Learning in Progress

What do you think when you hear the word project?   Go to AnswerGarden Top Google search results for "School Projects" returns Pinterest pages of 25 best projects and plenty of science fair projects. Image searches are full of planet models, tri-fold boards, and dioramas. In contrast, ask someone in the business world what they think of when they think of the word project, and you might get a much different answer. With the rise of Project Based Learning (PBL), we often see much confusion about what it is, and what it isn't.  PBL, Genius Hour, Projects, Service Learning - these are all terms that might be discussed during PLCs, conferences, on Twitter chats, and explored through countless professional readings in the form of books, research papers and blogs. Designing PBL? Check out some of the Basics: From format, to planning, to collaboration, to integrating technology in a mindful way, there's a lot to consider before the project begins.  ...

At the end of the 2016-2017 school year, we were very fortunate to have a three day Project Based Learning (PBL) workshop led by Drew Perkins , Director of Professional Development at TeachThought . For me, the three day workshop was an opportunity to fine tune my understanding of PBL, work with teachers on new ideas and dig into strategies that can help teachers think through the planning process. Day 1: Aligning from the Top Down Some of my big takeaways from the first day of our professional development with Drew was that when designing a project with specific skills or standards in mind, it helps to begin by brainstorming possible products, purpose and audience and projects, in terms of Bloom's Taxonomy , really start at the top and as students work  through the project they move down into understanding and remembering.  In my role as coach, when I work with teachers to develop PBL, I think the audience piece is really important for us to consider more careful...

At the end of last year when I took on the role as Technology Integration Specialist for the elementary schools in my district, my first major task, before my official start date, was to plan two days of professional development at the end of the year.  Day 1 was to get teachers acquainted with the SAMR model and the iPads that all students would be receiving in August, and Day 2 was to introduce teachers to Project Based Learning (PBL) . The iPad training was an ok start.  It was differentiated, with different teams leading sessions based on teacher experience.   When I reflect back on it now, we should have stuck with two days of iPad training, but one school already had a plan to spend a day with a book study on PBL, as a way to get teachers started with it, and the other schools decided to join in.  The deck was a bit stacked against us, we didn't have copies of the book for each person, two schools were entirely unfamiliar with the concept, and I was reall...

Agenda - click [ here ] Presentation Makerspaces: What you Need to Know Collaborative Discussion  Thursday, October 13, 2016 Friday, October 14, 2016 NGSS: Exploring the Practices and Standards Resources NGSS - Practices NGSS - DCI Arrangement NSTA - Standards by Topic Additional NGSS Lesson Resources Collaborative Discussion Thursday, October 13, 2016 Friday, October 14, 2016 PBL PBL: Taking Flight To see the lesson on Blendspace click [ here ]. Inquiry Resources Empire State Information Fluency Continuum Stripling Model - Interactive Notebook Iterative Design ICE Video ICE - Interactive Notebook Taking Flight - Demo Project Rubric Planning Time PBL Planner BIE.org - Planning Forms BIE Project Search TeachThought NGSS Bundles

Presentation Big 6 Resources You can find resources for the Big 6 research process including planner, expectations charts, notes sheets and rubrics in The Big 6 Folder .  Project Based Learning specific handouts including a PBL planner and Super 3 organizer can be found in this Handouts folder . Learn More  Project Based Learning: Giving Students Choice and Voice in the Library - blog post that gives more detail about how I used PBL this past year Aquaponics PBL - more information on what happened when 4th graders researched aquaponics and attempted to construct a system Building a Butterfly Garden - how 4th graders researched and built a raised bed garden See more about Genius Hour here including a Blendspace that walks students through the process.

At the end of the 2014-2015 school year, one of our Spanish teachers approached me with an idea.  Her primary grade Spanish classes were studying migration patterns of Monarch butterflies as a way to make connections between our region and different Spanish speaking countries in Central America, and she wanted to try to create a garden that would help promote the survival of the species.  The idea seemed like a great way for the two of us to collaborate, and it turned out that her timing could not have been perfect. The very next week, local businesses were giving away seed packets that contained milkweed, the plant that the Monarch butterfly caterpillars need for food.  We each picked up some seed packets and began working out plans. I began the 2015-2016 year with an email newsletter to our parents explaining that one of the goals for the year would be to work with students to build the garden, and within a few minutes, one of our parents responded to the newsletter ...

For makerspace inspired Project Based Learning work this year in the library, fourth graders were given a choice of projects to work with .  One of the choices was to learn about aquaponics.  I first became interested in using the library as a place to spark interest in growing things after I read the School Library Journal article " Dig it! Library Gardens Sprout Up Coast to Coast " from August 2014.  I was completely amazed by the system set up by the Cranbury School in New Jersey and felt inspired to bring a more hands on sort of learning experience to my own students. When I discovered a Back to The Roots aquaponics kit while doing a little Internet shopping, I realized that it Kids unpacking the kit could be a manageable task for elementary students.  The Task: Students were challenged to learn about aquaponics, figure out how to put an aquaponics system together and create a project that would teach others about aquaponics. Key 4th Grade Standards...

For the last few years I've been working to develop a makerspace in the library and a model of Project Based Learning that works for me and my elementary students in the library - a model that I can use to convince classroom teachers to take the leap into PBL with me. At the conclusion of this year, I think I've finally got a good recipe for success, and teachers, having seen the outcomes, are up for collaborating. Projects in the library take a million times longer than in the regular classroom because I only see the kids once a week for 45 minutes, so what might take the classroom teacher 2 weeks to coach students through, takes me an entire semester.  But, without a doubt, these projects turn into meaningful conversations about content across disciplines and extended inquiry. U pdate - Some Additional Background For the course of the 2015-2016 school year, students in 4 th grade were focusing on developing strong research skills.   At the end of...