Project Based Learning Introducing an irresistible project at the beginning of a unit of study can give students a clear and meaningful reason for learning. Plus, they end up with a product or result that could possibility make a difference in the world! In project based learning students are driven to learn content and skills for an authentic purpose. Technology can be helpful throughout a project, whether students use iPads, Chromebooks, Android tablets, laptops, or desktops.
Five-Minute Film Festival: Genius Hour Imagine if you were allowed to use a whole workday every week to explore any project you wanted. With no restrictions on your time or what you could do, think of the ideas you could come up with and the things you could learn about! In the workplace, this practice is called 20 percent time. It first gained widespread notice at Google, but many companies have allowed employees to work on side projects as a way of fostering innovation. Since it's not often possible for teachers to sacrifice an entire day of schooling to allow for individual creative pursuits, the idea has been reinterpreted in many schools as a "Genius Hour," where students get one hour per day or week to focus on a project of their choice. The practice combines well with classroom pedagogies such as project-based learning and inquiry-based learning. Video Playlist: 20 Percent Time in the Classroom Watch the player below to see the whole playlist, or view it on YouTube. More Resources for Using Genius Hour in the Classroom
¿Qué hacen los mejores profesores? Ken Bain es el director del "Center for Teaching Excellence" de la Universidad de Nueva York. Su libro Lo que hacen los mejores profesores universitarios (2004) ha sido traducido por la Universidad de Valencia y repartido entre sus profesores. Más allá de las valoraciones positivas o negativas de esta iniciativa, el libro es muy interesante y responde a la pregunta que plantea el título. Teodoro Álvarez Angulo, profesor de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, especialista en temas de comprensión lectora, hace una reseña del libro y sintetiza las características que Bain ha encontrado en los mejores profesores de la siguiente manera: (i) Conocen su materia extremadamente bien, lo que implica un sentido agudo de la historia y de los problemas que se ha planteado y se plantea su disciplina.
35 Educational Resources to Encourage Inquiry & Inventive Thinking This is a sponsored post. I’ve scoured the internet, including all of my favourite social media sites, to bring you a fantastic collection of online inquiry and inventive thinking resources that I know will inspire and motivate both you and your students. The collection includes Lego, science, practical activity ideas, engineering, videos, animation, technology and a tonne of fun facts – so there is sure to be something for everyone! Sean Kenney Lego Certified Master Builder’s YouTube Channel: Best-selling author and artist, Sean Kenney, uses LEGO toys to build anything and everything you can imagine. CSIRO Crest: CREativity in Science and Technology (CREST) is an Australian non-competitive awards program supporting students to design and carry out their own open-ended science investigation or technology project. Pinterest is a veritable smorgasbord of great ideas across all grades and subject areas. What are your favourite online resources for inspiring kids to think? You may also like:
PBL Tools Many people have requested a source for the management tools that are used in the Project Based Learning plans on Teach 21. Here is the place. You will find rubrics, checklists, task management charts, learning logs and other documents that will help your PBL planning and delivery. Most of the documents were created by West Virginia teachers and used in the PBLs on Teach 21. Other documents were created and published on the Novel Approach PBL website, which is no longer on the internet. WV has been given permission by the creator of the site to continue using these PBL documents. Rubrics Learning Logs and Journals Presentation Tools Self and Peer Assessments Task Management and Student Contracts WVDE Template for Project Based Learning Design WVDE Project Design Rubric Lowell Milken Center Return to PBL Page Return to Teach 21 Home
The Pedagogy Project We are so proud and excited to announce the Pedagogy Project! This project started when several professors asked for specific suggestions on digital or collaborative projects they could do with their students. We asked the HASTAC Scholars to provide specific assignments, in-class exercises and other projects. The response was awesome - over 80 specific and proven suggestions to shake up your syllabus! The Pedagogy Project is organized into nine sections, with numerous examples of projects, assignments and concepts in each area. How to use the Pedagogy Project: Are you currently planning a syllabus? How to contribute to the Pedagogy Project: Register on the HASTAC websitePost your own blog on HASTAC. Thank you to the following HASTAC Scholars who helped me to organize the Pedagogy Project: Staci Stutsman, Syracuse UniversityAmanda Starling Gould, Duke UniversityKalle Westerling, The Graduate Center, CUNY, and HASTAC Scholars Co-Director
Over 25 Links Uncovering Project Based Learning Resources On The Web Welcome to this first in a series of PBL Mania Posts. For the next few weeks I am celebrating Project Based Learning by hosting a webinar at Edtech Leaders Online, and by presenting a PBL session at the NICE Conference in Chicago. In this post I will introduce you to some awesome places on the web containing some of the very best PBL resources. Before reading, please take a moment to subscribe to this 21centuryedtech Blog by email or RSS and also give me a follow on Twitter at mjgormans. You will not want to miss this series or future posts involving STEM, Flipping the Classroom, Technology Integration, Common Core, and 21st Century Skills, So Sign Up Now! As always… thanks and have a great week. - Mike Gorman (21centuryedtech) Welcome to the land of PBL knowledge. BIE – BUCK Institute BIE – Also known as the BUCK Institute for Learning. BIE Videos – What Is PBL Video – A great collection of videos that demonstrate PBL and its best practices. West Virginia Teach 21 PBL Learning Reviews
How Can Your Librarian Help Bolster Brain-Based Teaching Practices? Flickr/Kevin Harber Inquiry-based learning has been around in education circles for a long time, but many teachers and schools gradually moved away from it during the heyday of No Child Left Behind. The pendulum is beginning to swing back towards an inquiry-based approach to instruction thanks to standards such as Common Core State Standards for math and English Language Arts, the Next Generation Science Standards and the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. “This is so new for teachers, whereas librarians have been doing this for ten years,” said Paige Jaeger, a school librarian turned administrator and co-author of Think Tank Library: Brain-Based Learning Plans for New Standards. As grade level and content-specific teachers begin to incorporate inquiry-based approaches into their classrooms, they should look to collaborate on lesson planning with their librarian, Jaeger said. “We have a limited capacity for short term recall,” Ratzen said.
10 Practical Ideas For Better Project-Based Learning In Your Classroom By Jennifer Rita Nichols, TeachThought Intern Teachers are incorporating more and more projects into their curriculum, allowing for much greater levels of collaboration and responsibility for students at all levels. Project- based learning is a popular trend, and even teachers who don’t necessarily follow that approach still see the benefit to using projects to advance their students’ learning. Projects can be wonderful teaching tools. They can allow for a more student-centred environment, where teachers can guide students in their learning instead of using lectures to provide them with information. The increase in classroom technology also makes projects more accessible to students. Despite general agreement about the benefits of using projects and project-based learning in general, it must be noted that all projects are not created equal! This may happen fairly often because teachers are wary about being able to assign grades to the final assignments handed in to them by students.
Social Media for Teachers: Guides, Resources, and Ideas Although students are evermore connected to the social web, many of these networks remain out-of-class digital playgrounds where students congregate. In a 2014 survey of 1,000 teachers, just one in five said they use social media regularly with students. Of course, it can be a challenge to incorporate social media into lessons. There are many gray areas for teachers to navigate, like setting guidelines, accessibility at school, and student safety. More Great Reads From Edutopia In addition to those great guides, there is a lot of useful information right here on Edutopia.