OBJECTIVES:

• To become familiar with the basic components of a project-based unit

• To understand what a driving question is in the PBL model

• To learn how to design a project-based learning unit, why this approach to instructional design is used in the STEM/STEAM model, and will begin design of a mini-project as part of their teaching unit.

Webinar on PBL from John Spencer: https://event.webinarjam.com/replay/30/n65vos7lfpkb8xbvrl4

From the Frameworks: Project-Based Learning

In Project-Based Learning (PBL), students go through an extended process of inquiry or design in response to an authentic question, problem, or challenge. They draw from many disciplines when understanding and addressing a complex problem. PBL is centered on student and teacher collaboration and application of academic knowledge and skills.

While engaged in PBL, students are engaged in science and engineering practices, as well as cross-disciplinary concepts; students engage in reading and writing informational text and mathematics depending on the driving question of the project. A PBL approach allows for some student choice and voice that promotes motivation and educational equity. PBL includes a process of revision and reflection that requires students to learn how to communicate and receive instructive feedback and to think about their own cognition and understanding.

Project-Based Learning at High Tech High

HIGH TECH HIGH PROJECT-BASED LEARNING- BASIC ELEMENTS

Project Based Learning, or PBL, is a teaching method that uses hands- on experiences instead of textbooks and lectures. It is a more exciting way for teachers to teach and students to learn. This method teaches students how to work in groups, research, volunteer, make decisions and manage time.

Project Based Learning relates skills students are learning to real-world situations, and having real world connections helps students realize that what they are learning is important. Our goal at High Tech High is to make learning memorable while also covering state standards. Our teachers teach students the necessary skills they need for the next grade and beyond, while making their lessons memorable. They are free to teach using any method they would like. Most teachers split their students into groups, because it teaches collaboration and patience.

Project-based learning will include more traditional specific skill training as needed, whether in ELA, math, science, or technology, but the project serves as an umbrella to integrate these skills into a meaningful project.

See "High Tech High PBL Learning Structures"

PBL Components:

• An Essential/Driving Question – What question guides the student experience or what question are the students trying to answer with their work? Example: “Is democracy the most effective means of government?” A driving question should include:

  1. • 1. 1. 1. Who is responsible?(Individual/team/whole class)

             2. The Audience(teacher/students in school/general public)

             3. The specific challenge or problem being addressed

             4. Should be an 'open' question, allowing for multiple valid solutions.

• In many cases, the teacher will provide the overarching driving question, based on the state frameworks, while student teams will refine the question to be more specific. For example under the umbrella question, "How can forms of energy transform into another form?", a group might ask "How can energy from the sun's rays be captured to do useful work?"

• Learning Goals( content/process skills) – What do you want your students to learn, do, or accomplish during this project? Example: “I want students to interact meaningfully with adult professionals, understand how the democratic process works, and learn how to record and edit videos."

• Critical Thinking: Critical thinking refers to "the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. It involves the evaluation of sources, such as data, facts, observable phenomena, and research findings." It is not a separate skill, but is developed through deep immersion in a topic, as in occurs in project-based learning. Expectation of the application of critical thinking is woven throughout the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework.

• Products and Deliverables- What do you want the students to create? Example: “A two minute documentary film” "5 quiz review questions"

• Required Materials /Tools/Skills- This will affect both materials on hand and any pre-teaching or embedded tutorials made available to students, such as knowing how to use Scratch, WeMovie, or I-movie

• Audience & Exhibition – When, where, how, and to whom will students present their completed works? Example: “Students will present their videos to the local city council just before the primary election season.”

• Student Reflection- " The Wicked Soap Company was a experience and project that really combined a lot of elements of chemistry together while making the process of learning fun. We learned through all the different recipes we experimented with this semester. It was also a way to incorporate how it would feel to be in a business, letting others interested in that field in the future seeing if they would really like to go down that path or not. It was overall just a fun experience and a project that you can you could only get here at HTHMA. – Mikaela Cuevas" https://www.hightechhigh.org/hthma/project/wicked-soap-company/

• Teacher Reflection- "...The work groups did in this final stages of the project dwarfed that which was done individually and the workload was not divided evenly between groups. The machinists shouldered the majority of the workload and were completely overwhelmed by both the technical difficulty of the project as well as the sheer workload. Many of the machinists stayed regularly until 6pm at night, came in on weekends, and even came in during thanksgiving break to work. ..."

-Scott Swalley, High Tech High http://gritlab.org/apocalypto-reflection/

Other important aspects of PBL:

• Voice and Choice – Students must have a voice and choice in their learning. This does not always mandate a choice on content, since this is often predetermined. It does allow for a voice and choice in method of learning, product outcomes , and an audience.

• Critique and Revision: This is the foundation for building rigor which seems to be such an important concept in today’s educational setting. Revision and reflection promotes a practice of quality. It allows the entire learning community to participate including community mentors, educators, and student peers. STEM relies on a formative learning experience that is a part of revision and reflection. It is the tinkering, remixing, and practice that is essential in both the PBL and STEM learning environment.

• See additional resources at

• www.hightechhigh.org/project/hth-structures-project-management/

• High Tech High PBL Online course resources https://hthgse.online/?page_id=2355/#email3

• High Quality PBL.ORG: https://hqpbl.org/

• PBL Planning Forms: https://www.edutopia.org/stw-project-based-learning-best-practices-resources-lesson-plans

-( https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/part-1-connecting-it-all-a-stem-pbl-common-core-series-a-goldmine-of-resources/)

Edutopia: 5 Keys to Rigorous Project-Based Learning

https://www.edutopia.org/video/5-keys-rigorous-project-based-learning

VIDEO: Building Rigorous Projects That Are Core to Learning (Keys to PBL Series Part 2) Project-based learning doesn't mean leaving standards behind. Follow these tips to plan projects that challenge your students and align with core learning goals.

VIDEO: Structuring Collaboration for Student Success (Keys to PBL Series Part 3) PBL provides a unique opportunity to help students practice critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Learn how to optimize the environment for teamwork in your classroom.

VIDEO: Facilitating Learning in a Student-Driven Environment (Keys to PBL Series Part 4) When they are directly involved in planning and steering projects, students are more invested in their learning. Get ideas for empowering your students to work independently.

VIDEO: Embedding Assessment Throughout the Project (Keys to PBL Series Part 5) Assessment can be integrated seamlessly into project-based learning. Find tools for measuring student understanding from the beginning to the end of a project.

More on PBL:

• Teacher Questions about PBL( MIT Blossoms): https://blossoms.mit.edu/teacher_questions_pbl_0

• PBL and STEAM Education: A Natural Fit https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-and-steam-natural-fit-andrew-miller

• Real-World STEM Projects https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/real-world-stem-projects/

• Buck Institute: PBL Works.org https://www.pblworks.org/

• See "14 Project-based learning ideas for science"

• John Spencer: The Power of Creative Constraint

• Latitude High School-Oakland CA https://latitudehigh.org/about/

For more on this:

• https://www.sciencelessonsthatrock.com/blog/pbl2-getting-started-on-a-project

• https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-how-to-refine-driving-questions-andrew-miller

PBL Example Projects: http://learningnetwork.setbc.org/pblresource/2017/01/20/resources-and-projects-from-high-tech-high/

Project-Based Learning in K-5:

Entry Events

The entry event is an event that catches the interest of your students about a specific topic. This could be in the form of a video, a lively discussion, a guest speaker, a field trip, or a compelling scenario.

In-Class Project: Create Review Questions for Video using EdPuzzle

Creating Driving Questions

Learning Objectives are the skills and content we want them to learn though the project, such as learning how to roll a paper column, learning how to record and edit a short video, the definition of concepts like structure, load, tension, compression, strut, column, truss, beam, etc., how to calculate an average, how to balance a chemical equation. These will typically be based on the Massachusetts Frameworks and other standards.

Outcome Objectives are what we want them to produce: A tower, a house model, a video, a 5-paragraph essay on types of bridges, a written exam, a spreadsheet, a disease prediction.

The Driving Question or Design Challenge, on the other hand, must engage the student and excite them- what is the real-life goal we are trying to solve?

How to Write Driving Questions

• https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-how-to-write-driving-questions-andrew-miller

• PBL ToolKit- Driving Questions

• https://pbltoolkit.weebly.com/driving-question.html

Examples:

• Product-Oriented: How do we create ______ to ______? This is a great type of driving question to use if you have a specific student product in mind. Notice that it isn't just about the product, but the purpose as well

• How do we create a podcast to debunk myths and stereotypes of world religions?

• How do I create an epic poem about an important episode in my daily life?

• Why is science important and how can it help save people? Too vague- can be rewritten as:

• Should we allow for genetic engineering to prevent diseases and illnesses?Here the question is contentious and debatable, and it is focused on specific topics so that the scope isn't too large.

• Design a bridge for Route 93 as it crosses the Charles River that can both carry the necessary traffic and serve as a gateway to the city of Boston? (i.e., the Zakim Bridge) http://westonk12engineering.org/structures/pages/menn.htm

In-class Exercise: Creating Driving Questions

Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning, Inquiry Learning, and Design Thinking

Four overlapping concepts in education include project-based learning, problem-based learning, inquiry learning, and design thinking.

All of these approaches emphasize student choice, agency, real-world problems, and autonomy.

Project-based learning, as its name suggests, focuses on accomplishment of a specific goal, such as "Design a robot that deliver a package", "Design a safer automobile", "Create a Covid-19 vaccine", "Create machine that can bake cakes".

Problem-based learning is more open-ended, focusing on poorly designed issues that may have many types of solutions, such as "Find a more efficient way to deliver packages", "Find a safer mode of transporting people", "Reduce Covid-19 infections", "Find a more efficient way to reduce chronic hunger". Problem-based learning was initially used in medical schools to teach diagnostic skills based on symptoms.

Inquiry learning is more open-ended, and focuses on encouraging students to follow their own curiosity.

Design Thinking(often used in combination with the above) focuses on developing an understanding of a user's needs through empathy.