Public Products & Authentic Audiences

Leveraging the IIC to Support PBL & Beyond

Part I. Authentic Audiences

A core component of the PBL design process is designing projects and products with a specific audience in mind. The "end user" or "consumer" of the product gives the project some added stakes or excitement beyond the grade. It also provides the potential for creating a lasting moment of learning that the student remembers long after the project is completed.

While internal audiences, peers and teachers, are valuable, there are several ways to expand your audience pool to increase authenticity.

Check the Miscoe Hill Partner Database: A collection of over 30 Miscoe Hill family members from a variety of sectors who have indicated an interest in sharing their expertise in supporting classroom projects.
Reach Out Directly to Your Families: Some Miscoe community members may be more likely to respond when their child is directly involved in the project. Send a quick email to families explaining your upcoming PBL unit and ask if there is anyone available with expertise to help support or evaluate projects
The Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Directory: This site offers a host of local businesses organized by industry. When planning a PBL module, you could reach out to a relevant organization to discuss the end product of your project or see if they would serve as the "client".
Social Media / Twitter: You'd be surprised what can happen when you tweet at a company or send a direct message to an individual.
Contact Dave: Sometimes it can be daunting to know where to start or who you need for a specific project. Dave Quinn loves to collaborate on these projects and enjoys a good "cold call", Tweet, or Pathful submission to get you the expert that you need. Book a time to meet with Dave.
Pathful: Speaking of Pathful, this platform that helps us to find industry experts for virtual project reviews, career talks, and other career-to-curriculum projects. It also has a host of pre-recorded videos and open live sessions for your WIN blocks or even for sub-plans. Let's do a deeper dive on Pathful

Questions to Consider (Boss, 2014)

Think Critically About Audience

By thinking more critically about audience interactions, you can make the most of the final phase of PBL. The Buck Institute for Education has produced a feedback form to help audience members think through their role.

Here are three questions to consider as you plan culminating events:

1. What do you want students to gain from the audience interaction?

If it's technical feedback, think about inviting experts for a pitch session or judging panel
If it's response or action, think about having students make presentations to a community group or decision-making body (such as a school board, city council, or neighborhood association)
If it's a celebration, think about inviting community members whose talents or contributions are being honored or recognized in student projects

2. Who's the audience for the "real-world" version?

If students are producing documentaries, plan a red carpet screening event
If students are making sense of history, set up a museum-style exhibition
If students are producing literature, plan a book release party, author chat, or poetry slam

3. How can technology connect students with larger audiences?

Extend your reach to audiences beyond your immediate community by taking advantage of digital publishing sites like YouTube, social media tools like Twitter, or services like #comments4kids to solicit comments for students' blogs.