Welcome to Module 3
Start Planning
Once you have a good idea for a project—whether it’s from an example you want to borrow (such as those you explored in the previous module or more examples in the PBLWorks project library) or from your own brainstorming—your next step is to start designing the learning experience to meet the needs of your students.
Remember, Project-Based Learning is an extended learning experience—more like a unit than a lesson. A project could last from a couple weeks to an entire semester. One project will include a range of lessons and activities—whole class, small group, and individual—and require a variety of resources.
- Video Summary of PBL tools: select for 4E: effective, easy, efficient for cost, enduring beyond school year
- NearPod, Desmos, TI Inspire (costs), Edmodo- small group collaboration and activity management
Learning Goal
I can integrate technology to help me manage the learning experience at each phase of the Project Path.
That means:
- I can identify the distinct teaching decisions that support learning at each phase of the Project Path
- I can integrate technology to help me manage, assess, and scaffold the learning experience at each phase of a project
How will you keep everything on track? Don’t over-plan! If you try to map out every minute, you won’t leave room for students to drive their own learning. Instead, anticipate what’s most important at key phases of the project. Think about which decisions you need to make in advance and which ones will depend on students’ choices.
"The trick is to plan your project, as Goldilocks might say, ‘just right.’ It can’t be mapped out too tightly, or you’ll take away student voice and choice. But it can’t be too loose, either, or you’ll risk the dangers of wasted time, misdirected student energy, or failure to meet learning goals."
Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning
Two big questions will help guide your planning at this early stage:
- What do you want students to know and be able to do by the end of the project? What are the big learning goals—academic understanding, success skills, and competencies for students in the digital age? Who uses these competences in their work or daily life?
- How will students demonstrate or share their learning? What evidence of learning will you look for in students’ final products or solutions? How could technology tools be essential? This question not only helps you plan for summative assessment, but also helps you build in formative check-ins from start to finish to keep learning on track.
As you start to map out the journey ahead, leveraging technology can help you prepare for successful learning.
Module 3 includes resources and tools to help—before students ever enter the picture! The tool kit you start to build in this module will expand in Module 4, when you consider more tools and resources for student use.
Key Vocabulary
Driving Question
Open-ended question that frames the learning experience in Project-Based Learning by engaging students to solve a problem or respond to a challenge.
Entry Event
Brief experience at start of project intended to spark curiosity and ignite inquiry about learning ahead.
Project Path
Visual representation of four stages of learning that students experience in Project-Based Learning.
Public Product
Artifact, argument, or demonstration that students present at end of project to apply their learning and share results with an audience.
Scaffolding
Temporary supports (like “training wheels” for learning) that enable students to develop new skills or understanding.