Products & Curricula
BIE is the author and publisher of the well-regarded Project Based Learning Handbook: A Guide to Standards-Focused Project Based Learning for Middle and High School Teachers. This PBL Handbook is used by over 40,000 educators in 49 American states and 28 other countries including, Brazil, China, Cuba, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan. It has been translated into Portuguese, traditional and modern Chinese and Korean. An abbreviated Arabic translation is also available.
BIE is now developing a series of PBL Toolkits that will focus on specific topics in Project Based Learning. The first title in the Toolkit series, PBL Starter Kit, is available from BIE and Amazon.com. Future titles include PBL for All Students, An Administrator's Guide to PBL, PBL in the Elementary School, Afterschool PBL and Using PBL to Develop 21st Century Skills.
In 2003, BIE lead the creation of PBL-Online.org, a multi-media website for preservice and practicing teachers that helps teachers conceive, plan, manage, assess and improve standards-focused Project Based Learning. The PBL-Online site was included in the ISTE Publication, 101 Best Web Sites for Teacher Tools and Professional Development, and has been translated into Spanish (sp.PBL-online.org) and modern Chinese (cn.pbl-online.org). Partners in this development effort included the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (a competitive grants program administered by the U.S. Department of Education), the George Lucas Education Foundation, Boise State University, Iowa State University and Kean University.
BIE has developed a set of Project Based Economics and Project Based Government curriculum units designed around national Economics and Government/Civics standards. These popular, downloadable units are used by teachers across the U.S. and in South Korea, Australia, and Singapore. The Project Based Economics units have been selected for a multi-state, randomized control study by WestEd and the U. S. Department of Education because they “have shown promise through preliminary [evaluation] studies.” Results of this "gold standard" study are expected in Fall 2009.
Cool Tools
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PBL Starter Kit ($24)
The PBL Starter Kit contains BIE's latest guidance for planning & managing projects with planning forms, rubrics, handouts, 6 example projects, and practical advice for successfully running your first project.
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PBL Handbook ($35)
The PBL Handbook gives an overview of PBL, explains how to design and manage successful projects, provides sample rubrics, forms and handouts, and describes five example projects.
