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January 15, 2003
Project-Based Learning: a Primer (cont'd)
Advice to Teachers
By Adam Garry, school consultant and technology specialist for Co-nect
Backwards planning is the best approach to project-based learning. Begin with the standards and then develop your assessments. Focus on three key concepts:
- What is it that we want students to know and be able to do? (standards)
- How do we make sure that they are able to do this? (assessment)
- What do I have to do as a teacher to make this possible? (high-quality teaching)
More than an end product. The project is more than just the final product, it is all of the pieces: the lesson plans, the activities, the assessments, and even the tests and quizzes.
Start with what you already are doing. Don't throw away all the great lessons you've used in the past. If your existing lessons help students acquire the skills and concepts necessary for the project, then use them.
Begin and end with the standards. Students master the standards when they can apply the skills and concepts they learn. One effective way to check for mastery is to use rubrics to look at performance. Focus only on five to six standards.
Focus on assessments. Use two types of assessment: formative and summative. Formative assessment occurs throughout the project and is used to make sure that students understand skills and concepts; these tests, observations, and student work serve as diagnostic tools. Summative assessments happen at the end of the project and allow students to apply and demonstrate what they have learned.
Make it fun! Project work should be fun and motivating. Whenever possible, provide real-world problems for students to solve.
Advice to Technology Coordinators
By Michael Simkins, director of Portical.org and former director of the Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project
What tech coordinators can do to help teachers understand and implement technology-rich project-based learning projects:
Ground yourself conceptually. Before you enlist others to do project-based learning, be sure you can articulate a clear, well-defined concept of what it is. The terms "project" and "project-based learning" mean different things to different people. Explain your concept concisely.
Know the research. In the days of No Child Left Behind, it's mandatory that school and district technology plans be "based on relevant research." Your efforts to spawn or spread project-based learning will be successful if you can point to the research that justifies the approach.
Start with a small group of interested teachers. Get them together in a comfortable setting with some time, food, and good things to read, hear, view, and discuss. Share examples and models of sound project-based learning that uses technology. Help them fuse their ideas into one mutually acceptable definition.
Support thorough planning. Involve teachers in a thorough planning process to ensure that each of their project-based learning units will be a powerful, standards-based learning activity. Such detailed planning pays off by reducing stress and greatly increasing the chances of successful implementation.
Provide an incentive. Implementing rigorous project-based learning for the first time is a big challenge and requires extra time and trouble on the part of the teacher. Whether large, small, financial, or other, any incentive you can offer will increase the chances that teachers will follow through with their project plans.
Commit to a public exhibition. At the outset, get your teachers to pick a date and commit to some sort of public exhibition of the students' projects. It might be entering them in a contest, displaying them at Open House, or having a special showing. This will encourage timely completion of the work and motivating accolades.
Advice to Administrators
By Bob Pearlman, director of strategic planning, New Technology Foundation
School or district administrators can show support for project-based learning so that the staff recognizes its importance. It begins with school climate. Building a culture of students doing rigorous, in-depth projects represents a major change.
Some tips:
Support professional development. Teachers need ongoing professional development as well as personal consultation by master PBL teachers. They also need the opportunity to plan, collaborate, share what they learn, and reflect with fellow teachers through common planning time.
Provide information and models. Schools should also develop online libraries of PBL curriculum, assessment tools, evaluation rubrics, and reporting tools-plus examples of outstanding student work-that are available to students, parents, teachers, and the community.
Focus on standards. Schools should institute expected school-wide learning results that include content, oral presentations, work ethics, collaboration, and more. These standards should be part of every project grade and report card. A digital portfolio is a great way to exhibit student work and to motivate performance.
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