WHIRL Blog: TRC Teachers Strategize PBL Stumbling Blocks

The WHIRL blog post this week is a collaborative effort from all of the Phase 8 TRC teachers and facilitators.  At our professional learning day last month, we asked these folks to brainstorm strategies for solving the top four problems that our group associated with implementing Project Based Learning (PBL) in the classroom.  Those four problems are 1) the time it takes, 2) how to assess student learning, 3) adequately meeting standards, and 4) implementing PBL during the assessment window.  Their collective capacity produced the following lists of strategies!  Feel free to use these lists as you design your own projects or even as conversation starters during professional learning interactions.

 

PBL TIME Saving Strategies:

• It’s ok to not do everything (you won’t be able to).
• LiveBinders and/or premade templates (SMART and Promethean) and link organizers
• Have a plan, but be flexible.  Project Foundry had a nice newsletter on PBL Workflows this month!
• Be prepared and organized with routines, procedures and a timeline (these can be updated as needed).
• Give kids more responsibility—let them teach!
• Let the kids take ownership of their learning
• Clear expectations/use rubrics
• Use online resources and find materials that are already made
• Repeat a successful project     search for some here: BIE Project Search OR TRC Interactive NETS
• Pre teach any necessary skills or technology
• Use the same tools across multiple subject areas/projects
• Let go of some things you’ve always done
• Ask for help and allow the students to ask each other
• Include specials (PE, music, art, library, language, etc...) teachers
• Collaborate with fellow teachers
• Delegate responsibilities
• Bring in outside experts and resources
• Do one thing well
• QR codes for links

 

Strategies for Assessing Student Learning in PBL:

• Rubrics/RubiStar/Intel Assessment Tool
• Checklists/PBL Checklists
• Peer Assessment
• Growth over time—video at the beginning of the year and then again at the end
• Student/Teacher Conferencing
• Student Self-assessment
• Journals
• Graphic Organizer-Pre/Post test
• Informal Observation
• Start with the assessment in mind
• Sharing with the class, school, community
• Reflections
• Student Ownership
• Exit Slips
• Every Person Responds (EPR) Boards
• Ranking Blogs
• Student Response Systems

 

Strategies for PBL During the Assessment Window:

• Leverage PBL to connect the dots
• Design projects around assessed indicators
• Draw from the strengths of your students
• Group by ability and interest areas
• Use PBL to review, not necessarily to introduce new information
• Make it a fun stress reliever
• Don’t be afraid to teach across the curriculum
• Focus on weighted indicators
• Keep “fluff” out—rigor and relevance
• During assessments, keep PBL simple so students aren’t overloaded
• Embed mini-lessons

 

Strategies for Meeting the Standards through PBL:

• Think about the standards before planning for PBL
• Start with Standards and have them posted so that the students are aware of what they are learning
• Differentiated and multidisciplinary projects hit lots of standards
• Sell the project idea to students and community through relevance
• Ensure accountability for all students
• Have a timeline/checkpoints for accountability
• Focus on the content that you want to teach, not just the technology
• Do preassessments and formatives along the way
• Think ahead to the Common Core
• Make students create something to show what they learned

 

Thank you Phase 8E and 8M Teachers and Facilitators!

~Amber Rowland, TRC Project Coordinator