Project-Based Learning

Gail Lovely

www.GailLovely.com

Email: Gail@GailLovely.com

What Makes it PBL?

Centrality

PBL projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum

Driving Question

PBL projects are focused on questions or problems that "drive" students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline

Constructive Investigations

The central activities of the project must involve the construction of knowledge on the part of students

Autonomy

Projects are student-driven to some significant degree

Realism

Projects are realistic or authentic, not school-like

Projects – are they REALLY PBL?

• http://www.psd267.wednet.edu/~kfranz/SchoolYear0102/socialstudies0102/comfortqu.html

• http://www.project-approach.com/examples/projects.htm#4-6

• http://www.gsn.org/cf/winners/winners2002.html

• http://www.bie.org/pbl/resources/examples.php

• http://www.gsn.org/pr/_cfm/index.cfm

• http://virtualschoolhouse.visionlink.org/projects.htm

One of the best resources and great examples:

• http://glef.org/index.html

• http://www.iearn.org/

Evaluation - Rubrics

• Online Resources:

Checklists

http://www.4teachers.org/projectbased/checklist.shtml

Rubrics

http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/rubric_bank.html

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/templates.shtml#first

Support and More Information

PBL Network – AutoDesk

http://www.k12reform.org/foundation/pbl/

The Project Approach – ECE and Elem

http://www.project-approach.com/default.htm

More to learn – here’s where:

Conference:

http://www.co-necting2kids.net/

Explanation

• What IS it?

– http://www.project-approach.com/

– http://college.hmco.com/education/pbl/background.html#TheBasics

Justification

• http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/WhyPBL.html

• http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed368509.html

• http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/pblresch.htm

• http://www.k12reform.org/foundation/pbl/research/

A Few more things to remember:

Make it YOUR Project

• Start SMALL

• Start local or join a work in progress

• Let it shift to fit YOUR learners

• Evaluate process, progress and products

• Share, share, share