Problem-Based Learning

Project and Problem-Based Workshop Series

Designed and Facilitated by:

Susan Belgrad, Ed.D.

Professor of Education

California State University Northridge

818-677-4901

susan.belgrad@csun.edu

Objectives:

1. Learn about Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by engaging in small group work in a science "lab" in which you share lesson materials, a team goal and cooperative learning structures and tools that will assist you and your team to achieve understanding of the subject area concepts integral to the lesson.
2. Learn how to transfer and apply your personal learning experience by working with your team to create a problem/project based lesson in a STEAM discipline. (Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics).
3. Learn how to individually create meaningful learning experiences that embed brain-based direct instruction, inquiry and active knowledge construction for the students you teach ( elementary, middle or high school);
4. Become able to design optimal learning experiences through design of multi-media innovation environments;
5. Acquire knowledge and ability to move beyond the textbook and lecture while engaging students as consumers and producers of knowledge and information;
6. Learn about the integration of student-centered, formative assessments of engaged learning that includes subject area knowledge, social skills (collaboration) and the habits of mind that promote next century learning success for all students.

Session 1 - How Project Based Learning Addresses Next Generation STEM Tools (Objectives 1-6)

Embedded Essential Elements of Project/Problem Based Learning Activities

1. Utilizes the structures of brain-based directed instruction, inquiry, and cooperative learning;
2. Begins with a primary source (real world) problem or question (the driving question) that serves as a strong lesson hook;
3. Immerses students in identifying and seeking out a variety of learning (print and multimedia) sources in which they are active consumers and producers of information;
4. Naturally engages students in utilizing their own learning styles, promotes mindful engagement in multi-sensory exploration, prediction testing and problem solving or construction of model solutions;
5. Integrates both formative and summative assessments of content and team performance of students using
6. thinking skills, social skills and habits of mine (intelligent behaviors). Applies student self assessment, peer assessment in a digital eportfolios.

Element 1. Meaningful Task or Problem-- Selection and Presentation

Select a task that has real-world applications and/or assumes a need to answer real-world problems.

Write out and deliver the description of the task in a clear, compelling way that gets students "hooked"

on defining the problem, finding the answer or completing the task.

Element 2. Cooperative Group Activity Planning Template

I. Formation of Groups: ______________________________________________

II. Role Assignments:

Checker/Timekeeper: ____________________________________________

Materials Manager: _____________________________________________

Recorder: _____________________________________________

Encourager: _____________________________________________

Reporter: _____________________________________________

Traveler/Spy: ____________________________________________

Other: _____________________________________________

III. Task (See element 1):____________________________________________________________

IV. Time Limit:___________________

V. Social Skills and or Habits of Mind to Engage/Assess:

_________________________________________

VI. Processing--Questions for team and individual reflection:

Content Standards: __________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Cooperation/Collaboration: __________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

VII. Encouraging Energizer:______________________________ __________________

From Blueprints for Learning in the Cooperative Classroom. Bellanca and Fogarty

Element 3. Embed Characteristics of Intelligent Behaviors

How might you build these habits of mind into the context of your restructured lessons?

R Check those that might apply as you brainstorm on ideas for the lesson.

[ ] Persistence

[ ] Decreasing impulsivity

[ ] Empathic listening

[ ] Flexibility in thinking

[ ] Metacognitive awareness

[ ] Checking for accuracy

[ ] Questioning

[ ] Problem posing

[ ] Drawing on past knowledge

[ ] Application to new situations

[ ] Precision of language and thought

[ ] Using all the senses

[ ] Ingenuity, originality, insightfulness and creativity

[ ] Inquisitiveness, curiosity

[ ] Enjoyment of problem solving

Bena Kallick

Arthur Costa

Element 4. Embed Characteristics of Constructivist Learning Practices

Review this list to select at least five characteristics that might be built into your restructured lesson.

ü Check those that might apply as you brainstorm on ideas for the lesson.

o Encourage and accept student autonomy, initiative and leadership.

o Whenever possible, use raw data and primary sources along with manipulative, interactive and physical materials

o When framing tasks, use cognitive terminology like classify, analyze, predict, and so on

o Allow student thinking to drive lessons. Shift instructional strategies of alternative content based on student responses.

o Ask students for their theories about the concepts before sharing the facts or background of these concepts.

o Encourage students to engage in dialogue both with the teacher and with one another.

o Seek elaboration of students’ initial responses.

o Pose contradictions to students’ hypotheses (in diplomatic ways) and then encourage alternative responses.

o Encourage student inquiry by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions and encouraging them to ask questions of others.

o Allow wait time after posing questions.

o Provide time for students to discover relationships and to create metaphors about the topics of their learning experiences.

o Encourage students to reflect on experiences and actions, and then participate in deciding future activities or predicting future

outcomes.

Brooks and Brooks

Element 5. Design and Integrate Authentic Formative and Summative Assessments (Objective 6)

o Engage students in goal setting, self assessment and responsibility for the achievement of learning standards and objectives;

o Assure student voice in the learning process;

o Maintain performance-based formative and summative assessments that promote student motivation and reflection on learning

standards and objectives;

and

o Showcase “authentic” individual student and group learning.

Problem-Based Learning Lab on Science

Introduction to Easy Rollers – (a Constructivist and Cooperative Learning Activity)

The goal of this hands-on, standards aligned lab is to demonstrate the powerful learning outcomes that can be achieved through the effective design and integration of constructivist project-based activities with cooperative learning and authentic assessment strategies. The following timetable has been provided to guide you in managing your group time.

Introduction to the lesson (5 minutes)

Teams assign roles and begin Part I of the activity. (10 minutes)

Teams begin trials with rolling and falling balls. (30+minutes)

Teams engage in writing lab results. (35+minutes)

Teams self assess their participation See Checklist)

Whole Group Reconvenes for Presentations and

processing of their collaborative achievements (60 minutes)

Whole group discussion of their responses to engagement

in the constructivist learning activity (30 minutes)

Teams return to discuss how they will engineer a ball or

surface to reduce air resistance or friction (30 minutes)

Teams report out to Whole Group followed by

Summary and Assessment (60 minutes)

Session 2 - Restructuring Lessons and Classroom Context to Include Next Generation STEM Tools

Objective 2: Learn how to transfer and apply your personal learning experience by working with your team to create a problem/project based lesson in a STEM discipline.

I. Understanding the Dimensions of Teaching, Learning and Professional Authority

In this session, participants work together to use the PBL template below to restructure a previously-taught lesson. Each participant brings the original lesson plan, objectives, standards and assessments. Teams select one to restructure together -- utilizing the tools learned in Session 1.

II. Use the Project Based Practice Rubric to assess the dimensionality and effectiveness of the Easy Rollers Lab

III. Facilitator Presentation on the Dimensions of Teaching Learning and Professional Authority.

IV. Team review of other project labs that use the tools provided to you in the Session 1 Learning Lab. Use the Constructivist Practices Rubric to work together on a project/problem based activity to be presented at the next session

M & M Math

Amazing Egg Drop

V. Teams work together to prepare your lesson plan for teaching the remainder of the workshop group.

Make sure you create a formative and summative assessment to evaluate both student achievement of subject area objectives and social skills, habits of mind.

How you will know the restructured lesson is successful (members of the team will assist in making suggestions for improvement).

Project and Problem-Based Lesson Template

How will you embed the direct instruction in the beginning of your lesson? How will you promote active exploration, hypothesis testing and construction of new ideas? (Dimensions of Teaching and Learning)

Suggestion: Use the direction sheets provided in the introductory activity as a template that will assist you.

PART I Directions

A. Introduction of Lesson “Getting Started”

B. Demonstration when needed

C. Teams form and assign roles. (15 minutes)

Note: This has to be a smooth transition—little wait time should occur between the conclusion of directions and the teams acquiring the materials and beginning their work.

Part I I Teams Begin the Exploration and Prediction (20 minutes)

Note: How will you facilitate during this time? Will you use this time to assist individual learners who have difficulty with cooperative work? Will you observe and assess using a checklist?

PART III Teams begin trials (activity) (30 minutes)

PART IV Teams engage in processing of the activity results

(30 - 60 minutes)

Note: This step is extremely important for students to reflect on the content learned, the questions and ideas which occurred during the activity and an opportunity to reflect on social skills and set goals for future responsibilities in individual and group work. Will you include a graphic organizer, simulation, presentation of outcomes so students demonstrate their achievement of lesson goals and objectives?

(Create Processing Worksheets)

PART V Teams present outcomes to the group. Group responds with questions and comments and silent cheers or energizers.

PART VI Teacher leads group in processing entire sequence of lesson.

Sharing comments and questions and setting goals for future work. For example: Assignment of expert teams for problem based learning.

Elements of Engaged Learning Curriculum Planning

To begin constructing lessons or units that will meet the learning needs of all students, the following questions can be considered:

1. What educational purposes should the lesson attain?

consider the learner

consider the learning community

consider the subject matter

screen through belief about how learning occurs

state in terms of behavior and content

2. How can the learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives?

The Learning experiences are:

consistent with your objectives

satisfying to the learners (intrinsically motivating, mix of individual and collaborative work and responsibility)

variable (engages multiple intelligences)

multiple effects (outcomes can lead to varied study and thinking)

3. How can the learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?

Continuity (direct instruction through engaged learning/construction)

Presence of breadth and depth (of content exploration/construction)

Integration (several subject areas or skills are employed)

4. How can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated?

assessment of learning objectives (rubrics of learning outcomes are presented)

assessment of learning dispositions, social skills, intelligent behaviors

assessment of lesson effectiveness – opportunity to fine tune is built in to the lesson evaluation questions

Adapted from Tyler, R. W. 1949. Basic principles of curriculum and instruction .Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

How might you assure engagement of many kinds of intelligence into the context of your restructured lessons?

RCheck those that might apply as you brainstorm on ideas for the lesson.

[ ] Verbal

[ ] Visual/Spatial

[ ] Logical Mathematical

[ ] Musical

[ ] Intrapersonal

[ ] Interpersonal

[ ] Body/Kinesthetic

[ ] Naturalistic

Howard Gardner

Follow this Link to the Amazing Egg Drop

Return to Home Page of Susan Belgrad

Use this page to consider the ways in which the activity models effective instruction and communication

highlight the item if you believe you observed this in the activity.

*Be prepared to share your selections with your group.

©Susan Belgrad, 2000