Ambitious Project

Duration Five to ten days Most of the semester Breadth One topic

One standard Multiple disciplinesMultiple standards

Technology Limited ExtensiveOutreach Classroom-based Community-basedPartnership One teacher Multiple teachers and

community members Audience Classroom or school Expert panel

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Another consideration when planning your project’s scope is Student Autonomy, which is a hallmark of PBL. Most teachers introduce student autonomy in stages, depending upon students’ age and experience. Some teachers plan and schedule products and activities for students to accomplish as planned, others allow for students to self-design and direct their projects.

3. Select Standards – In PBL, the key questions is: what do you want your students to know and be able to do? Your answers will come from your state’s standards. Identify the key standards that you believe may be best met by project-based instruction. No more than three standards per subject per project are best, as the difficulty of assessing a myriad of standards in a project can be difficult. Work backward from your Project Idea and Products to correlate with the standards you need to teach. Be clear about which standards will be assessed in the project, and how the products will give all students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

And don’t forget Literacy as a core standard in your project. Including at least one literacy outcome, where you can assess writing, speaking, or reading strategies is recommended for projects. 4. Incorporate simultaneous outcomes – A powerful aspect of PBL is that it allows teachers to simultaneously incorporate more than academic outcomes into classroom activities, and to build students’ capacity for skillful work. Through PBL students can develop 21st Century skills: collaboration, project management, meeting deadlines, critical thinking, presentation, problem solving and using technology wisely. Projects also integrate certain habits of mind that are vital to life-long learning, success in the workplace and personal satisfaction: curiosity, flexibility, perseverance, etc. 5. Work from project design criteria – A project should include the Six A’s: Authenticity, Academic Rigor, Applied Learning, Active Exploration, Adult Connections, and thoughtful Assessment Practices. As you plan your project, does it also meet the following important criteria:

Meet standards?Engage students?Focus on essential understanding?Encourage higher-order thinking?Teach literacy and reinforce basic skills?Allow all students to succeed?Use clear, precise assessments?Require the sensible use of technology?Address authentic issues?

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6. Create the optimal learning environment – to heighten students’ interest: Give your project one or more connections beyond the classroom Alter your classroom’s look and feel

And keep in mind the following ideas for improving learning: See the whole before practicing the parts Study content and apply it to authentic problems Make schoolwork more like real work

http://www.pbl-online.org/pathway2.html

Creating the Driving Question

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It is the connections that give us energy.It is the connections that give us meaning. ~David Bohm

Learning is natural, pleasurable, spontaneous to the brain. If

that is not true, something is wrong.

~Richard Restak

A good Driving Question makes a project intriguing, complex and problematic. It requires multiple activities and the synthesis of different types of information before it can be answered. It is derived from the “Big Idea”, promotes student interest and directs students towards the project’s goals and objectives. When creating the Driving Question, use the following guidelines:

Driving Questions are provocative are open-ended go to the heart of the discipline or topic are challenging arise from real-world dilemmas of student interest are consistent with curriculum standards

Sample Driving QuestionsThe American Dream: Is it for Everyone?

What is "the circle of life"?

How will our newspaper reflect who we are as a high school?

How much does it cost to survive the game of life?

What kinds of bridges do we build in our own lives?

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When will I ever use this? (Mathematics)

How will the current war on terrorism affect the world?

Utopia: Perfect Society or Not? (The Giver by Lois Lowry)

How do we treat people because of our prejudices?

The Story of Life: What Makes Me Who I Am Today?

Could I spend the rest of my life in Walton County?

How did Mahatma Gandhi's teachings and/or life affect our world?

What would it take to live on __________? (Planet studies)

Why should I stay awake in science class?

Will 9 weeks make a difference? (Advanced PE)

What role does math play in marine navigation?

What is needed to create a realistic, livable island?

What aspects of the 1950's have impacted and influenced our lives today?

What will it take for me to travel the Oregon Trail today? (American Frontier)

What did he say? (Edgar Allan Poe)

What does friendship mean to me?

What would be found in a Victorian England time capsule?

Where is the town of Santa Rosa Beach, FL headed?

How has the work of scientists/inventors affected your life?

How does math build a house?

What is the "culture" of a Spanish-speaking country?

How does harassment affect SWHS students?

What draws your attention to a package in a store? (Designing a package)

Does fitness matter?

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It’s a Scream: What makes a roller coaster such a thrill??

Who uses science and how? (Careers in Science)

When does sound have a negative impact on hearing?

What in our community makes "good" news? (Feature writing project)

How do the moral lessons in “The Scarlet Letter” impact your life?

What factors determine tomorrow's weather?

What role does the mathematical concepts of area and perimeter play in architectural projects?

What should you consider in choosing a college?

Creating the Assessment

Belief and understanding are not enough.

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It has to be done.~Wayne Dyer

My chief want in life is someone who shall make me do what I can.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Plan the Assessment

Planning for the assessments in a project is a step that comes before the project begins in the classroom. Good assessment practices mean that students should know exactly what will be required of them, and what criteria will be used to evaluate their performance.

3 Steps to Planning Effective Assessments:

Align the products or performances for the project with the outcomes Know what to assess--establish criteria to assess each product and

performance

Create rubrics for the project

Each step includes several sub-steps, and should result in a balanced assessment plan.

Creating a Balanced Assessment Plan:

A balanced assessment plan for a project will include a variety of assessments closely tied to the outcomes--the content standards, skills, and habits of mind-of the project. Most important, multiple indicators for performance give different kinds of students, each with different strengths, the opportunity to succeed.

A balanced assessment plan also includes methods you will use to gather the evidence of student performance, interpret that evidence, and make judgments about the evidence. The assessment plan should include both formative assessments--assessments that allow you to give feedback as the project progresses--and summative assessments-

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assessments that provide students with a culminating appraisal of their performance.

Formative vs. Summative Assessments:

Classroom assessments can include a wide range of options--from recording anecdotal notes while observing a student to administering standardized tests. The options can be roughly divided into two categories--formative assessments and summative assessments.

Formative assessments are on-going assessments, review, and observations in a classroom. Teachers use formative assessment to improve instructional methods and provide student feedback throughout the teaching and learning process. For example, if a teacher observes that some students do not grasp a concept, she or he can design a review activity or use a different instructional strategy. Likewise, students can monitor their progress with periodic quizzes and performance tasks. The results of formative assessments are used to modify and validate instruction.

Summative assessments are typically used to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs and services at the end of an academic year or at a pre-determined time. The goal of summative assessments is to make a judgment of student competency--after an instruction phase is complete. For example, in Florida, the FCAT is administered once a year--it is a summative assessment to determine each student’s ability at pre-determined points in time. Summative evaluations are used to determine if students have mastered specific competencies and to identify instructional areas that need additional attention.

Assessment Possibilities in PBL:

Listed below are some formative and summative/culminating assessments that can prove useful when planning PBL lessons.

Formative Assessments and Process Products

Journal entry Notes/ field notes Problem map

Research record E-mail records Graphic organizers

Group process reports Conversations Anecdotal Records

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Quizzes Essays / writing product Diagnostic tests

Lab reports Poster Observations

Running records Logs Charts

Interviews 1st and 2nd drafts Exit cards

Student generated questions Reflections Concept maps

Flow Maps Peer feedback Gallery walk

Reflective notes Timelines Fishbowl

Student Interest Inventory/survey Thumbs-up Self-assessment

Worksheets Demonstrations Evidence

Student documentation Brainstorming Think-pair-share

Summative Assessments / Culminating Products

Narrative Letter Poem

Poster Outline Brochure

Pamphlet Survey/questionnaire Autobiography

Essay Book Review Report

Editorial Newspaper Script

Speech Debate Play

Song / lyric Oral report Panel discussion

Dramatic Reenactment Newscast Discussion

Dance Exhibition of Products Computer database

Computer graphic Computer program Moviemaker product

Website WebQuest Multimedia product

Blog Podcast Video broadcast

Drawing Painting Collage

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Sculpture Map Scrapbook

Mobile Photo album Oral history

Model

Online resources for rubrics:

http://www.bie.org/files/BIE_PBLrubrics.pdf

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

Mapping the Project

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It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me,like gifts from the sea.I work with it and rely on it. It’s my partner.~Jonas Salk

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A Project Map helps you to identify the requisite skills that your students need to perform, develop the timeline for the project, and gather resources to support critical learning activities in the project. It can take any form that you prefer; flowchart, storyboard, mind-map, bubble diagram, etc. There are three key steps that should be considered during mapping:

1. Organize tasks and activities – to assist in identifying any resources you will need for your projects, allocate the right amount of time for each task, and determine whether there are any skills that your students will need to learn to complete any part of the project.

2. Decide how to launch the project – with an entry event or document. A class discussion, a field trip, an article, a guest lecturer, an interactive activity, etc. can serve to provoke thinking and engage students in the project. An entry document is designed as a scenario builder that outlines the problem or issue (Big Idea/Driving Question), defines the students’ roles and tasks, and sets forth the expectations for successful work in the project.

3. Gather resources – and plan ahead. Resources can include information, supplies for creating products, technological tools, community volunteers, mentors, community and business organizations, etc. Keep in mind that:

a. use of some resources require preparation and trainingb. use technology as a tool for learningc. use resources that increase the power of the projectd. let the instructional content drive the project activities

4. Map your project – outlining your timeline, the major milestones and assignments and other activities, such as:

a. The project launchb. Sequence of activitiesc. Preparation of drafts, rehearsals, practicesd. Scaffold lessonse. Due datesf. Examsg. Homework assignmentsh. Reflection and review

The PBL template will help you in organizing your project, and offers two format choices for mapping your project. Personalize this template to suit your project’s needs.

Monitoring and Managing16

the Process

The oneness of the overall system is paramount.~David Bohm

Renew thyself completely each day, do it again, and again, and forever

again. ~Chinese

Inscription

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Manage and Monitor the ProcessIn project based learning, you move from the role of 'sage on the stage' to the role of 'guide on the side'. This means that, while the students do the work of learning, your focus shifts from transmitting information to managing the process of learning. This is a complex role, requiring both facilitation and leadership skills. One important goal as a project based learning teacher is to develop a set of management tools that can help you keep the project focused and moving forward. Consider the following critical Project Management tasks:

1. Orient students to the goals of the project, not only from the beginning, but on a regular basis as the project progresses. Refer to the Big Idea, and the Driving and Essential questions to keep students focused.

2. Group students appropriately. Collaboration is essential to PBL, and takes places in different ways during a project. From whole group to small group, individual to paired, groupings may change depending on the activities and the objectives of each task.

3. Organize the project daily by reiterating the scope of the project, deadlines, and tasks for the day. Set and enforce due dates, collect formative assessments and offer feedback to keep students on track towards project completion.

4. Clarify everything, as requested by student needs.

5. Monitor and regulate student behavior

6. Manage the workflow

7. Evaluate the success of the project through student and teacher reflection

Key steps in Monitoring the Process:

1. Share Project Goals with Students – taking care to connect the goals of the project to the students’ lives.

2. Use Problem-Solving Tools -

a. A know/need to know list

b. Learning Logs

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c. Planning briefs

3. Use Checkpoints and Milestones – to insure students are on target with due dates and completed project tasks

4. Plan for Evaluation and Reflection – of the students’ and your own learning experiences

5. Celebration - of project completion

Reflecting

Our sense of ourselves depends cruciallyOn the subjective experience of remembering our past.~Daniel Schacter

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As I used to say to my clients,“Memory is life.”

~Saul Bellow

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Ideas for Guiding Reflection Before/During/After

Reflection refers to active, intellectual thinking for monitoring one's own learning activity and process. A “debriefing” with students at the end of a project helps students take what they have learned and transfer it to the next project or assignment. Use Reflection activities to discuss the Big Idea and Driving Question, as well as focus on the process and the outcomes of a project:

What did we learn? Did we collaborate effectively? What skills did we learn? What skills do we need to practice? What was the quality of our work? Where can we improve?

These reflective activities can be implemented before, during and after the PBL project.

TAG-Tell a positive, Ask a question, and Give a positive

2 Stars and a Wish- student tells 2 positives “stars” and a “wish”

Toss a Token- Each student or small group receives a token (ex. Poker chip) to share their reflection. Once a token is used, the student must only listen to others. This gives everyone a chance to be heard.

3-2-1: Participants respond individually on cards to the following prompt:

3 Specific new tools or strategies that I might use are...2 Specific things I learned or were reminded about my own teaching/learning styles are...1 An area on which I'd like to focus tomorrow, or a question that I have is...

Emotional Go-Around: Students are asked to show with a word, their body, or a facial expression how they feel at the moment. Let people show their reaction one at a time, and then have students explain their reaction.

All Tied Up: Have the group stand in a circle. Holding the end of a ball of string, hand the ball off to a student. Ask them to reflect on a particular question (e.g. what was something new you learned today?) Once they have answered the question ask them to hold on to the piece of string and to pass the ball to someone else. When you’re done, you will have a web.

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Around the Room and Back Again: Have each participant write down one example or one new application of a topic or teaching strategy identified by the facilitator. Individuals move around the room and share their example with others. As you move, collect as many items as possible to add to your list. Group discussions can then be used to build on the lists and generate knowledge.

Case Study: Provide participants with case studies that contain relevant background information. After participants read a case, distribute reflecting questions and divide participants into small groups for discussion.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Participants answer the question, "What was good/bad/ugly about what we did today?" An alternative question is, "What worked, didn't work, or was really uncomfortable?"

Exit Slips: Participants take one minute to jot down one thing they learned and one question they still have on index cards, chart paper, or post-it. This is good to do before a break or lunch so the facilitator can clarify misunderstandings and address questions at the next gathering.

Rubric Reflection: Refer to the rubric, if one is provided, to evaluate performance.

Really Quick Resume: Participants create a brief resume listing the skills developed or improved as a result of the lesson.

Check it at the Door: Participants check their learning against a list of goals they established at the beginning of the lesson.

Word Up: Choose one word that best describes their experience with the lesson. Make a mini-poster based on this word.

Colorful Fun: Use brightly colored highlighter pens and sticky notes to mark information. For example, students can use a post-it to share an “A-ha!” or thought while reading.

Mental Maps: Participants draw illustrations or flowcharts that explain their understanding of a topic and then pair-share to discuss.

Picture Poster: Small groups or individuals can share their understanding through pictures

Journals:

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Personal Journal – Students will write freely about their experience. This is usually done weekly or daily. These personal journals may be submitted periodically to the teacher, or kept as a reference to use at the end of the experience when putting together an academic essay reflecting their experience. (Hatcher 1996)

Dialogue Journal – Students submit loose-leaf pages from a dialogue journal bi-weekly (or otherwise at appropriate intervals) for the instructor to read and comment on. While labor intensive for the instructor, this can provide continual feedback to students and prompt new questions for students to consider during the semester. (Goldsmith, 1995)

Highlighted Journal – Before students submit the reflective journal, they reread personal entries and, using a highlighter, mark sections of the journal that directly relate to concepts discussed in the text or in class. This makes it easier for the instructor to identify the student to reflect on their experience in light of course content. (Gary Hesser, Augsberg College)

Key Phrase Journal – In this type of journal, students are asked to integrate terms and key phrases within their journal entries. The instructor can provide a list of terms at the beginning of the semester or for a certain portion of the text. Students could also create their own list of key phrases to include. Journal entries are written within the framework of the course content and become an observation of how course content is evident in the experience. (Hatcher 1996)

Double-entry Journal – When using a double-entry journal, students are asked to write one-page entries each week: Students describe their personal thoughts and reactions to the service experience on the left page of the journal, and write about key issues from class discussions or readings on the right page of the journal. Students then draw arrows indicating relationships between their personal experiences and course content. This type of journal is a compilation of personal data and a summary of course content in preparation of a more formal reflection paper at the end of the project. (Angelo and Cross 1993)

Quotes – Using quotes can be a useful way to initiate reflection because there is an ample supply of them, and they are often brief and inspiring.

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Glossary

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Glossary

Big Idea – the overall concept that is used to grasp and hold together related content knowledge.

Collaborative Learning – Collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally social act in which the participants talk among themselves. It is through the talk that learning occurs. Participants work together to solve a problem. Many times the teacher does not have a pre-set notion of the problem or solution that students will be researching. Collaborative Learning is an integral part of Project Based Learning.

Cooperative Learning – Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each person is responsible for a portion of the work. Many times the teacher already knows the problem and solution students will be working toward. Cooperative Learning is a teacher-centered approach that is not an essential element of Project Based Learning, but may be used to enhance a PBL unit.

Driving Question – a real-world question that cannot be easily solved and that sparks interest to propel students through the project.

Engaging – learning is interesting and meaningful from the student’s perspective.

Essential Questions – questions that show the essential knowledge students should learn from the project and are derived from the “Driving Question.”

Extrinsic Motivation – students are motivated by external rewards such as grades, praise, and rewards.

Formative Assessments – assessments throughout the project that provide information used to adapt teaching and learning to meet student needs. Examples: quizzes, journals, rough drafts, checklists, notes, concept maps, observations, etc.

Hook – connects students directly to the concept (Big Idea) in a personal way.

Intrinsic Motivation – students become motivated to learn and cooperate. This comes from within the students. They want to learn for the joy of learning because they are interested in learning.

Real-World Relevance – activities match as nearly possible the real-world tasks of professionals in practice rather than classroom-based tasks.

Reflection – reviewing the Driving Question at the conclusion of a project in order to make real-world personal connections.

Summative Assessment – assessments given after learning has occurred at the end of a project. Examples: oral presentation, written product, test, essay, performance task, etc.

21st Century Skills – skills needed to compete successfully for tomorrow’s jobs. Examples: collaboration, presentation, critical thinking, problem solving, technology skills, and creativity.

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Internet Resources

http://pbl-online.org/ProjectPlanning On-line tutorial that will assist in the development of PBL

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projects.www.wvde.state.wv.us/instruction/pblforms.html (West Virginia Department of

Education) Project based learning templates and plans

http://www.fno.org An educational technology journal, lists characteristics of essential questions.

www.edutopia.org Core concepts of PBL and provides on line videos and articles that support PBL.

www.internet4classrooms.com Springboard for helping teachers use the Internet effectively.

www.cordovapark.org/project_page.asp PBL digital examples from Cordova Park Elementary in Pensacola, FL

www.howstuffworks.com Core curriculum video concepts

www.brainpopjr.com An interactive site used to introduce a new lesson or topic or illustrate complex subject matter. (site license needed)

www.pblchecklist.4teachers.org/ Rubrics for multimedia projects.www.rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php Ready made rubrics and

templates to make your own rubric for PBL.

www.thinkquest.org/en/ Oracle Think Quest Education Foundation – Allows for collaboration with other teachers about PBL.

www.teachertube.com On-line video clips submitted by teachers.

www.coollessons.wikispaces.com/ design:problem:based:learning

Information and lessons designed by Aurora University.

www.authenticeducation.org/bigideas/ nj_videos/eq.html Description of a big idea and essential question.

www.bie.org Buck Institute of Education (Provides a model of development for PBL)

www.galileo.org Key components of essential questions.

http://www.southgatehs.org/ professional_development.jsp

A guide to essential questions and PBL ideas.

http://www.novelapproachpbl.com PBL toolshttp://virtualschoolhouse.visionlink.org Collection of successful projectshttp://www.envisionprojects.org/cs/ envision/print/docs/ 750

Features PBL projects submitted by teachers

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Bibliography

McCarthy, Bernice. About Teaching: 4MAT in the Classroom. Wauconda,Il: About Learning, Incorporated, 2000.

Wiggins, Grant and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2005.

Markham, Thom, John Larner, and Jason Ravitz, PhD. Project Based Learning Handbook, 2nd Edition. Novato, Ca: Buck Institute for Education, 2003.

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