The PBL 101 stands out the most for the learning that took place in the three days of the PD. Faculty, cooperating teachers, and student teachers all "got it," seeing the realities of their respective projects come to life. Teresa Dempsey, BIE’s national faculty, was a very skilled trainer, and really took all three groups far in their learning and understanding of PBL pedagogy.

A second strong and positive outcome, for me, has been the PBL showcases that have taken place at our partner schools and in the classes of the student teacher/cooperating teacher dyads. The showcases have demonstrated the power of PBL for student learning. For example, I observed fifth graders answering their driving question, "What lessons do the Ancient Mesoamerica civilizations teach us for our own society today?" with articulate explanations, evidence of high-level thinking, and evidence of synthesis of knowledge. I observed learning that I don't think would have been as deep or rigorous with any other pedagogy besides PBL (e.g., direct instruction, team-based learning). And, when I asked our student teachers whether they would do PBL again and felt ready to lead their own projects, one said to me, "I learned so much from this, I already asked if I could come back to PBL after I finish student teaching and do another project in May with the class!" As the author of the original OotG grant proposal, this was a special moment that affirmed my interest and advocacy for PBL with my colleagues and partners in education.