An explanation of what PBL is and the benefits it has for learners. The a 10 poi

1. THROUGH THE
LOOKING GLASS
15-16 | MARCH | 2013
This change is neither minor nor
optional
PLANNING A PBL
UNIT Christine Wells

2. What is PBL?

3. Edutopia

5. 8 Essential Ingredients

6. PBL is…
1. Intended to teach significant content e.g. content standards and key
concepts
2. Requires critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and various forms
of communication – 21st Century skills
3. Requires inquiry as part of the learning process and creating something
new
4. Is organised around an open-ended Driving Question which focuses
learning
5. Creates a need to know essential content and skills
6. Allows some degree of student voice and choice
7. Includes processes for revision and reflection
8. Involves a public audience

7. Project-Based Learning...Where do
I start?
Questions to consider:
1.Identify the important skills that are fundamental to the topic you are teaching.
2.Explain how the topic is relevant to real life.
3.Identify the interdisciplinary connections. What other subjects might be
integrated?
4.Consider how you might go beyond rote learning to analysis, evaluation and
creation.
5.Identify the authentic ways that students can use technology tools to engage
in this project. Is there an opportunity for collaboration, digital tools, and
information literacy?
6.Identify the aspects of the topic that will be of most interest to your students.
Is there something that would captivate them as you launch the project
7.Explain how you will build reflection in to the project.
Adapted from Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss
(ISTE, 2007)

8. PBL PLANNING
Project Name: Surviving Prejudice
Subject: Year 9 English
Driving Question: What values and attitudes are needed
to survive prejudice?
Examples of Driving Questions:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-how-to-refine-driving-question
http://pbl-online.org/driving_question/dqexplore/dqexplore1.htm
http://joedeegan.blogspot.co.nz/2009/10/3-steps-to-driving-que

9. 1,2,3 - Getting Started
See
See
What’s
What’s
1.Identify Learning Outcomes for this unit. the big
the big
idea?
idea?
2.Identify Success Criteria for this unit.
3.Which other emphasis should be built into the unit?
•Key Competencies: TRUMP
•3 Story Intellect: Gathering, Processing, Applying
•21st Century skills such as collaboration, creativity and
critical thinking

10. 4. What's the Big Idea?
Inspirational, authentic, allows for deep learning, has meaning for students,
output has social value, can be developed by students .
Discover
Identify examples of prejudice in our world.
Describe examples from their own lives.
Identify possible survival techniques that could be used
Create a presentation Share the presentations
to help teenagers with the class, on YouTube
survive prejudice or other social media

11. 5. What is the output of this project?
What will students do/write/create/build?
Do
Read The Cay by Theodore Taylor
Matrix activities
Write
Write a blog post and tweet the link
Write 2-3 essays
Create/build
•A presentation to help teenagers survive prejudice.

12. 6. Develop a Timeline of Key Moments
Entry event, check points, draft deadline, presentation – these are only key
moments – there will be others
ENTRY EVENT
•Watch an episode of Bear Grylls - The Torres Strait one.
CHECK POINTS
•
Deadline to have read the novel
•
Learners create a timeline of due dates
•
Essay blog due date
•
Presentation planning checkpoint and due date

13. 7. Choice, Personalisation and
Presentation
Choice & Personalisation
Identify student options and any support needs
A Gardners/Blooms matrix of tasks with points assigned.
Some tasks are compulsory and a certain amount of points
will have to be gained.
Presentation
Identify details of exhibition, nature of, promotion, invitation?
•Share with class
•
Share presentations via social media.
•
Blog essay and reflection with peer feedback

14. 8. Assessment
Identify how assessment is factored in to the task – which outcomes?
Formative, summative, self, peer?
•
Essays will be marked as formative assessment with an end
of unit common test.
•
A 'classwork' mark will be given for the presentation
•
Peer feedback of blog reflection

15. 9. Applied Learning
Identify the focus of :
semi structured
problems, skills of
collaboration,
communication and
critical thinking and
student self-
management

16. Matrix Links
For creating your own matrix of learning activities based on
Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Intelligences,check out:
http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2006/Lstyles/GardBloo.htm
Here’s a link to “BloomsGardners Matrix.doc” in my
Dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzdjxprg51ik9r7/BloomsGardners%20Matrix.doc
You can download this template and adjust it for your own
needs.

17. 10. Connections to Adults
Mentors, experts, judges
•
Roaming teacher as mentor
•
Parents/caregivers & other family members
•
Students may find their own experts in community

18. Useful Resources
• http://www.slideshare.net/christinekw/introducing-pbl
• Powerful Learning Practice: www.plpnetwork.com/pbl-
resources/
• Buck Institute for Education: www.bie.org/
• Edutopia: www.edutopia.org/blog/practical-pbl-design-
amber-graeber
• PBLU: www.pblu.org/

19. Influences
• Adapted from “The Teachers Guide to Project Based
Learning” and bie.org. Mark Burgess
• Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to
Real-World Projects in the Digital Age by Suzie Boss and
Jane Krauss (ISTE, 2007)