PBL

Characteristics

1. Engaging learning experiences that involve students in complex, real-world projects through which they develop and apply skills and knowledge;
2. A strategy which recognizes that significant learning;
3. Learning in which curricular outcomes can be identified up-front, but in which the outcomes of the student’s learning process are neither predetermined nor fully predictable;
4. Learning that requires students to draw from many information sources and disciplines in order to solve problems;
5. Experiences through which students learn to manage and allocate resources such as time and materials.
6. Learning is teacher guided, so the teacher is accountable for engaging students in activities drawn from curriculum standards set by the teacher.

Guidelines

1. Pick the different skills and content you will teach (for example, standards derived);
2. Identify the essential knowledge you want all students to learn (key objectives);
3. Craft a question that will focus the project and engage your students (driving question);
4. Decide how students will demonstrate what they have learned (products/performances);
5. Choose or create assessment tools to clarify expectations and evaluate student work (rubrics).

Instructions for What Each Project Should Include

1. Project Aligned with Content-look at the specific standard or standards and confirm that the project will address the standards
2. Key Objective-the project must address the key objectives and essential knowledge
Create a Driving Question-create a question that the students must work through content in order to be able to formulate a response to it
3. Product or Performance-what will be produced by the student to show they have mastered the standards. Will it be a product or a presentation?
Materials-Identify all materials that will be needed for the project
4. Rubric-Specify the rubric or scoring tool that will be used to assess student learning after the project is completed
5. HOT Skills (Blooms)-Make sure content contains Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions that engage the student to Apply, Analyze, Evaluate and/or Create using information learned throughout the project
6. Research Technology-What research will the student need to accomplish and what technological resources will be needed to research information
7. Time Length for Project Development-How long will the student have to complete this project.