Do you want to engage your students in Project Based Learning (PBL)? Maybe you are asking yourself what is PBL really? Am I doing it right?
Well, first of all, the most important thing to understand is that PBL is a construct made up by human beings and so there are lots of variations! And you are entitled to construct your own version, too, within some parameters.
My suggestion is to study many of the great resources that are available to you and then create your own working definition and effective PBL practice. (I’ve included some of my favourite resources below.)
Some Parameters to Consider
I have created this diagram, enhanced by the critical eye of Brenda Sherry, which may be useful as you consider what is important to you and to your students.
We like to think with the frame of continua rather than dichotomies simply because things are rarely on or off, black or white, ones or zeroes! Flipping from one end to the other may not be the best solution for you! You may choose to slide more in one direction as suits your experience, the student’s experience, the purpose, type of project, and so on.
You could likely add other dimensions to consider as you build your own understandings and beliefs!
Trust
Who is in control? Who is initiating the project? Whose passion is being honoured with the project? Who is setting the goals, timelines, and motivation? Are you scaffolding the students’ success through templates, calendars, checklists, rubrics or are you unwittingly stealing their locus of control and micromanaging them. Been there. Done that! Thought I was helping them by giving them lots of assistance!
Questioning
Who is asking the question to be investigated in the project? The student or the teacher? Is the question a ‘deep, driving question’? Is it a ‘fat’ question or a ‘skinny’ one?
Collaboration
If the projects are collaborative in nature, you may wish to consider the amount of interdependence that students have with one another. Are they merely gluing their parts together to make a whole or do their conversations and co-creations lead to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts?
Content
Is the content a rich, deep problem space or is it a more narrowly focused content area? Are there natural links to other domains that provide a context or is the content deconstructed to remove seemingly distracting and disparate information?
Knowledge
Are the students involved in constructing new meanings and understandings or are they simply retelling in their own words information they have found during their research? Have you built in mechanisms (blogs, wiki, vokis, public journal writing, etc.) so that student thinking is made visible, transparent and discussable or is most student process hidden and unavailable to others?
Purpose
How authentic is the problem under investigation? Are students ‘being’ scientists, historians or geographers and so on, or are they ‘studying’ science, history and geography? How much is the project based in the real world of the student? Is it purposeful for them?
Great Resources for Project Based Learning
Jane Krauss and Suzie Boss – Reinventing Project-based Learning
There are also links to our two blogs Learning Zone and The Construction Zone.
Chart: Effective PBL Continua by Peter Skillen & Brenda Sherry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This post is refreshed from an early post on Jul 13, 2012 .
Peter Skillen
Latest posts by Peter Skillen (see all)
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I would add time to the list. Have you allotted enough time for all of this? How can you help students learn to manage their time? Is any structure required so that they are neither too relaxed (I have oceans of time before this is due!) nor rushed (We’ll just have to slap something together in order to finish on time!)
Time is the kicker. This summer I am teaching a blended on-line US History course to tenth graders. The entire structure of the class is a series of problem based learning experiences. Some get how to work together on projects or to make the discussion forum “sing” by early and often posting. Others find the dailiness required for this sort of “at a distance” collaboration challenging. And yet, the students who do this well do it well in a bricks and mortar classroom and those that struggle still struggle.
Molly, yes. You are absolutely right.
Time. Time management. And you say, “How can you help students learn to manage their time?” This is indeed really important. In fact, it leads me to think about all the ‘metacognitive’ skills and intentional learning skills required. I have often used collaborative, journal writing environments for kids to think about, and then to articulate, their driving questions, plans, thoughts, strategies, ahas, frustrations, etc. as they go through their projects.
I’ve even used ‘scaffolding’ in the form of sentence starters to help them to think about things that we had determined to be important — one of which could be ‘time management’.
But, guess what? That requires more time!! LOL
Thanks Molly!
Always clocked for every classroom lesson, assessment or project. Two things for clocking time with students inorder to keep the gorups informed about this one part fo theri responsibilty, write start and finish time in board ( add words suggested recomended or required in front of time range posted) AND before groups assemble review QUICKLY their accomplishments by time ordered manner, this month…, this week… , this project part one . . . Do keep your groups on track, well informed , manage bathroom breaks. REWARD groups for proper time management, give last five minutes (some fixed time interval) for sitting next to someone they like and tell them about what was your favorite part of . . . Maybe applaud them for great behavior that looks like AND list excellent behaviors observed on board in front of room. The emotional intelligences of your group will blend with each other over time. Be the trainer and stay the trainer.
I really like your idea of clock time. I try to celebrate successes and the end of each day. I am trying to figure out how to do this in the virtual world. I have been sending private meassages each time a student attempts to complete an assignment.
With five classes, 38 minute periods, and two weeks I am alive to say it can be done. My organization and preparedness matters most. Kids can google at home, I give them the sites they need to find the information. Social learning occurs all the time with mini assessments tracking progress. did I mention I teach 8th grade? Your posting, Peter explains what I do daily. Well done!
Hey Sydney,
38 minute periods! I used to hate ‘short’ classes like that. But we all adapt, right? Make the best of what is served to us! 🙂
Glad you liked the post.
peter
I’m doing a free PD webinar on August 27 (with Corwin Press) on Project Based Learning and the Common Core. I think the implementation of the CCSS is the best option for moving many teachers/schools into project based learning. I’d like to invite everyone to participate. The webinar goes beyond my recent Project Based Learning book (Corwin Press, 2012) in some ways, as it explores the ties to the overall goals of the Common Core a bit more. Should be interesting. Educators may register for that free PD experience at CorwinPress.com
I’m very interested. I went on their website but I can’t find your webinar. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Here’s the webinar information, at Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/153934254730339/?ref=nf
Thank you Laurie for breaking down the time management elements that i feel will make my 6th grade PBL Math classes much more successful. I will make sure to write start and finish times on board, periodically review with students their accomplishments in time capsule format, reward students for good time mgt and recognize groups for modeling and meeting great expectations.
Interesting post – FYI, I just referenced it in a blog post
http://mncompact.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/enhancing-problem-based-learning-with-civic-engagement/
Hi John,
Thanks for your perspective on this. I hope that someone from your community picks up on the chart and develops it further. That is clearly one of my intentions in putting it out under this CC license. 🙂
Our perspective in creating it was focused on the teacher-student, knowledge construction and power dynamic and I hope that is helpful to many folks.
Rightfully, there are many lenses to view PBL – and I look forward to other creations to give us a different vision.
Sincerely,
Peter
Really great!!, The most appropriate word for this, I’ve been looking for a variety of source and now I’ve found it, so I can immediately resolve the problem that I am facing. thank you
So wonderful that this has been helpful to you!
May I ask what problem you have been facing and how this might resolve it? That would be very useful for me to know.
Thx in advance!
Peter
I agree that adding time to the list is essential – prep time for me as the teacher and clearly defined and well managed class time. I teach a Day Treatment class that contains 6th, 7th and 8th graders. I have 3 hours a day for all four core subjects.
I am working each day to have at least one lesson that allows students to take control of the learning.
As I am realizing there are lots of variations of Project-Based Learning. I teach first graders and time is always a tricky area but I also understand that I can construct my own version within some guidelines.I’m also understanding that I can choose to go in one direction more as it suits my experience, where my students are at, the purpose and type of project. Planning a Project based learning lesson is exciting but a tricky experience especially for young learners. Young learners need concrete, tangible steps laid out. I’ve been trying to figure out how to fit it in?
I agree with Molly how does one allow time to get all of it in especially for me with young learners. Young learners are still figuring out how to manage their time.