The 8 Elements Project-Based Learning Must Have If you’re contemplating using Project-Based Learning or are already trying out the latest craze to hit the modern classroom, you should know about this checklist. It details if you’re actually doing it correctly. For example, does your project focus on significant content, develop 21st century skills, and engage students in in-depth inquirty (just to name a few)? If not, you might want to reconsider your PBL approach. See Also: What Is Project-Based Learning? The checklist is by the PBL masters over at BIE and they’ve outlined 8 different ‘essential elements’ that must be present in a project in order for it to be considered PBL. These elements are actually useful for even more than PBL. What do you think about this PBL Checklist? Via TeachBytes and BIE.org
English language corpora in the foreign language classroom The link between findings of corpus-based research and (foreign) language teaching is that corpus evidence suggests which language items and processes are most likely to be encountered by language users (what is frequent and typical) and may thus deserve more time in classroom instruction. Corpora and corpus-data help teachers and students make better informed decisions and improve teaching material to become more authentic, i.e. representative of contemporary usage. Traditional textbooks often include simplified, non-authentic English and invented sentences which rarely, if at all, occur in natural speech situations. Corpora in the classroom: Data-driven learning (DLL) Corpora and corpus material can be used in the classroom in several ways. For two examples of learner-centered, inductive exercises, click on the links in the menu to your left. » Selected readings: Corpora in foreign language learning and teaching Aijmer, Karin, ed. (2009), Corpora and Language Teaching.
A Detailed Visual Guide To Distributed Project-Based Learning Project-based Learning is a passion of ours at Edudemic. We’ve seen how effective it can be in and out of the classroom. Quite simply, it provides the opportunity for students to learn from each other, get their hands dirty, work in an active learning environment, and to simply have fun at school. What could be better than that? This chart reminds me a bit of the popular ‘Padagogy Chart’ by Allan Carrington we shared here on Edudemic. This diagram breaks down the different phases and goals of PBL into bite-size chunks. As you can see, the tools and apps are all organized quite neatly into each phase. For example, you can use YouTube as part of your project-based learning to build background knowledge, inspire learning from classmates, elaborate on details of your project, make some contextual annotation, create an adaptive video tutorial, and ultimately lead to instant learning. Each tool and app is organized into these types of phases and goals. Source: Visual.ly
Project-Based Learning Research: Evidence-Based Components of Success What boosts PBL from a fun and engaging exercise to a rigorous and powerful real-world learning experience? Researchers have identified four key components that are critical to teaching successfully with PBL (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008; Ertmer & Simons, 2005; Mergendoller & Thomas, 2005; Hung, 2008). All of these play a role in the curriculum-design process. Schools That Work: Every student at Maine's King Middle School is issued a laptop to support the school-wide project-based learning (left). Carefully Calibrated Project Design In general, PBL projects begin by presenting a driving question, one that focuses on intended learning objectives, aligns with students' skills, and appeals to students' interests. If you are new to PBL, it's best to start with smaller projects that are already part of the curriculum (Ertmer & Simons, 2005). Define the Content. Structured Student Collaboration Two ingredients are critical for successful collaborative learning (Slavin, 1991):
Why Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying Phrases like "random acts of kindness" and "pay it forward" have become popular terms in modern society. This could perhaps be best explained by those who have identified a deficiency in their lives that can only be fulfilled by altruism. It seems there are good reasons why we can't get enough of those addictive, feel-good emotions, as scientific studies prove there are many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits associated with kindness. As minds and bodies grow, it’s abundantly clear that children require a healthy dose of the warm-and-fuzzies to thrive as healthy, happy, well-rounded individuals. Patty O'Grady, PhD, an expert in neuroscience, emotional learning, and positive psychology, specializes in education. Kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. A great number of benefits have been reported to support teaching kindness in schools, best summed up by the following. Happy, Caring Children Greater Sense of Belonging and Improved Self-Esteem Reduced Depression
What Keeps Students Motivated to Learn? Educators have lots of ideas about how to improve education, to better reach learners and to give students the skills they’ll need in college and beyond the classroom. But often those conversations remain between adults. The real test of any idea is in the classroom, though students are rarely asked about what they think about their education. A panel of seven students attending schools that are part of the “deeper learning” movement gave their perspective on what it means for them to learn and how educators can work to create a school culture that fosters creativity, collaboration, trust, the ability to fail, and perhaps most importantly, one in which students want to participate. Project-based learning is the norm among these students, but they also have a lot of ideas about what makes a good project work. “Treat students like adults. At first Chavez wasn’t excited about the project, but she ended up enjoying it because she loves art. Related
10 Apps For More Organized Project-Based Learning Project-Based Learning, by definition, is flexible. It encourages learner-centeredness, provides the possibility of more authentic work, and allows learners to self-manage and self-direct in places they used to have their hands held. But this has its drawbacks. There are a variety of ways to support students in project-based learning, including organized digital learning spaces that support creative thinking, collaboration, and ultimately project management. 1. Platform: iOS How It Can Help: Pure overkill for most classrooms, but if an extremely powerful productivity and project management is what you need and you’ve got a $50 iTunes card burning a hole in your pocket, this could be just what the doctor ordered. 2. Platform: iOS How It Can Help: By enabling the reading and subsequent annotation of almost any file-type for research, collaboration, and content curation. 3. Platform: Android & iOS How It Can Help: 4. Platform: iOS 5. Platform: Android & iOS 6. Platform: Android & iOS 7. 8. 9. 10.
Writing task two Task description You will be given a discussion topic. Your task is to write a 250 word essay on that topic. You should spend around 40 minutes on the task. What is being tested is your ability to: Present a point of view with convincing evidence Challenge an alternate point of view Focus on the topic and avoid irrelevancies Communicate in a style that is easy to follow and cohesive Use English accurately and appropriately Sample task You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Your task Complete the task 2 exercise above. Sample answer It has been around forty years since television was first introduced into Australian households and people today still have mixed views on whether it has a positive or a negative influence on the society. “The essay has a clear introduction which poses the problem. Strategies for improving your IELTS score The style of essay required for Task 2 of the IELTS writing test is standard to academic courses. Connecting sentences A. B.
How To Use Project-Based Learning To Redefine Learning It almost seems too good to be true… Students asking for more work? Using emoticons to describe an assignment? Taking pride in their work? “This was the best project I ever did! “It was the best project I have ever done” – Patrick G. “We should have more projects like this” – Giselle G. “:D” – Jack M. These were the results when I completely redesigned a unit to incorporate Project Based Learning using technology. “It helped me understand how to take information from research and apply it to a real life product.” – Julia K. “I knew I had to get good information because other people were going to be looking at the website, so if it wasn’t good, people wouldn’t want to look at our website.” – Erin M. A Case Study in Your Own Classroom This year, instead of doing a literature circle unit based on the novel Under the Persimmon Tree, by Suzanne Fisher-Staples, I decided to try something new. Technology is a natural fit for Project Based Learning. Creating A Technology Driven Project Did It Work?
Excellent Poster Featuring The 7 Essentials of Project Based Learning Hi everybody, I am sorry I am very late in posting my articles today as I have been very busy preparing my PhD research plan and a paper for a conference I participated in this morning. The paper was on the use of digital technologies to facilitate project based learning. I will share with you the slideshow together with an attached Google Doc probably tomorrow or the day after. One of the things I talked about in my presentation are the 7 essentials of project based learning as advanced by the folks in BIE. These are things that every teacher keen on integrating PBL approach into his/her class should think about. The graphic below sums them up. check it out below. This graphic is created by Davidleeedtech.
Free eBooks at Planet eBook - 80+ Classic Novels and Literature What is PBL? To help teachers do PBL well, we created a comprehensive, research-based model for PBL — a "gold standard" to help teachers, schools, and organizations to measure, calibrate, and improve their practice. In Gold Standard PBL, projects are focused on student learning goals and include Essential Project Design Elements: DOGO News - Kids news articles! Kids current events; plus kids news on science, sports, and more!