Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Based
Learning
Thom Markham
ISBN 978-1-61623-361-7
HeartIQ Press
San Rafael, California
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction. PBL: A Bridge to the Future
Next Steps for Project Based Learning x
Improving PBL xi
From Projects to PBL xii
Teacher as Coach xiii
Using This Guide xv
4. Teach Teamwork
Collaborate for a Purpose
1. Turn Groups into Teams 31
2. Design Your Teams 32
3. Train Your Teams 33
4. Use Teams to Build Character, Culture, and Community 34
5. Prepare for Outliers 35
Teaching Innovation: Motivating the Facebook Generation 35
PLANNING TOOLS
Project Design Cycle Planning Form (Secondary) 110
Project Design Cycle Planning Form (Elementary) 121
Project Schedule 132
Index of Online Folders 136
Project based learning (PBL) should be seen as a philosophy of teaching and learning
rather than as another educational strategy. It is a blueprint or framework for how educa-
tion will be organized in the future, and the field has been enriched by many sources over
the last ten years, as minds around the world have tried to envision how inquiry-based
learning can succeed in the unfolding global age.
The contributors, as we would expect, include experts and practitioners in education
who must grapple with standards and skills as the industrial system fades. But PBL can
fulfill its promise only by tapping expertise from elsewhere. Questions of relevance, stu-
dent engagement, and student readiness are the domain of psychologists and youth spe-
cialists. Techniques for coaching for peak performance, developing leaders, and helping
teams collaborate and communicate come from high-performing industries. All of these
sources are reflected in this Design and Coaching Guide.
I first began practicing PBL in 1996. Along the way I have worked with many students,
nearly three thousand teachers, and numerous organizations committed to PBL. Ive been
exposed to hundreds of articles, books, blogs, and ideas. Here I would like to acknowl-
edge a number of them.
I am grateful to my colleagues at the Buck Institute for Education. Through the Insti-
tute, I had the opportunity to be the principal author of the Project Based Learning Hand-
book: A Guide to Standards-Focused Project Based Learning for Middle and High School
Teachers. This collaborative book helped define the field of PBL, and it also allowed me
to think through and organize my ideas on PBL.
PBL teachers and aspiring PBL teachers continue to earn my respect. I return from
nearly every workshop with the same impression: Teachers want to adapt their teaching
and curriculum to meet the needs of todays students. Often, the system constrains them.
But their instincts are sound.
I also want to acknowledge schools that work. Models of excellence are emerging
everywhere. Particularly, I salute Envision Schools in San Francisco and High Tech High
in San Diego. These schools light the way to a postindustrial system.
ix
Imagine a day when a student comes home from school and one parent asks, What did
you do at school today? And the child answers, The teacher tried something new today.
She called it a lecture. Its something they used to do in school at the beginning of the
century.
As the world moves forward, so must educationand eventually lecture and direct
instruction may be long-forgotten remnants of a prior age, while project based learning
(PBL) becomes the preferred teaching method worldwide.
Were not there yet. Perhaps we wont get there, given the arrival of a digital world,
the shift to information as a commodity, and unforeseen ways of organizing instruction
for young people. No one knows.
But the sudden acceleration in the number of teachers using PBL over the first decade
of the twenty-first century is not an accident or idle trend. Teachers are searching for
ways to get ahead of the curve of change and prepare students for a world exponentially
different from that of the 1990s, let alone the previous century. Even the early years of
this century now seem dated.
Why the growing popularity of PBL? First, it teaches doing as well as knowing. Stu-
dents acquire knowledge, but they also apply what they learn to solve authentic problems
and produce results that matter. Most important, well-crafted PBL offers an extended,
active, learning challenge that todays students find satisfying and engaging.
Second, PBL offers teachers the opportunity to teach, observe, and measure the
growth of real-world skills. To succeed at PBL, students must practice and demonstrate
the skills necessary in the workplace or in any environment that requires self-starting,
self-managing, and skillful individuals. In fact, PBL can be defined as an extended
learning process that uses inquiry and challenge to stimulate the growth and mastery of
skills.
Finally, PBL refocuses education on the student, not on the curriculum. Despite
the fact that students live as digital natives in a one-click, real-time world, the current
Improving PBL
While successful and increasingly popular, PBL has yet to adapt fully to the needs of
the global generation of youth. Projects still tend to focus on teaching content rather
than on acquiring skills and the habits of inquiry. Also, teachers are reluctantor do not
know howto place the power of learning in students hands. PBL is a student-centered,
inquiry-based process that succeeds when students put their full resources behind a proj-
ect. Both the teacher-driven classroom and the overreliance on content are artifacts of
industrial teaching. As a PBL teacher, you must commit to melding content and skills, as
well as using leadership tools to motivate students, organize them into productive teams,
and teach them to take charge of their own learning.
How can PBL be improved and help us meet the challenge of preparing young people
for their world? This Guide will suggest ten ways to advance PBL that reflect the new
imperatives of twenty-first-century education.
T
each concepts, not standards. Using the ideas of H. Lynn Erickson in Stirring
the Head, Heart, and Soul: Redefining Curriculum and Instruction (Corwin Press,
1995; second edition, 2002) and Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction: Teaching
Beyond the Facts (Corwin Press, 2002), PBL teachers can get much better at design-
ing information-rich projects that help students develop and demonstrate an essen-
tial, deep understanding of topicsthe real goal of learning today. With the concept-
based approach, what may be considered the weakness of PBLit de-emphasizes
teaching facts and standardsno longer matters. Instead, focus on what PBL does
best: Teach students to think.
T
each critical thinking through contextual challenges. Cognitive psycholo-
gists limit critical thinking to higher-order, brain-based processes that can be taught.
But recent research indicates that critical thinking relies on a blend of attributes,
including habits, attitudes, and emotional openness; thinking strategies; background
knowledge; conceptual knowledge; and criteria for judgment. All of these can be
learnedsynergisticallythrough well-designed projects that challenge students to
solve meaningful problems. The lesson for twenty-first century education is that criti-
cal thinking cannot be taught as an isolated skill.
S
tart with questions. This is another way of saying: Begin with the learner. In
terms of Monday morning lesson plans, it means Start with questions, not curriculum.
Questions, whether obviously relevant to students or made relevant through good
teaching, engage todays students.
E
mphasize innovation. PBL relies on a problem-solving process that requires
students to learn and use information to find the solution. In the hands of an ad-
vanced practitioner of PBL, a projectfrom start to finishis an exercise in critical
introduction xi
xii introduction
I dentify the challenge. At the core of a problem lies a challenge. You want to make
the challenge both meaningful and doable. Criteria given here measure this.
C
raft the Driving Question. A good PBL teacher drives a project through inten-
tion. What is the deep understanding that you want your students to have at the
end of the project? This Guide presents a proven process for constructing a Driving
Question.
S
tart with results. As the instructional leader, you need to decide the tasks and
outcomes of the project. Content objectives are project specific, but you will also want
to include skills mastery and dispositions in your outcomes.
B
uild the assessment. The mantra of PBL is create and deliver. At the end of a
project, students produce a result. The result is assessed against specific criteria es-
tablished at the beginning of the project and defined in an assessment plan.
E
nroll and engage. A field-tested set of best practices will help you engage students
in the project from the beginning. Starting right is the key to success at the end.
F
ocus on quality. High-performance PBL relies on quality student work. In PBL,
quality work results when student teams commit to purposeful collaboration and
continuous improvement. Teaching teams to use proven tools and coaching teams to
perform better are central to successful projects.
E
nd with mastery. The PBL process is a nonlinear problem-solving process. A
good PBL teacher knows how to manage the work flow throughout the project and
prepare students to present their best work at the end, including planning powerful
exhibitions to public audiences. Most important, at the culmination of well-executed
projects, students experience the feeling of mastery.
Teacher as Coach
Just as job descriptions in the workforce have broadened, so has the role of the teacher
expanded to include more than front-of-the-room instructing skills and curriculum fidel-
ity. This shift is not news to teachers, who have heard the term guide on the side for a
decade. PBL formalizes this transition from teacher to coach. In PBL, coaching is nec-
essary to improve performance across the domains of thinking, doing, and feeling. This
introduction xiii
xiv introduction
Teaching Innovation
PBL offers a unique opportunity for teachers and students to join together in the inquiry
process. Using protocols, reflective exercises, divergent thinking strategies, and quality
design processes, teachers can coach students in mastering the tools required of lifelong
learners in a global world. These innovative techniques for planning, critiquing, and cre-
ating depend on PBL teachers desire to build student voice and choice into the PBL
experience. In each chapter, you will find a special section, Teaching Innovation, that
suggests ways you and your students can make the project more innovative, inspiring,
reflective, and student-driven.
introduction xv
xvi introduction
Get Ready
for PBL
2. Redefine Rigor
6. Expect More
2 Redefine Rigor
The factors essential to human performancecaring relationships, meaning, and mastery
match the mantra that drove education reform in the first decade of the twenty-first
century: rigor, relevance, and relationship. But there is a key reason that the desire to
infuse learning with greater authenticity and meaning has not been fully successful:
The concept of rigor has remained static. Rigor continues to be associated exclusively
with information mastery and testing. Whether its the quantity of problems assigned for
homework, the amount of reading required for the next day, or the hardness of the test,
rigor is defined in industrial terms.
In the human performance field, rigor is defined quite differently. It is a measure
of personal performance, not a standard to quantify how much information has been
learned. As a PBL teacher, you must make this crucial shift and envision a new goal for
students: Become a rigorous person. Think of rigor as the broad capacity to learn, apply,
communicate, and share information. In the global world, learning and doing are insepa-
rable parts of the whole. We need to teach both, measure both, and honor both.
An updated definition of rigor encompasses three aspects of performance:
Core knowledge. The information age mandates that educators focus on concepts
and principles rather than on facts and data. However, students must be able to dem-
onstrate that they know the central conventions of a discipline, can use its vocabu-
lary, and deeply understand its principles.
Skills. Reading, writing, knowledge accumulation, and critical thinking have long
been considered the essential skills for preparing students for college entry. But stu-
Keep in mind one guideline: A performance-based world does not distinguish be-
tween content, skills, and dispositions. Learning always includes an emotional compo-
nent. It is not possible to teach the new definition of rigor without integrating academic,
emotional, and behavioral learning.
Typically, education does the opposite by separating instruction, skills, and behavior
into discrete domains. The mastery of content is regarded as a purely cognitive process
the province of a core academic teacherwhile attitudes about learning or emotional
barriers are shunted to counselors or special education teachers. You will need to work
around those barriers and simultaneously address the what, the why, and the how. PBL
succeeds when teachers blend instruction, skill building, and the basics of human perfor-
mance into a powerful project design methodology.
Use the language of peak performance. Creativity starts with teacher attitudes.
For example, research confirms that IQ is malleable and performance is driven by
self-fulfilling belief systems. Students who move from a fixed mindset to a growth
mindset will believe in themselves, and in their creative potential.
T
reat soft skills as hard skills. Writing an essay or solving a math problem is
traditionally regarded as a hard skill, while communicating your beliefs in an inter-
view or listening to someone who disagrees with you is a soft skill. The reverse is ac-
tually true: Communication and collaboration are the most difficult skillsand need
to be taught and practiced relentlessly. Also, judge these soft skills by hard standards.
Use rubrics and include the assessments in your grade book.
E
xpect mastery. Setting high expectations for academic performance is usual in
good teaching. But setting high expectations for performance is crucial in PBL. Ex-
pect students to communicate, collaborate, and manage themselves according to the
standards of high-performing industries, not the standards of industrial education.
When you stress personal mastery of difficult skillsand hold students to that high
standardthey respond by performing like adults.
peak performance flourishes. by teachers are all too common in classrooms. Be firm
when necessarybut dont question character or use a
tone of voice that a friend would find offensive.
Blend PBL and community service. Though generally project oriented, service
learning often is not directly connected to academic learning. Link these two kinds
of learning. Center your project on an important social issue, scientific debate, or
local topic.
Take on neighborhood challenges. Within three blocks from any school can be
found an assortment of problems for students to address. Have students survey their
community, assess needs, and work on solutions. Use PBL to positively impact the
local environment.
Take on global difficulties. You cannot solve global issues in a classroom, but dont
be timid about taking them on. Define questions in ways that allow students to deeply
examine world matters. Their best ideas for solutions can then be shared, debated,
and discussed in end-of-project exhibitions.
6 Expect More
A students commitment to a drive and thrive attitude naturally varies, depending on
temperament, emotions, time of day, school background, and home life. But even more
challenging is the fact that your students most likely have not been trained to perform at
their best. School reinforces passive skills, such as listening and paying attention. Your
goal, instead, is to teach students to be flexible in their skills (know when not to pay
attention).
Orienting students to this new expectation takes time, patience, and focus. Be pre-
pared for some groaning and objection. Performance takes more effort and commitment
than listening or taking notes. Here are a number of approaches that help:
Believe that students want to work harder. If you think that teaching and learn-
ing is an uphill battle, it will be. Shift to trusting that human beings want to learn
In gameplay, failure is considered necessary to success, and gamers report the fun of
failure. In fact, games lower the risk of failure so that players will explore, take risks,
and seek alternative solutions. The same is true of life today: The ability to risk failure is
equated with success. Try these methods for encouraging your students to volunteer the
wrong answer and develop a healthy appreciation for risk taking:
Applaud being wrong. When a student gives a wrong answer, encourage the rest
of the class to applaud.
Employ the circus bow. Want to take it a step further? When a student makes a big
error, have him or her stand up and take a circus bowjust like the world-renowned
aerialist in the circus who misses the bar occasionally.
Help each other be right. Use the Japanese solution: Have a student who doesnt
understand a math problem well come up to the board and demonstrate his or her
solution. Engage the rest of the class in a dialogue on the solutions efficacy. Reward
speculation, informed guesses, and well-intentioned mistakes.
View standards as outcomes. Standards define what students should know and be
able to do at the end of the year or the end of a unit. They are not meant to be items
on a checklist to be covered. Reframe standards as key learning outcomes.
Identify the power standards. Not all standards are equal. Go through your
standards carefully and identify the critical information you want your students to
knownot for tests, but for their ultimate success. Parts of your curriculum will
inevitably be less relevant to their lives. For projects, choose standards that matter.
Leave other standards to be taught through engaging activities, direct instruction, or
worksheets. Power standards form the basis for projects that matter, which makes
choosing them critical for the PBL teacher. Students must have compelling reasons
for solving a problem.
Decide which standards are project-friendly. Some standards inherently invite
problem solving or questions. Look for standards that relate to current issues, head-
line news, or other relevant topics. A good project fueled by powerful concepts will
address several key standards in your curriculum. Plus, in a well-designed, engaging
project, students will touch upon many other standards even if the project doesnt
directly address them.
Use the U.S. Common Core Standards. The recent (2010) Common Core Stan-
dards for the United States, adopted by more than forty states, focus on inquiry,
depth, and less coverage. They are far more project-friendly than most state standards.
Teach important standards without projects. If you have proven methods for
teaching important standards, or if you feel that designing a project around certain
standards is too difficult, then use what works. Students benefit from two to four
well-designed projects each year. Other standards can be taught using normal in-
structional methods and active methods.
T hink beyond lesson plans and units. A project may fit nicely into a unit, or it
may break down into a convenient set of lesson plans. But projects generally begin
with concepts and ideas. Start with a good idea, then fit it into your unitnot the
reverse. In fact, think of the project as your unit.
Use worksheets. In every discipline, practicing or memorizing a certain amount
of information is appropriate. Look for standards that can be taught by simple, non-
time-consuming methods.
TOPIC CONCEPT
Thanksgiving Celebrations
U.S. Westward Expansion Migration
Revolutionary War Conflict/Revolutions
Dinosaurs Extinction
Evolution Change/Continuity
Political Parties Conflict/Cooperation
Concepts encourage inquiry. Concepts help teachers frame the project at the
deepest possible level. To teach concepts instead of topics, it is helpful to think in
terms of a discipline instead of a subject. A subject emphasizes information and a silo
approach to learning; a discipline connotes both knowing and doing.
Concepts help students identify patterns and connections between topics
or facts. Our goal as global educators is to help young people learn, understand,
and master rather than memorize and respond. Using concepts as the lens for a
project helps teachers overcome an undue emphasis on facts and isolated topics for
study.
Direct instruction. Lecture can be easily incorporated into PBL. If direct instruc-
tion works, use it. But use it sparingly, not as your main method. Also, resist the
temptation to teach students all the necessary details and facts prior to starting a
project. The idea of PBL is make them hungry to learn facts on their own.
Just in time instruction. Prior to beginning a project, either use your own judg-
ment or work with students to identify potential gaps in their knowledge or anticipate
aspects of the project that will need more intensive instruction. Plan on brief bursts
of direct instruction to fill the gaps in a timely way. Be prepared to present mini-
lessons on the spot.
Workshops. Plan an in-class seminar or workshop for students who want tutoring or
review of a specific topic. Conduct the workshop in a corner of the classroom while
other students continue work on the project.
An inquiry-based process is not designed to teach foundational Facts and topics can
skills (although a project can be designed for that purpose). You may be taught, but concepts
need to build specific skills instruction into a project. Use the follow- must be learned.
ing examples as a guide.
English/Language Arts. If you are planning an English project and are concerned
about grammar mastery, include grammar exercises. Use the workshop method (sit
down with weaker students for twenty minutes during project time), assign textbook
or worksheet exercises, or highlight grammar requirements by weighting grades in
favor of better grammar and fewer grammatical mistakes.
M
ath. Math projects often falter because students lack basic skills. Include instruc-
tion in basic skills as part of the project.
S
ocial Studies. In a history project, students can easily demonstrate knowledge
of historical events and relate those events to contemporary issuesboth desirable
outcomes. But, at the same time, they may overlook timelines, dates, and bench-
marks. Teach these through conventional methods. Remember that, in addition
to concepts, students must know the academic conventions and vocabulary of the
discipline.
In a traditional grading system, students are judged not against the exact standard
they are learning but against a collection of grades on tests, quizzes, homework, and es-
says. A traditional grade book looks like the below.
Juan 90 65 70
Simone 50 75 78
Kelly 110 50 62
Bobby 80 90 85
Delia 95 100 90
Remember that each students overall grade for the project will include content and
skills, which can make grading projects a complex task. Deciding how much weight to
allocate to skills versus content is sometimes difficult. Most PBL teachers opt for no more
than 40 to 50 percent for content. However, using a standards-based system will help you
identify the exact standards to be taught in the projectand ensure that you dont over-
look critical content.
See Chapter 5 for more on assessment, and Chapter 10 for building the assessment
plan for your project. The Project Design Cycle planning form also contains a space for
standards-based assessment.
Teaching Innovation
Hold Technology to a Standard
Technology and PBL fit together perfectly, and using digital tools freely in your projects
will engage students, amplify their passion for learning, involve them in a broader world,
and help them feel that school is more normal because it conforms to their world out-
side the classroom. But there is an unfortunate tendency in PBL to confuse solid learning
results with technological wizardry. Use technology freely, but stay focused on results.
D
ont confuse PBL and cool projects. PBL and technology are often confused.
PBL relies on a well-designed, expertly crafted, and methodologically driven project
design. Technology is the tool that supports inquiry and innovation.
D
ont be dazzled. Dont let any work by students that uses the latest, dazzling in-
novations of the day to produce digital content be seen as a project. Dont automati-
cally consider that products created or displayed using digital resources are good. As
a PBL teacher, hold technology to the same standards you apply to other aspects of
the curriculum. Products should be measurable and assessable, meet standards for
literacy and numeracy, and be founded on core content.
U
se the design cycle to assess technology. Creating a product using technology
follows a design cycle of brainstorming, prototyping, testing, and delivery. Each stage
can be assessed and reviewed, like drafts of an essay.
T he coach. A coach focuses on performance. Your role is to define the task, pro-
vide training, measure success, and give feedback on performance. In a PBL project,
this means that you will clearly detail the process, allow time for practice and mas-
tery, supply well-defined rubrics and other assessments, and offer timely, in-depth
responses. Coaching may be done with teams as well as individuals.
T he counselor. The counselor role requires that you differentiate between skill and
will. People of any age can be resistant or difficult; young people can be even more
temperamental. The main skill of the counselor is to listen and offer feedback if re-
quested. Listening leads to coachable moments in which you may be able to train a
student. But the counselor knows that performance cannot be forced.
T he mentor. The mentor role combines the coach and counselor roles and adds an
additional element: advice and direction. But remember that the mentor role can-
not be successful unless the counselor role is intact. Without listening, you will not
establish the channel of trust necessary for students to actively seek or take your
advice.
PBL is an intensive process that offers many opportunities for one-on-one interaction
with students. In the course of these interactions, their personalities will surface. Tak-
ing on the role of the coach enables you to personalize your instruction and get students
working on their own behalf. The ultimate goal is for them to do the work, not you.
Stay present. Bring your full attention to the needs of the person you are coaching.
Signs of attention begin with good listening and eye contact. But more than that, you
must be fully present. Tune into each student by reading voice, body language, and
emotional signals.
Care. Care begins with sincerity. You must want to help your students by showing
interest in them as people.
Inspire. In PBL, students see you up close and personalnot just from the front
of the room or as a teacher. Modeling good behavior, which includes listening, is the
best way to inspire. But be ready with ideas for change and achievement. Communi-
cate the best about yourself and what you know.
1. A sk the student what he or she is doing well. Always begin with the positive,
and work from the perspective of the student. Your initial job is to listen, observe, and
gather data.
2. Give positive feedback. Speak in specifics and respond as directly as you can to
student comments. This is not the time to overly praise or indulge students. Simply
acknowledge what has gone right.
3. A sk the student to identify what he or she is not doing well. Work again from
the students perspective. Once you have listened attentively and acknowledged suc-
cess, the door opens to self-reflection. Encourage students to identify specific behav-
iors that will improve their performance.
4. Give observations or data as feedback. Judgment is not effective, particularly
with young people. Provide feedback in the form of observations of fact, not infer-
ence. Say I see you failed the test rather than Why didnt you study?
5. Define what a good job looks like. Be specific about what you want from stu-
dents. Use videos or exemplars to show students the right method or outcome. Make
sure they know what top performance looks like.
6. Offer training. What resources can you offer to help students improve? Let them
know where and how to find assistance.
Keep in mind that coaching has its limitations and will not be effective with all stu-
dents. Judge your efforts by your sincere attempts to change behaviors or help students
perform. Consider these other guidelines for coaches:
Name the behavior to change. The language that a PBL coach uses with stu-
dents is critical. (This includes body language, which speaks louder than words.) The
best approach with a struggling student is to observe, wait, and reflect before of-
fering suggestions for improvement. Avoid judgment and respond to what you ob-
serve rather than to what you assume. Give the student specific recommendations
that distinguish the new behaviors from the old and help the student reach a new
standard.
Differentiate the task. Adjust the task or role of the student if necessary. Your goal
as a coach is to present the student with the right level of challenge.
Offer ongoing support. Coaching requires more than one conversation with a stu-
dent. A good coach remains patient with changes in behavior.
Presentations
Relaxation
Voice and projection
Body posture
Eye contact
Use of note cards
Use of PowerPoint
Collaboration
Empathy
Listening
Speaking up
Following and leading
Holding peers accountable
Self-management
Bringing materials to class
Meeting deadlines
Dealing with setbacks
Completing assignments
Keeping agreements
M
easure more than grades. Goal setting is a method for observing ones own
behavior, habits, and progress. Have students set goals for skills acquisition and per-
sonal habits that will make them more successful in school and in life.
Use SMART goals to make a realistic action plan. Use the proven goal-setting
method of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely goals. Commit
goals to writing.
R evisit goals frequently. A basic, but often forgotten point: Goals need to be re-
viewed, revised, and reaffirmed on a regular basis. Systematically record and reflect
on goals. Set goals dates on your calendar. Start a list of goals on your computer for
easy access and review. Your goal-setting system can be incorporated into the Per-
sonal Success Plan or portfolio system described below.
A Personal Success Plan. The Personal Success Plan (PSP) describes goals, agree-
ments, and successes or challenges. The document may include grade goals, college
choices, and similar academic information. It may also highlight skills and attitudes
as well as career and internship goals. The critical factor is how the PSP is used: It
must be kept as an easily available record in the classroom or online, and revisited on
a designated schedule to encourage reflection and renewal of goals.
Portfolios. A written or online portfolio is a common method for recording a stu-
dents growth. Portfolios contain more information than a PSP and may include, in
addition to personal information, video clips of project presentations or team work.
The most powerful portfolios in schools using PBL consistently give detailed looks at
students progress in developing twenty-first-century skills, helping students prepare
for careers as well as college.
If neither of these options is available, simply make sure that agreements between you
and students are written down and saved in a safe place. Also, the People Management
system can be incorporated into the evaluation and data system described in Chapter 6.
Teaching Innovation
Why People Succeed
Grades and assessment place relentless focus on learning and mastering information. But
all research demonstrates that successful people share a set of attributes that carry more
weight in life than academic achievement, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and
IQ. As you evaluate students, always look forand rewardgrowth in the following
areas:
C
ommitment. Teams consist of individuals committed to the success of the team
and to upholding their individual responsibilities to make the team work. If one indi-
vidual fails to contribute, the team may fail.
K
nowledge of strengths and roles. Team members know how to best contribute
to a team. They know their roles and obligations, as well as when and where they will
likely need help.
F
ocus on a common goal. Groups focus on process; teams focus on achievement.
Teams work best when the goal is well defined and doable. All teamwork begins with
the end in mind: What do we need to create, produce or achieve?
Ability to critique performance. Teams continuously improve by regularly re-
viewing objectives, measuring accomplishments, and deciding next steps. They learn
from one another through objective praise and analysis.
Acceptance of a process. Teams operate by formal mechanisms and guidelines
designed to foster efficiency, communication, and productivity.
teach teamwork 31
Motivation. Many times, you can meet your individual goals only through group
success.
Social cohesion. When more than one person cares about a goal, its easier to ac-
complish it.
Cognitive advantages. The group mind increases mastery, finds divergent solu-
tions, and improves critical thinking.
Cognitive elaboration. If you can explain a concept to a teammate and discuss it
in depth, you understand it.
Interpersonal skills and self-awareness. Putting team members together forces
students to know one another better, appreciate strengths and differences, and en-
gage in growth-inducing reflection on their personal habits and personality attributes.
Establish the differences between groups and teams through discussion, reflection,
or guest speakers from industry who can talk about the central role of teams in business.
Once the discussion is over, however, you will need to consistently employ a set of tools
to train students in teamwork. This process can be lengthy and frustrating, but teaching
students to work in teams is one of the most important goals of a twenty-first-century teacher.
Keep in mind that teams operate in stages. Early on, they may not be effective. Give
them the time and support necessary to get better at their job, just as individuals do.
When the teams begin to function at a higher level, move the bar of assessment higher.
Determine the number and size of teams by the complexity of the project.
The content and goals of the project drive the logistics of teamwork. How many topics
need investigation? How does the work naturally divide up? Teams can be composed
of three or more members, but there is no magic number.
Vary team tasks. Will teams be assigned the same task, or will each team work on
a different product? Resolve this question by thinking through the culmination of the
project. If all teams deliver similar findings on the same topic, projects run the risk
of endless, repetitive presentations. A better route is to require teams to approach the
Driving Question from different perspectives. Each team then offers a unique solu-
tion, analysis, or critique.
C
ontracts. At the beginning of a project, teams should agree on operating principles
and roles. They may write their own agreements, using exemplars, or use a standard
agreement you provide to them.
P eer collaboration rubrics. Training students to work in teams begins with a well-
crafted rubric that describes the exact behaviors that lead to good teamwork. The
rubric should be gradable and included in the final project assessment.
Leadership and work bonus systems. Use a system of leadership rewards or
teach teamwork 33
D
iscuss the why of collaboration. Cite the many inspiring examples of col-
laborative work that makes a difference in the world. Help students become aware of
the vast number of social and entrepreneurial networks active around the globe (use
this opportunity to inspire students with ideas for projects). Bring in human-relations
managers from nearby corporations.
R
ehire meplease! One favorite best practice is the firing clause in team con-
tracts. The contracts include a list of commitments that students must upholdand
a list of offenses that get them fired from the team if they dont. Either fired students
work individually from that point on in the project or they can apply, using an inter-
view process, to be rehired and work with another team.
B
eware the high achiever. Group work has a bad reputation with many students
and parentsand particularly with students who have mastered the art of homework,
note taking, and tests. The system in place works well for them and they are reluctant
to attach themselves to a group. For good reason. Too often, work and reward are
not evenly divided in groups. This should never be the case in teams. Always reward
individual effort in a team and carefully use rubrics and peer evaluations to capture
noncontributors.
R
espect true outliers. Occasionally students will be too shy or insecure to partici-
pate in a team. If you can create a safe environment, gently encourage team participa-
tion and support. If not, look for creative ways to limit their role on a team.
TEaching Innovation
Motivating the Facebook Generation
Collaboration is now a way of life. Todays students use social networking sites, play multi-
player games online, and move in digital herds to follow media events and trends. They
interact, share, and operate in groups to cooperate, coordinate, and create. Despite this
teach teamwork 35
2. Establish Benchmarks
3. Anchor Expectations
C
onstruction of knowledge. Students will devise a solution to a problem, create
a product, or answer a complex question by drawing upon their own internal assets,
thinking, and knowledge base.
Ask yourself: Does the project offer students sufficient time to think through a solution
to the challenge?
D isciplined inquiry. The inquiry process will take place within the specified dis-
cipline. Students are expected to end the inquiry process with a product that dem-
onstrates the use of prior knowledge, in-depth understanding, and elaborated com-
munication.
Ask yourself: Will students learn the history and facts about the topic?
Ask yourself: Will they learn concepts and essential themes?
Ask yourself: Will they know the vocabulary and terms appropriate to the topic?
2 Establish Benchmarks
A well-organized project inspires students confidence. Confidence leads to more fo-
cused behavior and improved performance. But instead of emphasizing due dates solely
for homework or tests, break the project into stages that represent steps in the solution
process. Have problem-solving deadlines by using the Project
Rubrics act as playbooks, Schedule (see Planning Tools) to help students identify when
showing students exactly what prototypes and drafts are due. Allow time for preparation of
final products. Consider other ways to establish benchmarks
they must do to perform.
and expectations:
Focus on mastery. Provide each student or team with a packet that contains the
Project Schedule, rubrics and grading plan, project overview, and any other core doc-
uments. Carefully review the packet with students. Focus on the rubrics, especially
the category for mastery.
Share documents, resources, and materials. Identify as many resources as you
can before the project begins. Include a resource list in the project packet. Make the
problem-solving process as accessible as possible to students.
Schedule presentations and exhibitions. Set the schedule for presentations early
in the project. Expect students to be ready on the date scheduled. Do not accept
requests such as Can we go tomorrow instead? Were not ready. If students have a
difficulty with the deadline, have them problem-solve a solution.
A sk for clarifying questions. After you present the project, allow time for clarify-
ing questions. The purpose and outline of the project must be completely clear for
students to see the problem and perform at their best.
Refine the project plan. If confusion or opposition arises about the project idea,
consider refining the project plan before proceeding. Taking a day to improve the
project will work better than continuing with a poorly planned project.
3 Anchor Expectations
Anchor expectations by discussing rubrics with students. First, be sure not to make the
common mistake of confusing scoring guides with rubrics. A scoring guide might award
ten points for having a cover page on a report; a rubric describes the quality of the cover
page. Good performance rubrics contain incisive verbs that describe specific levels of
competence.
T
eamwork and collaboration. A teamwork rubric describes how students inter-
act, make commitments, and establish productive relationships with each other. Ad-
vanced teamwork rubrics may assess more intangibles such as empathy and com-
passion.
P
resentation and communication. A presentation rubric should outline the ba-
sics of a front-of-the-room presentation. It may also include use of supporting media,
such as PowerPoint.
W
ork ethic. Work ethic includes setting goals, bringing materials, staying on task,
meeting deadlines, and turning in quality work.
Regardless of which rubrics you use, the key to improving student performance is to
anchor the descriptive language in students minds.
F
ocus your rubrics. When first using rubrics with students, choose one rubric
per project. Train students carefully on the rubric before moving to the next. Not all
skills need to be taughtor assessedin every project. After students have been
well trained on individual rubrics, the individual rubrics can be combined into one
project rubric.
D
econstruct the rubrics. Make sure students understand the vocabulary and
meaning of every word in the rubric. For example, have them highlight and discuss
the rubric, rewrite the rubric, and go through the rubric with a peer.
A
nchor the rubrics. If possible, provide previous student work for students to re-
view and assess according to the rubric. For example, have them review a video of a
presentation and evaluate it.
K
eep the rubrics visible. Give every student a copy of the rubric. Review it regu-
larly. When conferring with students, use the rubric as a coaching tool, comparing
their behavior to the language of the rubric.
H
ave students grade themselves. At the end of the project, have them assess
themselves and discuss their results in teams. Let them compare their assessments
with your observations.
Elementary students require grade-level appropriate rubrics. For very young students, use
rubrics with visuals, such as smiley faces. Add brief descriptors as students go into higher
grades. Focus on basic social skills that are age- and grade-level appropriate.
Assessment and evaluation are commonly misperceived. See assessment as the core of the
coaching process in which you help students improve performance by continuously ask-
ing three questions:
What actions can I take to help students understand key concepts, master skills, and
be aware of their personal strengths and challenges?
What instructional attention is necessary to help students learn?
What feedback from me will be most useful?
See evaluation as a set of questions that enables you to decide the level and quality of
student performance.
A lign your grade book with PBL. Standardized grade books may not permit grad-
ing for skills and personal strengths. If your grade book is not a flexible tool, you will
need to create your own mechanisms for recording skills, growth over time, and other
assessable pieces of a PBL project.
W
eight grades. Distribute grading throughout a project rather than recording
one grade at the end. This apportionment gives students an opportunity to perform
in several areas as well as to demonstrate their learning through the process of the
project.
U
se rubrics with a point scale. Rubric language can be directly translated into
a point scale by designing rubrics that link points to each column of performance.
Even more, the points can be distributed within a column to give you a fine-grained
tool for feedback and assessment.
See Chapter 10 for more details on building your assessment and grading projects.
See Teaching Innovation at the end of the chapter for ideas on how to make critical think-
ing visible in your classroom.
Teaching Innovation
Visible Thinking
A good PBL coach directs argument and dialogue by using well-developed visible think-
ing routines, such as the following core routines developed by the Harvard School of
Education. These procedures can be easily incorporated into any project plan. (See the
online folderslisted in the Index of Online Foldersfor links.)
2. Sustain PBL
3. Collaborate on Quality
6. Go Global
A
gree on a vision for your graduates. Whether students are exiting an elemen-
tary, middle, or high school, the end result is most important. For example, in high
school, what do you want your students to know and be able to do by the time they
graduate? Particularly, be specific about twenty-first-century skills. What core skills
should every student possess?
P
lan before school begins. Discussing the year ahead with colleagues before
school starts is a critical step in developing projects that fit the needs of your students.
What kinds of skills will new students have? Do they have PBL experience? What
does your team want them to learn by the end of the year? Use the items below to
guide a discussion with your colleagues about PBL and your students.
R
emove misconceptions about PBL. Teachers still hold misconceptions about
PBL, including confusing PBL and projects. Help colleagues understand that PBL
incorporates standards, does not require any more time than normal teaching, can be
used along with many other teaching methods, and relies on rigorous accountability.
S
hare best practices. Set aside time to discuss teaching methods that work in a
project. Be specific about techniques that worked, and why.
O
bserve colleagues. The door to your classroom should be open or transparent.
Visit each other during projects. Use a PBL Classroom Observation rubric to offer
helpful feedback. Confer in the spirit of improvement.
U
se protocols. Protocols use a simple set of norms to ensure good listening, perti-
nent questions, and targeted feedback. Protocols vary for different kinds of discus-
sions. But using the spirit of protocols in conversations with colleagues will help move
discussions from stories about daily events in the classroom to focused examination
of teaching methods and results.
M
ake staff presentations. Nearly all schools hold regular staff meetings. Often
these meetings, besides covering school business, offer opportunities for discussions
on teaching and learning. When a project is successful, bring several students into
a staff meeting to present the project, answer questions, and begin a discussion on
PBL.
S
how the world. Post work on the school website, invite a local news reporter to
events, or bring in industry experts to review a project.
L
ink to other schools. Find other PBL teachers with whom to share results. Have
student-to-student discussions. Invite cross-school teamwork.
3 Collaborate on Quality
Collaborative teams should focus relentlessly on the critical questions of student learn-
ing. What outcomes do you expect from PBL? How will you know if students are
learning? How will you respond and intervene if theyre not learning? How will you re-
Launch your project after a planning protocol. Plan your project as well as
you can, but then use a Critical Friends Protocol (see the Teaching Innovation in
Chapter 8) with colleagues to review and refine it. Their ideas will make the project
more effective. Gaps in projects usually result from not using the PBL methods,
such as crafting a good Driving Question. Colleagues can often help pinpoint these
gaps.
Regularly review student work from projects. Look for gaps in skills and content
mastery. Examine student work using a well-defined protocol that focuses on key
elements.
Use classroom visitations to improve your projects. Use the Japanese lesson
study approach to better teaching. Ask colleagues to observe your projects and PBL
approach. Use a PBL classroom observation rubric or other indicators of PBL com-
petencies. Debrief after the visit. What did your colleagues observe about your PBL
practice?
Go back to culture. An industrial school or classroom culture is not project-friendly.
If students cant work in teams, refuse to be accountable, or remain passive learners,
PBL will stall. Go back to team builders, work ethic rubrics, and other methods to
build your culture before proceeding with projects.
Get help from parents and your community. PBL should lead to better outcomes
for students. But shifting to PBL is hard work, and results will not be instant. Share
your projects and outcomes with parents and the wider community to help increase
expectations, develop new insights into teaching, and encourage community-wide
agreements on learning.
Compare results to the world, not your school. A well-defined set of outcomes
is in place worldwide through international comparison tests such as PISA (Pro-
gramme for International Student Assessment). Try to set a world-class standard of
achievement for your students. Those benchmarks, not local expectations, are the
ones that matter.
A rgue for quality. As a PBL champion, you will need to hold the vision for PBL,
which means arguing on behalf of the key elements that lead to outstanding projects.
This Guide highlights many of these elements, but here is a checklist for high-quality
PBL, as provided by Bob Lenz, chief executive officer of Envision Schools, a San
Franciscobased educational organization that operates four successful high schools
using PBL as their chief instructional method:
A timeline that is short or long, ranging from a few days to several weeks,
so students learn how to benchmark and manage projects of different sizes.
An engaging launch to hook students into taking on the project.
Academic rigor and alignment with standards allowing students to master content
knowledge and skills, and to demonstrate or apply that knowledge.
Capture a variety of data. Set up a template that includes, at minimum, the grade
in each project, the skills assessment, and other critical data such as work ethic and
Put tech in every project. As a PBL leader, you can help students prepare by
designing and supporting projects that use tools for collaboration, communication,
presentation, and problem solving. These tools take advantage of the digital knowl-
edge and experiences that students bring to the classroom and offer students the use
of real-world applications, as well as helping them become informed, expert digital
citizens. Innovation surges forward each dayand as digital natives, students push
harder than anyone. The end result is an avalanche of networks and tools that sup-
port the key elements of PBL. Sites change daily (see the Index of Online Folders for
the latest sites and tools). Current sites and Web 2.0 tools that support and enhance
PBL include:
Video or digital images. Students use Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, Ani-
moto, or similar sites to create videos.
Interactive posters/presentations. Students design presentations and posters
using Web resources such as Glogster, Flickr, Google Docs, VoiceThread, Wordle,
Kerpoof, and Fluxtime.
Podcasts/videocasts. Students create video or audio broadcasts using Audacity,
iTunes, Garageband, Netvibes, ccMixter, or Screentoaster.
Slide shows. Students share slides and visuals using Slideshare, Slideboom, and
Slideroll.
Collaborative sharing. Students collaborate on Class Wiki, Skype, Edmodo,
Twitter, Class Blog, Wiggio, Stupeflix Studio, Flixtime, SchoolTube, Moodle,
Ning, iPod Touch, Diigo, Delicious, YouTube, and Vimeo.
Technology extends to teachers as well. New PBL practices are emerging regularly as
more schools and teachers employ PBL methods. Stay abreast of best practices, contrib-
ute when possible, and link to the PBL community.
L
ook beyond education for guidance. Most of the best practices in PBL coach-
ing have originated in the fields of psychology and business coaching. Regularly con-
sult these resources for improving your coaching skills.
A ccess current PBL resources. Browse www.bie.org or www.edutopia.org to keep
abreast of new project exemplars, hear about success stories, or find out what bloggers
are saying about PBL. Use Twitter (@#PBL) to find out what the world community is
doing with PBL.
S tay current about educational trends. A knowledgeable teacher both contrib-
utes to and benefits from the steady flow of new information about testing, methods,
world-class standards, and global trends in education.
Blog and contribute. If your project is noteworthy, or you learned something about
PBL that the rest of the education community should know, share it. Share on www
.bie.org or the ASCD site, http://edge.ascd.org.
6 Go Global
Technology easily encircles the globe, but schools rarely use it to have students com-
municate and collaborate across national boundaries and with distant parts of the world.
However, more schools and districts are now focusing on global education and out-
comes. Encourage your school, colleagues, and yourself to reach out and conduct global
projects.
Two prominent organizations that support global projects in schools are Global School
Net (www.globalschoolnet.org) and the International Education and Resource Network
(www.iearn.org). How to get started? Here is a digest of suggestions from IEARN:
Partner with other teachers. Teachers who have been successful in doing interna-
tional collaborations have found that building a support community is essential. Start
by building support at your local school level. For professional development, partner
with several other teachers in your building who are also interested in international
collaborations. Get together to reflect on how Internet skills are developing, to ask
Technology will be essential for the next phase of PBL, when more projects take place
over distance learning channels or through hybrid classrooms in which teachers mentor
teams of students who conduct most of their work online. Many of these will be virtual
teams, using avatars who gather in digital workspaces. Already, early data from distance
projects indicate that students who use avatars adopt more positive learning habits than
do onsite peers.
Can distance projects work? Absolutely. But they require the careful use of PBL tools
to ensure quality and participation.
C
oaching. Online projects require a coach and mentor. Students are responsible for
information, but they need help in organizing and applying what they know.
C
ollaboration rubrics. Online students must be anchored in etiquette, expecta-
tions, and collaborative methods. A peer collaboration rubric adapted for a virtual
environment can set the right expectations and tone for the project.
P
erformance guidelines. Products delivered online tend to highlight technology
and can easily neglect the conventions and core knowledge associated with the topic
or discipline. Create performance or project rubrics for major online projects to re-
flect brick-and-mortar expectations.
Design
the Project
D
aydream. Often an idea for a project will surface unexpectedly. The best projects
come from ideas generated while driving a long highway on the morning commute or
singing in the shower. First, think of creative ideas, and then tie the project to your
standards or units of instruction.
L ook within a mile of school. Problems and challenges exist everywhere. Most
can be found locally, close to school, or at least in your community. Look for social
ills, nature centers that need support, contested issues, or any challenge faced by lo-
cal government or residents.
R ead the headlines. Stay alert for national or global issues that tie into your cur-
riculum. Then plan a project around the issue.
Put a soft focus on your standards. Review your standards. Why do students
learn about this subject or topic? If the answer is Its on the test, then dont plan a
Limit the subjects. Combine no more than two or three subjects. Schoolwide proj-
ects that involve five or six different teachers may carry through a theme but rarely
result in an assessable project.
D
istinguish an interdisciplinary project from parallel instruction. An in-
terdisciplinary project blends content from two or more courses into a single project,
uses one question to drive the project, and relies on a shared product for assessment.
Parallel instruction reflects a common theme but uses separate assessments and
curriculum.
L
ook for a natural fit. Any combination of subjects can be integrated into a proj-
ect, but combining subjects that fit naturallysuch as math and scienceis usually
easier. Even easier is to make one teacher the lead, with the greater responsibilities,
and use the teacher of the second subject to fill in gaps, deepen information, or teach
specific skills necessary for the projects success. For example, a history project may
benefit from essay skills taught in language arts.
P
lan for planning time. Interdisciplinary projects fail without the opportunity to
collaborate. Set aside planning time during the school day.
Is this challenge a big idea or a unit theme? Is the challenge meaningful
to students and to the world? Are you inventing a challenge just to cover the right
material?
Does the challenge capture a problem, dilemma, or question? The challenge
must force students to analyze, critique, weigh, solve, and choose.
Does the challenge encourage enduring understanding, lead to a meaning-
ful result, and have value beyond school? The challenge should be rooted in the
real world, with meaning beyond school. PBL can help you get students ready for
the test, but thats not the primary goal of a challenge.
Does the challenge require in-depth inquiry, evidence, and analysis? How
easy or difficult will it be for students to meet the challenge? Will they have to dig a
bit, persevere, and think?
Does the solution encourage creativity and construction of knowledge? The
opportunity to create a better solution or product in response to a challenge is a pow-
erful driver of student performance.
Does the challenge encompass important standards? If the challenge is worth-
while, it will show up in the standards. Look for standards that students will learn as
they address the challenge.
Can the challenge be solved without using elaborated communication and
the conventions of the discipline? At the end of a project, students should be
Teaching Innovation
Finding Exemplars
The number of available project exemplars has grown considerably in the last five years,
and many can be found either online or in publications. Look through exemplars for ideas
on projects. Some projects will fit your needs exactly and can be duplicated; others will
be sources of inspiration.
Online libraries
The Buck Institute for Education (www.bie.org) maintains an extensive resource bank
for projects, searchable by grade level and subject. Often, these projects are fully docu-
mented, with rubrics and teaching and learning activities outlined. This site also of-
fers numerous videos of projects for all grade levels. Use the Project Search tool on the
website.
The George Lucas Educational Foundation (www.edutopia.org) offers teachers an
extensive video library of projects.
Publications
All publications from the Buck Institute for Education contain project examples. PBL
in the Elementary Grades highlights seven sample elementary projects, while the PBL
Starter Kit spotlights six examples from various grade levels. The Project Based Learning
Handbook details five high school and middle school projects.
F
ocus on a meaningful question that invites in-depth exploration. Questions
of this kind are useful for examining a clash of ideas, resolving philosophical differ-
ences, or probing a problem.
U
se a problem-based template. PBL grew out of problem-based learning, in
which students were assigned roles and expected to solve a well-constructed problem.
Problem-based learning typically uses a template for a question. Usually, the template
designates specific roles for students and focuses on a clearly defined solution: How
can we, as ______ (role), ______ (do, create, design, build, etc.) for/to _____ (purpose)?
A World History Example: You are planning a tenth-grade world history project
focused on the Enlightenment and revolutionary thought, with an emphasis on revolu-
tions in England, France, and the United States. Students will compare and contrast the
Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution
and their enduring effects worldwide on the political expectations for self-government
and individual liberty.
A Science Example: You are planning a ninth-grade integrated science project fo-
cused on ecology and climate change. The projects purpose is to make students under-
stand that ecology is affected by warming or cooling of the planet. You also want the
project to have a local angle, so that students somehow study their own ecology. In addi-
tion, you intend for the project to incorporate the following standards: (1) recognizing that
biodiversity is the sum total of a regions different organisms; (2) knowing how to analyze
changes in an ecosystem; (3) comprehending how populations fluctuate; (4) knowing the
water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle; (5) be familiar with the role of producers and decom-
posers; and (6) understanding the energy pyramid in a food web.
The challenge is for students to realize that humans are part of the ecology, and that
scientists encounter difficulties calculating the exact effects of climate change.
The Initial Driving Question: How can we use our knowledge of ecological principles
to predict how climate change affects biodiversity in our local ecosystem?
Teaching Innovation
Protocols for Voice and Choice
Student voice and choice is an essential element of PBL. PBL teachers have the op-
portunity to go beyond traditional notions of student voice by engaging students in a
structured dialogue that allows them to shape the quality and direction of their learning,
as well as to learn communication and collaboration skills, develop habits of reflection
and deeper thinking, and apply analytical reasoning to project design and outcomes. The
key is to use protocols.
A protocol is a computer-age term that can be defined as a set of procedures to be
followed when communicating. Protocols are characterized by norms that encourage
clear presentation of the issue, attentive listening, nonjudgmen-
Shifting the question from tal feedback, time to reflect, and problem-solving suggestions.
a knowing question to a Protocols can be designed to improve planning and design of
a project, refine the direction of the project, assess results and
feeling question invites more
outcomes, and reflect on future projects.
engagement from students. Typically, protocols are most powerful and effective when
used within an ongoing professional learning community and
facilitated by a skilled coach. Educators have developed numerous protocols for the
classroom. Most are available through the National School Reform Faculty resource site,
http://www.nsrfharmony.org. The examples below have been adapted from that site.
All protocols need to be modeled and practiced several times before they are effective.
Start by acting as the facilitator, then teach students how to facilitate.
As a PBL coach, consider adapting the following three protocols for use during a
project.
1. Assign roles
Students agree on presenters and work sample to be discussed. Have students choose a
facilitator and timekeeper.
2. Set up roles
This protocol requires a timekeeper and a facilitator. The facilitators role is to help the
triad stay focused on analyzing the Best Practices in the work sample. Best Practice is
defined as a process that proved to be highly effective in achieving the intended outcome.
5. Take turns
Each of the other members of the group takes turns sharing a Best Practice and what
made it so successful, followed by clarifying questions and group discussion analyzing
how the practice differs from other practices.
C
hoose an audience. An authentic audience improves performance; the teacher
as audience does the reverse. Plan for the highest-stakes audience possible. Can you
bring in experts or guest panelists to serve as judges? Can students present their work
outside of school?
C
reate a high-stakes exhibition. Large-scale projects often culminate in a presen-
tation of learning or exhibition that involves community members, business represen-
tatives, and parents. Such high-visibility presentations make a game-changing impact
on students. Although they require practice and logistics planning, they change stu-
dent perceptions and expectations about learning and invite them to work harder in
the future.
D
ecide on a public product. If a performance is not possible, think, How do I
get students work out there? Post products on websites or in the hallways. Present
at lunchtime in the cafeteria or in another class. Go to the elementary school down
the block.
E
nvision success. Use your imagination to see the outcome of the project. How will
students behave, speak, and perform?
Coach the teams. Once you have identified the audience and the product, analyze
your teams. What do students need to know? What do they need to be able to do?
How will you encourage high-level performance? Using both observation and dis-
cussion with students, catalogue their skill deficiencies. Do they need to be more
empathetic, become better listeners, or learn the finer points of team leadership?
Younger students often need help in self-management, such as meeting deadlines and
following through on commitments. Older students need to learn facilitation, project
management, and brainstorming skills.
Clarify the task. Introduce the concepts and overall tasks to the teams. Have them
thoroughly discuss the why of the project and help them articulate its context. You
may choose to have students produce a product early in the process that demonstrates
they understand their mission.
Rewrite your collaboration rubric. If necessary, analyze and rewrite your col-
laboration rubric to identify specific behaviors and teamwork skills you would like to
emphasize in the project.
Make collaboration your ally. Teamwork is not just a way to get along; its a means
to brainstorm solutions and perfect products. The more your students collaborate
in high-performance teams, the better the project. Use teams to reflect on prog-
ress, critique products, offer solutions for refinement, and develop team standards for
achievement.
Identify the key standards to be taught. Choose no more than three to five
standards, depending on the length of the project. You goal is to go deep, so keep the
list short.
Imagine the project flow. Projects have a rhythm, beginning with students initial
work to engage themselves in the Driving Question and learn the basic information
Time. Allocate sufficient time for team collaboration, extended work periods, skills
training, peer feedback and reflection, and presentation practice.
F
ormative assessment. Schedule in time to check for understanding as well as
team growth and performance. Interventions require time, as does group feedback.
S
tructure. Decide when teams or expert groups do the workand when you do the
work at the front of the room. Organize students as research groups that investigate
aspects of a topic and then contribute to the overall solution, or as teams that focus
on the overall question. If the project is long enough, research groups can present
findings to the class and new teams can be formed to answer the Driving Question.
D
ocuments and tools. Prepare all vital documents, technology tools, rubrics, and
handouts ahead of the project and make them available to students.
F
acilitation. Allow time for meeting with team leaders, mentoring teams, and hear-
ing progress reports to monitor the quality of work being produced.
E
xperts and guest artists. Schedule site visits, field trips, training and consulta-
tion from outside experts, or classroom visits by guest artists from the community.
C
ritical content. In addition to normal scaffolding of topics, concepts, and stan-
dards, plan time for in-class workshops, peer tutoring, or other mechanisms for learn-
ing factual or foundational information necessary to succeed in the project.
Presentations. Plan for top presentation performance by analyzing and breaking
down the tasks into a series of steps. Decide which steps need to be taught, practiced,
or refined. Schedule time for peer-to-peer practice. Have students evaluate one an-
other against a presentation rubric. Allow class time for rehearsal.
A rtwork, PowerPoint, and public documents. Specify the requirements for any
visual product, using a rubric if available. Create deadlines and collect drafts ahead
of presentations. Have students revise and edit all displays. Require that posters be
well drawn with no misspellings. Allow time for PowerPoint documents to be revised
before presentations. Emphasize that public documents, such as web pages, need to
be edited before posting.
Frame each stage of the project with a sub-question. Each week, start with a
sub-question that supplements the Driving Question or serves as a prompt for think-
ing or reflection. At the end of the week, check for understanding.
Relate the topics to the larger purpose or context. When teaching topics,
ask students to speculate on how the information contributes to understanding the
concept.
Give regular open-ended assignments. Use brief journal entries, short essays, or
reflective exercises to remind students of the concepts.
A ssign a problem log or idea journal to be kept throughout the project. Have
students reflect regularly on their knowledge of the topics and understanding of the
concept. Use peer discussions to share ideas.
Results. As a PBL teacher, you are also a project manager. Smart managers begin
with the results they want to achieve. They eliminate everything that doesnt support
this goal. Stay focused on a small number of core project outcomesand let every-
thing fall in place around those outcomes. Your focus in a project is threefold: skills,
content, and personal strengths.
Teaching Innovation
Global-Age Skills
A decade ago, educators began to compile a list of skills essential for postsecondary edu-
cation, work, and citizenship in an information-based, global world. The Partnership for
Twenty-First-Century Skills breaks the list into three categories:
Life skills
Ethics
Accountability
What is wrong with lists like this? Nothing, except how do you choose what to teach in
your projects? The best approach is to familiarize yourself with the new basic skills and
then focus on a limited number of skills and attitudes that your students should master.
Dont get caught up in the need to teach everything. A few skills, well learned, will make
the difference in the lives of your students. Teach and assess no more than two skills per
project.
Facts. Facts can be defined as information that can be easily retrieved. For exam-
ple, search the Internet for the five causes of the American Civil War and the infor-
mation comes back within thirty seconds. Facts may need to be learned, for general
knowledge or for an exam. But the bulk of responsibility for learning facts rests with
students, not with teachers. Knowledge of facts can be assessed through short-answer
and multiple-choice exams or other similar instruments.
Concepts. Mastering concepts requires a blend of basic knowledge (knowing the
conventions and vocabulary of the topic) as well as a deeper understanding of the
process and context of the topic. Some concepts may be considered macro-concepts,
which are large, overarching concepts that embrace a range of topics. Some are micro-
concepts, which are more specific. See Section 3 of this chapter for tips on assessing
concepts.
S kills. Skills are specific behaviors that can be demonstrated and are the visible
results of internal processes of thinking and application. It is common to confuse
attitudes with skills. For example, global awareness and compassion are not skills.
Assess skills through rubrics that break down behaviors into observable elements.
P rocesses. Processes such as critical thinking, reflection, flexibility, resilience, and
empathy take place internally. Judge processes by specific results (Is the student act-
ing empathetically toward teammates?) or through reflective mechanisms such as
journals. Grading processes is highly subjective.
D emonstrations. Demonstrations are exhibitions of learning that integrate all of
the above. During a presentation, students offer facts, interpret concepts, demon-
strate skills, use standards-based vocabulary, and reveal their creativity and depth
of thinking. Assessing demonstrations requires a holistic approach using a series of
rubrics or a detailed project rubric.
Collaboration
Presentation and communication
Critical thinking
Creativity
Work ethic
Note that any of these rubrics can be elaborated or adapted to your needs. Also, you
might focus on particular rubrics and revise them to suit a specific purpose. For example,
if your students request too many passes during class, incorporate that into the work ethic
rubric.
Core content
Address core content through traditional evaluation tools, such as tests, essays, or other
common instruments. Use what is normal for your teaching style and subject, and what
is appropriate for your students. Capture factual knowledge, vocabulary, and concepts.
If you choose to use standards-based grading, list the key standards in the project and
decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of each standard. This assessment
also may be done through homework, essays, tests, or similar means.
Assessing conceptual-level understanding is always difficult, and you may choose to
assess conceptual understanding through several channels. Key principles, generaliza-
tions, and big ideas should be addressed in major products, teams conversations, class
discussions, and the reflections at the end of the project. In general, seek to have students
Graded exhibitions
If you decide to assess and grade the final exhibition of learning, use
In PBL, the range of
a separate rubric that covers specific aspects of the exhibition, such
as the ability to answer questions from the audience or present using
learning extends far
technology. Many PBL teachers choose not to grade the final exhibi- beyond content mastery.
tion, treating it as a celebration or culmination of the project.
Project rubrics
Instead of using separate rubrics, you may prefer to utilize one project rubric to evaluate
the project. A project rubric has the advantage of capturing all the project outcomes on
one sheet, making it easy to use and easy for students to understand. The disadvantage
is that the language of a project rubric may be shorter and less descriptive. Use both
individual skills rubrics and project rubrics, depending on whether you want to focus on
particular skills or a more holistic outcome.
Typically, a project rubric includes the following:
M
ajor products. This section describes in detail the criteria for top performance on
the major products.
Content. Core content objectives and evaluation criteria may require two columns.
Skills. This section may include a column for teamwork or presentations, or both.
Evaluate no more than two skills per project.
P rocess. Allocate one column to work ethic, empathy, leadership, or any other per-
sonal strength that students will focus on during the project.
Explanation. Can students explain the why and how of an idea or phenomenon?
Review your project rubrics for language in the mastery column that rewards students
for full explanations, not just recitals of facts.
Interpretation. What does it mean? What does it matter? Students who have per-
spective on a concept can tell you. Teach how to interpret through discussions on the
Driving Question, responses to the weekly sub-questions, or reflective essays. Con-
sider grading growth over time rather than giving one cumulative grade.
Application. Using the concepts in a novel or diverse context shows deep mastery.
Build this facet into your descriptions of the final product, or create a Q&A column in
your rubrics that requires students to answer questions that rely on their conceptual
understanding.
Perspective. The primary goal is to have students assume another point of view
when considering an idea. Use the critical thinking rubric for this purpose.
Empathy. Empathy is the ability to get inside another persons feelings and world-
view. Use the collaboration rubric for this purpose, and include it in the final project
grade. Many schools now use a rule of thumb: Ten percent of the project grade is
based on teamwork.
Self-knowledge. The ultimate expression of conceptual thinking is the ability to
recognize ones ignorance. Teach students to probe each others statements and as-
sertions. Peer-to-peer evaluation works well for this purpose; have them score each
other.
Use rubrics with point scales. Translating a rubric score into a point total that fits
into a grade book can confuse both teacher and students. Use rubrics that have points
included in the columns.
Weigh every project differently. The only guideline: Grade skills and content, not
just content alone.
Include formative grading. Never wait until the end of the project to issue a grade.
Use formative assessments along the way, and note those assessments in your grade
book. Help each student develop a cumulative record of progress.
Grade teams. In industry, teams are often assessed on their groups ability to achieve
a goal. Train students to think in terms of team commitments and executionand
grade them accordingly.
T
he final exhibition. Focus the end-of-project presentations on the Driving
Question.
T
ests and essays. Make one core product a test or essay focused on answering the
Driving Question.
P
ost-project reflection. The project is not complete until students reflect on their
performance after project activities end. Reflection always includes review of the
Driving Question and students appraisal of how well they have answered the Driving
Question. See the section on reflection in Chapter 13 for tips on this process.
Teaching Innovation
Assessing Creativity
Can we really teach or assess creativity? That question challenges educators under
increasing pressure from society to produce a new generation of problem solvers and
innovators.
Why is it a challenge? Because teaching creativityor even its close cousin, critical
thinkingis not remotely similar to teaching the photosynthesis cycle or the causes of
World War I. The skills of innovation and creativity can be lumped into a mysterious set
of processes that human beings use to make sense of their world; they enter a dark tun-
nel of confusion and reemerge with a solution. How this occurs no one knows. How we
teach the process were not quite sure. Assessing the journey though this dark tunnel and
evaluating the end product are even more difficult. Think of judging a piece of modern
art. Its that subjective.
Manage
the Process
T
he Entry Event. Introduce the challenge with a provocative discussion, video,
guest lecture, timely article, or any other means you think will hook students into the
project by stimulating their curiosity and interest.
T
he Entry Document. A more formal, written mechanism, the Entry Document
engages students in the project by setting forth the problem or challenge and asking
students to form teams to solve it. A good Entry Document establishes clear roles and
tasks for the students, generates questions, and outlines a lucid timeline and assess-
ment criteria for the project.
T
he Know/Need to Know chart. Both the Entry Event and Entry Document
should raise questions in students minds. What do they already know? What more do
they need to know to solve the problem? Start a Know/Need to Know chart to capture
questions and current knowledge. Keep the chart running throughout the project and
update it every few days. This tool is excellent for managing the project process and
tracking student learning.
U
se a protocol to refine the question. Offer a draft question that students refine
through a protocol or structured discussion that allows them to reframe or improve
the questionand thoroughly own the project.
C
reate a question. The process can work in reverse: Once students understand the
objectives of the project, use a process to have them draft a Driving Question. You
can then refine the question as necessary.
Teaching Innovation
Love of Learning
Nearly every teacher hopes to instill in students the essential values and habits of mind
that make for good citizenship, fulfilling lives, and lifelong curiosity. But no one has in-
vented a method for teaching love of learning. PBL, however, does offer you a unique pro-
cess for fostering the fundamental qualities of character associated with love of learning.
Each of us has a personal view on character, so any list of defining qualities is incom-
plete. But you have to start somewhere. In Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook
and Classification (Oxford University Press, 2004), positive psychologists Christopher
Peterson and Martin Seligman identified the most commonly accepted strengths of char-
acter. Here are seven strengths that fit well with any PBL project:
C
reativity. The ability to produce ideas or behaviors that are recognizably original is
closely tied to innovation: the ideas must be adaptable and useful to oneself or others.
The PBL solution? Use the breakthrough rubric for creativity.
C uriosity. Curiosity is an intrinsic desire for experience and knowledge, plus an ac-
tive pursuit of challenging activities.
T he PBL solution? Create a challenging project focused on an engaging Driving
Question.
O pen-mindedness. A person who possesses this strength willingly searches for
evidence against favored beliefs, plans, or goals and weighs such evidence when it is
available.
T he PBL solution? A good Driving Question requires problem solving and critical thinking
the hallmarks of open-mindedness.
P ersistence. Persistence is the voluntary continuation of a goal-directed activity in
spite of obstacles, difficulties, or discouragement. Nothing defines a good learner
more than this strength.
T he PBL solution? Use a work ethic rubric and have students keep journals on their abil-
ity to work through difficult challenges.
C itizenship. Citizenship includes social responsibility, loyalty, and teamwork. Stu-
dents who learn citizenship feel a sense of obligation that includes the self but ex-
tends beyond their own self-interest.
2. Insist on Norms
Forming teams that will do quality work is a crucial task in the first days of the project.
The earlier team members begin to work together, the more responsibility for the project
they take on. Follow a step-by-step process. Allow for these steps in your Project Sched-
ule (see the form at the back of this book).
Discuss teams versus groups. Remind students of the difference between a group
and a team. A team relies on each members commitment to one anothers success,
has a well-defined purpose, and uses the combined resources of the team to produce
a better product.
Issue guidelines. The process of actually forming teams can be highly directive
(you may choose all members beforehand), or it can be a longer process of self-
selection based on interests and abilities. If you opt for the longer process, have strict
guidelines in place when you introduce the project. Decide the size of teams (teams
of three to five members work well, but use your best judgment), how teams will
function, and the criteria that students will use to decide how teams are formed. One
rule of thumb: If teams have not worked well before, take more time with the team
selection and formation process.
focus on quality 97
Early in the project, introduce the concept of continuous improvement and the cycle
of quality. Many variations exist in this cycle, but all contain the same basic elements.
One simple version, for example, looks like this:
Ask
Reflect Investigate
Discuss Create
2 Insist on Norms
At the beginning of the project, set expectations and lay the foundation for smooth team
functioning. Expect teams to operate by agreements and norms. At the same time, recog-
nize that this process is ongoing.
Early in the project, all team members should be able to answer the following five
questions:
Help teams set norms. With younger students, this step may require more time.
Teams should begin with agreements on how they will operate, speak to one another,
honor their commitments, and handle breakdowns. Each time a new member joins
a team (if a new student arrives, or if teams get reshuffled for any reason), the team
needs to readdress their norms.
A
pprove contracts and operating documents. Norms vary, from informal short
lists of agreements to more comprehensive contract documents. If you want teams to
write a longer document, allow time in the Project Schedule.
R
eflect on commitments. Have students discuss their commitments to one
anothers successand why they could fail. How will they
regroup? The ultimate power of
R
eflect on strengths. After students understand the proj-
collaboration stems from the
ect, have them examine and reflect on the strengths and
challenges they bring to the team. experience of discovering
eview rubrics. Teams should review the assessments for solutions that cannot be
R
the project so that their tasks and objectives are clear. found by the individual alone.
M
ine for conflict. Take time to discuss differences and
potential personality conflicts.
H
ave teams identify the skills necessary for success. Discuss problem solving,
communication, listening, objectivity, empathy, and asking for help.
E
mphasize first meetings and initial actions. Start fast. Give teams a task to
accomplish right away. Review results. Set a quick pace, with high expectations.
Intervene early. Be ready to regroup and go back to basics if a team falls apart.
Remember that introducing a new team member requires revising the norms.
Use positive feedback. Becoming a good, contributing team member takes time
and maturity. Look for what students are doing right as team members. Use positive
feedback to instruct other team members.
Celebrate success. If a team finishes tasks early or shows signs of good perfor-
mance, allow them downtime and the opportunity to celebrate.
Review the tools for teams in Chapter 4. Incorporate into your project plan the use of con-
tracts, work ethic rubrics, or collaboration rubrics. These tools will enable you to gauge
and direct team performance.
focus on quality 99
Introduce the Driving Question in the second week of the project. Occa-
sionally, letting your students grapple with information or wrestle with an issue before
you share the Driving Question with them works better. After a bit of research and
thinking, they may find the question more provocative.
Introduce a twist. In classic problem based learning, teachers introduce a twist or
new piece of information that changes the direction or parameters of the project. Use
this technique by withholdingand then disclosinga key set of facts or conditions
that forces students to rethink and replan.
Use Big Think tools. Use the visible thinking routines cited in Chapter 5 or
similar thinking games to stimulate argument, inquiry, and exchange. For exam-
ple, in The Big Think (Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 2009), authors David
Loertscher, Carol Koechlin, and Sandi Zwaan suggest that students stretch their
thinking by asking questions:
Use the sandbox approach. Encourage fun and creativity by having teams con-
struct interpretive visuals, string webs to connect information, brainstorm how a
concept feels or what it sounds like, build a collage of ideas, or create a short skit.
R
eview the rubrics. Well-written rubrics constitute the best guide for Turn an open-ended,
quality. Carry the rubrics with you as you work with teams; constantly
bring students back to the expectations and standards contained in the
debatable issue into
rubrics. Use the rubrics as a coaching tool to improve products. a teachable moment.
G
rade drafts and prototypes. In the Project Schedule, establish
clear due dates for drafts, prototypes, or any other products that give you a clear view
of progress. Grade these products, with extensive feedback.
A
llow time for practice for exhibitions or presentations. The bigger the audi-
ence for the final presentation, the more practice students need. Allot time in the last
week for peer-to-peer practice and final run-throughs under conditions as close as
possible to the real event. Many students find that practicing their presentation in the
hall or auditorium helps make the final product sharper.
M
ake the work public. If the project does not include presentations, make sure
that the core product will be posted in a public place or be viewed outside of class
or school.
R
eplan the final week. As the project comes to a close, review your schedule and
replan if necessary. A coach knows that flexibility is essential; always respond to
changed circumstances with a revised plan to fill gaps, anticipate unexpected delays,
or teach essential information that dropped out along the way.
Teaching Innovation
The Value of Critique
The phrase doing beautiful work was coined by Ron Berger, author of An Ethic of
Excellence (Heinemann, 2003). His protocols for peer critique of student workwhich
results in far higher qualityhas been adapted by other teachers. Consider the following
adaptation.
Purpose
The purpose of the critique is to teach students particular skills. Do not use this time as
an opportunity for the whole class to give a student feedback on his or her work.
Critique Rules
Be kind.
Be specific.
Be helpful.
3. Reteach If Necessary
K now why students will exhibit. Be sure to scale exhibitions. Sometimes a poster
presentation in the hallways is sufficient to make work public. At other times, a com-
munity event is the best venue for student work. Vary exhibitions during the year ac-
cording to your time and needs. One large, high-stakes presentation per school year
may be sufficient.
Plan according to the school calendar. Identify an important date on the school
calendar, such as Open House, when exhibition of work is particularly appropriate.
Plan projects around that date.
A llow for practice and mastery. Schedule sufficient practice time in the last week
of the project. Have students do their last practice presentations in the same room as
the final presentation. Review dress, logistics, and outcomes with students.
Use an exhibition checklist. Develop a comprehensive list of the tasks necessary
for a successful exhibition. Assign responsibilities and due dates.
Have students do the planning. Planning exhibitions teaches teamwork, logistics,
and other useful skills. As the project winds down, assign a team of students to be
your planning committee.
Showcase PBL. If you would like your students parents and community to better
understand PBL, create a showcase event. Have students present work, answer ques-
tions, and engage in conversation with parents and other adults about what theyve
learnedand how they like it. Invite your fellow teachers and the local press as well.
At the end of the reflection, gather potential ideas for other projects. Even if you cant
yet plan for them, the ideas may be handy in the future. To build team spirit and enthu-
siasm for another project, remember to celebrate after the end of the reflection. Use the
Reflection Matrix in the Online Folders (see the index of them at the back of this book)
for additional guidance.
3 Reteach If Necessary
As you review the project and participate in the reflection, note any gaps in knowledge or
obvious concerns about the learning. If necessary, fill the gaps by reteaching a lesson or
incorporating the gaps into subsequent lessons.
Involving parents in projects is productive for several reasons. Projects show parents what
quality learning in the twenty-first century can be. Parents enjoy seeing their children
as motivated, enthusiastic students. And parents recognize that the skills taught through
projects will be critical to their childrens success. PBL teachers have effectively involved
parents in various ways:
A
sk parents to serve as judges. Parents can sit on panels for presentations and use
rubrics you provide to assess student performance.
Use parents to raise the stakes. During an exhibition, have students circulate
among students and ask questions. Give parents prompts before the exhibition.
Debrief with parents. Have a student-teacher-parent discussion after the project.
What did parents see that they liked? What do they question? What suggestions do
they have?
Plan with parents. Thinking about projects for the year ahead? Sit down with a
small team of parents and plan together.
Project Schedule
Participants: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
The Project Design Cycle begins with an authentic challenge that asks
children to solve a real-world problem or address a meaningful issue.
Capture the challenge in the form of a Driving Question.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Can you make the challenge more authentic and more likely to lead
to deeper learning?
Review the scope of the challenge. Do you need to make it more manageable?
Put a soft focus on your standards. Does the challenge help students learn
the content of your course?
How could students present their solutions at the end of the project? To whom?
3. Imagine the students at the end of the project. What will they know?
How will solving the challenge add to their knowledge and lives?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Discuss your draft question with colleagues. Refine and redraft the question
as necessary.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
The final Driving Question may change as you proceed in your planning.
Keep the space below blank until you complete your planning.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Identify methods you will use to refine the Driving Question with students.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. List the key skills that students must master to succeed in the project.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
4. Describe the key personal strength of habit of mind that will help students
succeed in this project.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
1) _______________________________________________________________
2) _______________________________________________________________
3) _______________________________________________________________
4) _______________________________________________________________
5) _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Major Product:
Major Product:
Skill:
Skill:
Work Ethic:
Personal Strength:
If your school uses standards-based grading, create a grading matrix for each standard
that students will learn in the project. Fill in the PROFICIENT column with criteria.
1 2 3 4
standard d = 1.501.99 c = 2.002.49 b = 2.502.99 A = 3.004.00
___________ ____________ proficient ____________
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Major Product:
Major Product:
Skill:
Skill:
Work Ethic:
Content:
Total: 100%
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Exemplars _____
2. Create the Entry Event for the project. Attach it to the Project Design Cycle form.
focus on quality
1. How will you form teams?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. How will you use revision and reflection to assure quality products?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. How will students reflect on their performance at the end of the project?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
5. With all of the above in mind, fill out your Project Schedule.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Participants: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
The Project Design Cycle begins with an authentic challenge that asks
children to solve a real-world problem or address a meaningful issue.
Capture the challenge in the form of a Driving Question.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Can you make the challenge more authentic and more likely to lead
to deeper learning?
How could children present their solutions at the end of the project? To whom?
3. Imagine the children at the end of the project. What will they know?
What new social skills will they be able to demonstrate? How will solving the
challenge add to their knowledge and lives?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Note: For very young children, the challenge and Driving Question may be identical.
Discuss your draft question with colleagues. Refine and redraft the question as
necessary. The final Driving Question may change as you proceed in your planning.
Keep the space below blank until you complete your planning.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
List ways that the children can help you refine the challenge or the Driving Question.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. Describe the key social and academic skills that children will learn in the project.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
1) _______________________________________________________________
2) _______________________________________________________________
3) _______________________________________________________________
4) _______________________________________________________________
5) _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
4. How will you evaluate the social skills to be learned in the project?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Major Product:
Major Product:
Skill:
Skill:
Work Ethic:
Social Skill:
If your school uses standards-based grading, create a grading matrix for each standard
that children will learn in the project. Fill in the PROFICIENT column with criteria.
1 2 3 4
standard d = 1.501.99 c = 2.002.49 b = 2.502.99 A = 3.004.00
___________ ____________ proficient ____________
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Major Product:
Major Product:
Skill:
Skill:
Work Ethic:
Social Skill:
Content:
Total: 100%
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Exemplars _____
2. Create the Entry Event for the project. Attach it to the Project Design Cycle form.
focus on quality
1. Will the project include specific ways to build collaboration?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. How will you use revision and reflection to assure quality products?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. How will students reflect on their performance at the end of the project?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
5. With all of the above in mind, fill out your Project Schedule.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
WEEK ONE
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content:
WEEK TWO
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content:
WEEK three
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content:
WEEK four
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content:
WEEK five
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content:
WEEK six
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content:
WEEK seven
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content:
WEEK eight
Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process: Project Process:
Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: Project Content: