Transforming Education through Project-Based Learning

1. Change Initiative Project Based Learning Haley Topp November 2012

2. “The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed -- it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.” ― Ken Robinson, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

3. What are the problems? • Meeting 21st Century skills • Lack of Student interest • “Learn and lose”

4. 21st Century Skills • Critical thinking and problem solving • Creativity and Innovation • Communication and Collaboration • Information Literacy • Media Literacy • Information communication and technology literacy • Flexibility and adaptability • Initiative and self-direction • Social and cross-cultural skills • Productivity and accountability • Leadership and responsibility

5. Student Interest In her article titled Project-Based Learning: A Short History, Suzie Boss quotes education philosophers. • John Dewey – “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” • Maria Montessori – education happens “not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment.” • Jean Piaget – “students build on what they know by asking questions, investigating, interacting with others and reflecting on these experiences.”

6. Student Interest When students are interested in learning targets they are more likely to be successful. How can we make learning targets interesting to students?

7. “Learn and Lose” • Oftentimes students learn facts so they can pass a test or complete an assignment. • Once the test or assignment is over the students lose the material because it’s no longer of importance to him or her.

8. “Learn and Lose” • We have objectives we have to teach, but no one is limiting teaching the objectives using only textbooks, facts, tests, and paper and pencils. • The material we teach students needs to be of interest to them and it needs to be credible for their future. • How can we use the learning targets to create a lifelong need for the information?

9. John Dewey An inspirational education philosopher had several ideas for change. “The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child and to assist him in properly responding to these influences.” He argues that “in order for education to be most effective, content must be presented in a way that allows the student to relate the information to prior experiences, thus deepening the connection with this new knowledge.”

10. John Dewey An inspirational education philosopher had several ideas for change. In school, students are often theoretical spectators who gain knowledge only through intellect. Examples being whole group teaching, lecture, note taking, and multiple choice tests. As a result of this type of teaching students become disengaged and any bit of activism is seen as a distraction.

11. John Dewey An inspirational education philosopher had several ideas for change. Experience has shown that when students are allowed to be active participants in their learning, they enjoy coming to school and taking part in their learning and there are fewer management issues. A progressive society accepts uniqueness, questioning, and experimentation. This type of society flourishes with growth.

12. A solution to our problems… Project Based Learning

14. Project-based Learning Buck Institute for Education defines project based learning as students going through an extended purpose of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem or challenge.

15. In-Depth Inquiry Students ask questions, search for answers and arrive at a conclusion. Students use materials, which include textbooks, websites and books to search for new learning and to develop research questions.

16. Driving Question Open-ended questions that require more than a one word answer. There are no single right answers? Example questions: How can we redesign our hallway? How can we redesign our classroom?

17. Need to know Project based learning begins with the end result, so students need to determine how they are getting to the end.

18. Voice and Choice Students learn to take responsibility when they make the project and question choices. In turn, they get to use their voice and it increases students’ engagement.

19. Revision & Reflection Students learn to give and receive feedback to improve the quality of their research and projects.

20. Public Audience • Students present their learning to an audience. The audience could be other classrooms, adults, online through Skype or any other modes of communication. • This promotes students to do their best.

21. Budget • Project Based Learning Starter Kit for collaborative team – the first year $30 per team member or 2-3 sets per team • Transportation costs to observe experts in PBL • Muscatine, Iowa; Central Campus (Downtown School – Des Moines); Dubuque, Iowa • Substitute coverage costs • The costs could be averted by observing other schools on teacher workdays or early dismissal days.

22. Project Based Learning

23. 21st Century Skills Requires students to think critically, collaborate with other students, use multimedia to research, problem solve, and effectively communicate a solution to a public audience.

24. Collaborative Team We are looking to put a team of teachers together that are interested in the implementation and research of project based learning.

25. Experts in project based learning • In order to prepare our staff for implementation we will need to learn from experts around us. • Experts in our building and experts outside our district. • During this time we will need to question practices, model for one another, and openly discuss best practices.

26. Timeline • During the remainder of the 2012-2013 school year the collaborative PBL team will research and slowly introduce the strategies to the building staff during professional development. • We will use 3 early dismissal professional development days. • Videos and models of PBL, reflections, questions • Answering questions from previous PD, time to work on project lessons, develop driving questions • Time to work on project lessons

27. Timeline • The beginning of the 2013-2014 school year will be a pilot year of project-based learning. A time for teachers to learn from one another and reflect on practices. • By the third year, the team would like to see implementation across the building. Reflect on implementation and refine teaching.

28. Budget • Project Based Learning Starter Kit for collaborative team – the first year $30 per team member or 2-3 sets per team • Transportation costs to observe experts in PBL • Muscatine, Iowa; Central Campus (Downtown School – Des Moines); Dubuque, Iowa • Substitute coverage costs • The costs could be averted by observing other schools on teacher workdays or early dismissal days.