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Bringing Learning to Life through Project Based Learning
- 1. Bringing Learning to Life through Project Based Learning Nancy Nelson Conestoga College ITAL Cambridge (South) Campus 850 Fountain Street Cambridge, Ontario N3H 0A8 nnelson@conestogac.on.ca
- 2. Nancy Nelson 2 3 Minute Challenge … As a small group … make a list of the projects that you have used in your classes
- 3. Nancy Nelson 3 So why DO we use projects?
- 4. Nancy Nelson 4 One common reason …
- 5. How many students are bored? Nancy Nelson 5 Source: HSSSE 2009
- 6. Why?? Nancy Nelson 6 SCHOOLING LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY INSTRUCTIONAL INTERACTION MATERIAL LEARNINGvs.
- 7. Situations of Learning … Nancy Nelson 7 Source: Kanevsky, Lannie, “To produce or not produce?” CONTROL CHOICE CHALLENGE COMPLEXITY CARING boredom and learning are mutually exclusive … students are never bored when they are learning and they are never learning when they are bored Power Make Decisions Equal Opportunity Unfamiliarity Want to be a teacher
- 8. Nancy Nelson 8 What is PBL?
- 9. Nancy Nelson 9 Competitions Autonomous Robot Microcontroller Systems Minesweeper Hardware Systems Audio Amplifier PBL technology-style… Software Systems Vehicle Tracking Network
- 10. Nancy Nelson 10 Working Definition "project work forms the central and dominant component of their curriculum and conventional didactic teaching is only provided to supplement the requirements of the project topics. The subject material studied is determined by the demands of the project topics, in terms of understanding both theoretical and methodological issues necessary to complete the project.“ Alistair Morgan Theoretical Aspects of Project-Based Learning in Higher Education
- 11. Nancy Nelson 11 That’s fine for you, but I don’t teach in a program that designs things!
- 12. Nancy Nelson 12 Sample projects … playground plans PRcampaign
- 13. Nancy Nelson 13 Have you heard this? abstract concrete SOURCE: EDGAR DALE
- 14. Nancy Nelson 14 Passive Active Learning
- 15. Nancy Nelson 15 Passive Active Learning CONTROL CHOICE CHALLENGE COMPLEXITY CARING
- 16. Nancy Nelson 16 Levels of learning … A taste of everything ? The what, why and how of the key elements Surface Learning Deep Learning
- 17. Nancy Nelson 17 1 Minute Challenge … 1. Flip to the diagram on page 2 2. In the inner circle write down one of the subjects you’ll be teaching 3. Jot down its topics in the next ring out Course Topic A Topic B
- 18. Nancy Nelson 18 June 8, 2010 25% 58% 35% 33% 36% 58% 46% 42% 49% 55% 1 31 45 678 910 Why should I consider PBL?
- 19. Nancy Nelson 19 1 Minute Challenge … 1. In the next ring out jot down some more topics Topic A Course Topic B Topic C Topic D
- 20. Nancy Nelson 20 So what do I do to get started?
- 21. Nancy Nelson 21 Look for project ideas or themes LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I DID!
- 22. Dan Pink – Motivation Nancy Nelson 22 1) Autonomy 2)Mastery 3)Purpose “Autonomous people working toward mastery perform at very high levels. But those who do so in the service of some greater objective can achieve even more.”
- 23. Nancy Nelson 23 3 Minute Challenge … 1. Circle the ‘MUST’ topics on your sheet 2. In the bottom area, jot down a few “real things” that your students could: • produce • contribute to the community • document • emulate, simulate, mock • rework • … Topic A Course Topic B Topic C Topic D Project idea A Project idea B Project idea C
- 24. Activity vs. Project Control a kit Robot Design, Build & Control a Robot Follow stock portfolio Is market affected by the business cycle? Show cell metabolism How our bodies deal with hot, humid days Nancy Nelson 24
- 25. Turn the Idea into a Problem/Question Nancy Nelson 25 Help steer toward the goal Mesh idea and context Point toward mastery Provide challeng e
- 26. Driving Question TUBRIC 2.0TM Framing Word Person or Entity Action or Challenge Audience or Purpose How can … I/we build/create/make real world problem How do … we as [roles] [occupation] design/plan for public audience Should … [town] [city] solve for a school Could … [province] [nation] write for a classroom What … [community] [organization] decide/propose for an online audience [wild card] [wild card] [wild card] [wild card] Nancy Nelson 26 Source: Buck Institute of Education http://www.bie.org/tools/freebies/driving_question_tubric
- 27. Nancy Nelson 27 3 Minute Challenge … 1. Choose one of the “real things” from your sheet 2. Write a problem statement or driving question in the box at the bottom of page 2 Nancy Nelson 27 Topic A Course Topic B Topic C Topic D Project idea A Project idea B Project idea C Problem Statement or Driving Question
- 28. Nancy Nelson 28 Check your Problem/Question Does it provide a direction for your students? Are there multiple paths/solutions/approaches? Does it encourage complex thinking? Does it encourage analysis, interpretation and/or synthesis? Does it cover the key elements of the curriculum? Is it authentic/meaningful?
- 29. Nancy Nelson 29 3 Minute Challenge … 1. Working with the person next to you, check your statement or question against the checklist … provides direction? has multiple paths? complex? authentic? covers content? encourages thinking? Nancy Nelson 29 Topic A Course Topic B Topic C Topic D Project idea A Project idea B Project idea C Problem Statement or Driving Question
- 30. Decide how to Evaluate Nancy Nelson 30 Presentations Tests Interviews Student Demonstrations Log books Progress Notes Improvement Records
- 31. Lay it out Nancy Nelson 31 IDENTIFY SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZE TASKS & ACTIVITIES PREPARE TIMELINE GATHER RESOURCES IDENTIFY MILESTONES STRUCTURING A PROJECT
- 32. Sample Plan Nancy Nelson 32 MILESTONES REQ’D SKILLS ACTIVITIES REQ’D KNOWLEDGE TIME LINE
- 33. And finally, as Nike would say … Nancy Nelson 33
- 35. To recap … Nancy Nelson 35
- 36. Your assignment … Nancy Nelson 36
Editor's Notes
- Have each group create a list of projects that they’ve actually used in their own classrooms … we’ll come back to these when looking at the difference between activities and projects
- Have a very brief discussion asking for reasons why we even consider using projects in our classes … Work them toward things like active learning, alleviate boredom, getting students involved, etc.
- A survey of 43,000 American high school students asked if they were bored in class at least once every day. What percentage of these students do you think answered yesHSSSE (High School Survey of Student Engagement) Spring 2009~43,000 studentsBOREDOM … 67% bored at least everyday in class
- they’re bored because …material not interesting 81%not relevant 42%level of difficultynot challenging enough 33%too hard 26%instructional interaction no interaction with teacher 35%The also annunciated the difference between schooling & learning … schooling where they only do what they’re told … no more, no less … often memorizing facts and figureslearning --- 5 C’s … control, choice, challenge, complexity & caring
- Kanevsky , Lannie, “To produce or not produce? Understanding boredom and the honor in underachievement” 2003/2008In a survey of gifted students and boredom, they indicated there were five factor that create situations of learning instead of boredom …control …power to act on their own decisionschoice … make decisions in what, how, and when they learn (content, process, environment)challenge … each student should have an equal opportunity to learn …different pace, thinking not just doing … what they are asked to do is level appropriate … not too easy, not too difficultcomplexity … function of unfamiliarity … novel, authentic, abstract, open-ended experiencescaring … teachers who make it clear they want to be teachers …
- By now there are at least of few of you thinking “I know nothing about technology … this kind of stuff would never work in my kind of course … we don’t design and build things!” But there is a way that PBL can work in any discipline. Let’s take a look ...
- It’s time to start thinking about ways that you could incorporate PBL into your curriculum. Start by drawing three circles on your paper. Now choose one of courses that you’ll be teaching this fall or winter … write its name in the centre. You now have one minute to jot down the topics for that course. Don’t worry if you can’t get them all down.Start 1 minute timer
- It’s time to add some more topics to your diagram. Using the next ring out, you have one more minute to add the topics you thought of while the last slide was on.Start 1 minute timer
- So what do I have to do to use PBL in my classroom?
- In his 2011 book “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”, Daniel Pink talks about the three things that motivate us:Autonomy over (i) Time, (ii) Task, (iii) Technique, and (iv) TeamMastery … it is (i) a mindset, (ii) a pain, and (iii) an asymptote (you never quite reach it)Purpose … provides a context for the autonomy and mastery … "Autonomous people working toward mastery perform at very high levels. But those who do so in the service of some greater objective can achieve even more." p. 135
- Now back to your diagram. Review the topics you’ve included and circle the MUST know ones … they’re probably the ones in the ring closest to the centre. These are the ones that you should consider when considering a project. Now move to outside the rings. Write down a few ideas that you have for projects in your course. Just make a note of the theme or big ideas … no details yet.Start 3 minute timer.
- It’s important when we’re considering project based learning that we are able to differentiate between traditional activities and projects. Activities are an important part of the learning process, but generally don’t allow for “voice and choice” that students experience in the design and implementation of a project. Remember we talked earlier about the “who”, “what” and “how” questions. In activities, teachers generally assign all students a given task and expect most students to do it using predetermined methods. Projects, on the other hand, allow student greater autonomy in all three areas, with of course, careful guidance from the teacher.Consider an activity that has a technology student program a pre-built robot to follow a line. It involves a reasonably challenging task, but the student has very little choice in how to implement this. Compare that to a project that integrates multiple subjects where the student must design, build and program a robot to do a specific task while dealing with all kinds of other issues like competing robots, obstacles, and strategies.Now let`s think about the business student trying to understand the intricacies of the stock market. A common activity is to have students choose a portfolio, make imaginary investments, and follow their progress over the semester. Compare that to a project that requires students to both analyze and synthesize data to determine if and how particular markets are affected by the business cycle.Finally, look at the science student who must learn about cell metabolism. Activities often include poster presentations describing certain metabolic processes. Compare that to a more open-ended project that ties in with current issues where students must take a micro-level view of how a person`s body deals with these hot and humid days.
- Keeping the difference between activities and projects, the next step is turning one of your ideas into a workable problem statement or question. There are four main things you should keep in mind as you do this. First, make sure that your statement or question provides direction to your students. It needs to help steer your students in the desired direction while still allowing them some freedom. Next, you need to make sure that your statement or question encapsulates the project idea within the context of the curriculum and is both authentic and realizable.Third it is important to ensure that the problem statement or question is structured such that it will force students to explore and learn the key knowledge, skills, and processes in order to reach a viable solution.Finally, the statement or question must pose a level-appropriate challenge to the students. Projects that are too simple or don`t require new learning will turn students off just as easily as one that too difficult or too involved. The nice thing about a well-defined project is that students with different abilities can all be successful, just with different degrees of difficulty.Example: design a tool that you can use to verify that the field generated by your cell phone is operating well within the defined consumer safety limits
- Now choose one of the ideas from you sheet that you think you might be able to develop into a project statement or question that meets the four criteria we just talked about … direction, context, mastery, and challenge. You have three minutes to work on your statement or question.Start 3 minute timer.
- Once you`ve got a draft statement or question, it`s time to check it against some criteria. First, is it providing a clear direction for your students? Are there multiple ways that your students can approach the problem, and multiple solutions? Is it a complex question that will encourage a thoughtful process? Does it encourage analysis, interpretation and synthesis of various elements? Does it cover key elements of your curriculum? And finally, is it an authentic problem that has some meaning to your students?
- Now working with the person next to you, check your problem statement or driving question. Make modifications if you need to.Start 3 minute timer.
- Now that you’ve got a reasonable statement or question, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to evaluate the work that your students produce. Because there is no one correct answer, evaluation becomes a little more involved. Because project work involves the acquisition of both knowledge and skills, along with processes involved in interpreting, analyzing and synthesizing them, you have to be prepare to evaluate each of these three types of learning.Knowledge is pretty straight-forward. You may choose to use a traditional test, to have students do presentations that summarize what they’ve learned, or interview them to get a clear picture of what knowledge they’ve acquired.Skills are a little bit different. It’s pretty difficult to determine whether someone has mastered a skill without having them demonstrate their ability. This however takes more time than paper-based methods. Whatever you choose to do, make sure that it gives the students the opportunity to show you what they’ve learned.Unfortunately process skills rarely get evaluated, even though they are probably the most critical. Students can use log books or blogs to document what they are doing, resources they’ve accessed, problems they’ve encountered, and decisions they’ve made. They can be asked to submit regular progress reports, which should be discussed with them, and together you can keep improvement records that document skills and knowledge that have been demonstrated. Whatever methods you choose to use, make sure that both you and the students are clear about what is required, and when.
- The next step is the hard work … the nitty-gritty, get in up to your elbows, dirty work. Here you have to clearly think through what should or may happen over the course of the project. First you need to clearly outline the skills, knowledge and processes that should be mastered during the project. This should be easy now, because you’ve just spent a while considering how you’re going to evaluate these elements.Next, it’s important to lay out some milestones … a few key stages along the way that help the students to better organize their time and effort. Without these milestones, many students spend too much time focusing on one aspect at the expense of many others.Because we are responsible for guiding the students through this process, it is important that a series of tasks and activities be defined. Many students will have clear ideas about how to approach their work, while others will need a gentle nudge from time to time. It is also important to have activities identified for the times when students ask for assistance in mastering key concepts.Next you need to lay out a timeline. Is this to be a two week project, or a full semester one? Map the milestones onto the timeline and make sure that you’re not expecting delivery of some skill or use of some knowledge before it has been covered in class.Finally, gather together any resources that you will need for the project. Arrange for speakers, collect parts, amass exercises … do everything possible before you get started.
- Here’s a sample plan for a project that our first year students will be starting in September. It includes milestones (in dark blue), required skills (in pink), tasks and activities (in light blue), and required knowledge (in grey). Suggested completion dates are associated with each milestone, and the final drop dead date is shown for the project.Click on diagram if you want to see expanded view.
- Once you’re happy with your plan, it’s time to put it into action. As Nike says, just do it! Start small. Some things will work and other won’t. Keep good notes as you go, and remember we learn more from mistakes that when everything goes perfectly!
- To recap, today we’ve taken a quick look at Project based learning. We talked about the characteristics of a good project, and covered the main steps you need to follow in order to plan and implement a project within your course.
- Now as any good teacher will do, I’m giving you some homework to reinforce what you’ve learned this morning … Make it a goal to include at least one project in at least one course this year.