Project Management for K-12 Educators

1. Project Management for K-12 Educators An Introduction

2. Instructors • Gingi F. Wingard, M.A., 3E Institute • John A. Kinslow, Ph.D., West Chester University of Pennsylvania This workshop was created by The Institute for Educational Excellence and Entrepreneurship (3E Institute), College of Education, West Chester University of Pennsylvania through funds granted by Project Management Institute Educational Foundation June, 2010 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

3. Acknowledgements 3E would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by: 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

4. Workshop Objectives By the end of this workshop, you will be able to: • Describe the steps of successful project management and its relationship to project based learning (PjBL), • Relate the use of project work to student development of 21st Century Skills, • Locate existing curricula, tools, and resources for using Project Management and PjBL with students, and • Plan a sample project using the project management process. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

5. Classrooms of the 21st CenturyThink-Pair-Share • What will the world be like twenty or so years from now when your students have left school and are out in the world? • What skills will your students need to be successful in this world you have imagined twenty years from now? • Think about your own life and the times when you when you had “peak learning experiences.” What were the conditions that made your high-performance learning experiences so powerful? • What would learning be like if it were always designed around your answers to the first three questions? • What is the role of a teacher in this modern world? Trilling, Bernie and Fadel, Charles. 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in our Times. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. 2009. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

6. 3Rs X 7Cs=21st Century Learning Reading Writing Arithmetic X Trilling, Bernie and Fadel, Charles. 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in our Times. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. 2009. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010. Critical thinking and problem solving Creativity and innovation Collaboration, teamwork, and leadership Cross-cultural understanding Communications, information, and media literacy Computing and ICT literacy Career and learning self-reliance

7. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

8. Isn’t a successful teacher also a project manager? • Project Management • A set of processes used to ensure that various elements of work are coordinated, that all work to be done is understood and can be completed within the constraints of time and budget. • Project • An endeavor that is temporary and has an end result • Project Manager • The person assigned by the performing organization to achieve the project objectives. • Learning Management • A set of processes to ensure student learning and engagement • Project • Rigorous extended process of inquiry • Student–centered • Demonstration of academic knowledge and skills • Builds 21st Century Skills • Creation of high quality products and performances to the public • Teacher • Instructional leader assigned the principle responsibility for student achievement. Project Management Education 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

9. Managing Risk Cost Time Scope & Quality 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

10. How long will it take? • How will it fit into the school day? • What are we going to do? • What needs to be done? • How do I get what I need? • Is this worth doing? • What are the roadblocks? • What are the costs involved? • How will I get the funding I need? Project Integration Management • What lesson plans do I need? • How do I get my students to do this? • How do we collaborate to work together? • What are the processes for sharing work? • Are the curriculum content standards being met? • Are all students learning? • Does this project have meaning to my students’ lives? • What are my students’ learning styles? • How will I team my students? • What experts from the community can help? Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge 4th Ed. Project Management Institute. 2008. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

11. Project Learning Cycle Monitoring & Controlling Initiating Closing Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge 4th Ed. Project Management Institute. 2008. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

12. Project Management in Action 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

13. Project Learning Cycle Monitoring & Controlling Initiating Closing Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge 4th Ed. Project Management Institute. 2008. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

14. Initiating: Begin your Project Plan • Develop a project Idea that will create peak learning experiences for students • Decide the scope of the project • Select content and skills standards to be addressed • Determine how assessments will take place 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

15. PjBL Planning Elements • Vision, Structure, Solid Understanding • Project Based Learning is a powerful but challenging instructional method that requires vision, structure, and a solid understanding of the learning process. Good projects do not occur by accident. They result from rigorous up front planning that includes thoughtful outcomes, performance assessments, and authentic learning activities. • Begin with the End in Mind • By practicing the first step for any project in life - Begin with the End in Mind - you will improve your ability to plan projects, as well as communicate the purpose and context of a project to your students. Students who understand the meaning of what they are learning retain more information and apply their knowledge more skillfully, and feel more motivated to achieve. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

16. A Good Driving Question is Key • A Good Driving Question should: • Drive the project • Capture a project theme or a "big idea" • Point students toward mastering content and skills that enable them to answer the question • Not be easily solved or answered • Be Authentic and Coherent • Tip: Creating Driving Questions takes time and careful thought. Often, brainstorming with colleagues produces the best Driving Questions. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

17. Creating A Good Driving Questions Takes Refining • Was Truman’s decision to drop the bomb justified? • What is global warming? • What can a dollar buy in other countries? • How do architects design environmentally friendly buildings? • Can the use of nuclear weapons be justified? • Should we be worried about global warming in our town? • Half the world lives on less than two dollars a day. How is this possible? • How can we design an environmentally friendly building for the property at 5th and Oak Street? Good Better Examples from: Boss, Suzie and Krauss, Jane. Reinventing Project-Based Learning. Washington: ISTE, 2009. Buck Institute for Education. Project Based Learning Handbook 2nd Ed. Oakland: QuinnEssentials Books and Printing. 2003. Buck Institute for Education. PBL Starter Kit. Novato: Buck Institute for Education, 2009. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

18. Using project management addresses PA Academic Standards 1.1 Learning to read independently 1.2 Reading critically in all content areas 1.4 Types of writing 1.5 Quality of writing 1.6 Speaking and listening 1.8 Research 2.6 Statistics and Data Analysis 3.2 Inquiry and design 3.6 Technology education 3.7 Technological devices 3.8 Science, technology and human endeavors 11.1 Financial and resource management 11.2 Balancing family, work and community responsibility 13.2 Career retention and advancement 13.4 Entrepreneurship 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

19. 3 Steps to Planning Effective Assessments: • Align the products or performances for the project with the outcomes • Know what to assess - establish criteria to assess each product and performance • Create rubrics for the project • Each step includes several sub-steps, and should result in a balanced assessment plan. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

20. Planning • Project Management Plan • Project Timeline • Project Teaching and Learning Guide 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

21. Executing • Get all necessary materials • Introduce the project and work • Collaborate with external partners and subject matter experts • Facilitate and scaffold student work • Provide feedback and ongoing assessment • Conduct mini-lessons as needed 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

22. Working in groups: Cooperative Learning • Create work groups • Assign group tasks • Monitor work • Monitor team participation • Assign individual roles • Highlight/Assess 21st Century “Soft Skills” 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

23. Monitoring & Controlling • Continually review project timeline and calendar • Make note of clear project “Benchmarks” along the way • Make formative assessments based on project assessment rubrics • Check on student progress at regular intervals 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

24. Closing • Debrief and review with entire team • Reflection=Retention • Connect project completion to student achievement • Publication, final exhibitions and/or performances to the public • Archival of relevant documents and products 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

25. Project Management Tools Traditional PM Tools Teaching & Learning Tools Software Power Point MS Project or equivalent Basecamp Precedence diagram Gantt Chart PERT Critical Path Method Software & Web-based Applications ePals Learning Space Google or MS Products Global Schoolhouse Project Foundry Inspiration ThinkQuest PBL-online.org Moodle Wikispaces Desire2Learn Drupal 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

26. ExerciseWater: Our Thirsty World • Today we will use the Project Learning Cycle to manage a class watershed project • How can your students use the same process? • How does the quality of our water affect our health in this community? 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

27. Project Learning Cycle Monitoring & Controlling Initiating Closing Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge 4th Ed. Project Management Institute. 2008. 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.

28. How Will I Use Project Management in My Practice? • Personal and Professional Life • Curriculum Design • Project-Based and Problem Based Learning methods • Professional activities • Daily life activities • Teaching students to manage projects • Completion of school projects • Daily life activities • Future careers 3E Institute, WCUPA 2010.