Nov. 28- Dec. 2, 2016

Each Friday we post a list of articles, blog posts, and other resources we’ve run across that relate to Project Based Learning.

Here’s what we liked this week:

Changing High Schools in This Time of Change
Education Week
Kathleen Kushman wrote this in response to recent events (as I did in this post)—a call for teaching students to “use one’s mind well” which is one of the 10 Common Principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools, co-founded by Ted Sizer. The high school reform organization’s final Fall Forum is now taking place in Providence, RI. I’m attending the event, since I was deeply involved in CES in the 1990s, and will blog about it next week.

'Makerspaces' for science instruction also proving helpful for English learners
EdSource
What’s true of a makerspace is true of PBL: it helps students learn English because they are given opportunities to converse naturally with peers and the teacher. The article focuses on a school near Fresno, CA, where students also write in journals in English about their maker ideas.

Want Real Ed Reform? 5 Ways Students Should Be Included
Changing Is Learning blog
Michael Niehoff, who is a member of the BIE National Faculty, offers some great advice “If we are serious… about truly transformational 21st century education.” He includes asking students for feedback on their learning, giving them curricular choice, and involving them in school governance, hiring, and problem-solving.

4 Symptoms and Remedies for Hacking Project-Based Learning
Education Week
This post gives helpful guidance for overcoming the “PBL Paralysis” that can strike teachers who feel daunted by it. I like how author Erin Murphy acknowledges the emotional component of shifting from a teacher’s cherished traditional lessons to PBL.

#PBLchat: Bringing the Realness into Projects
New Tech Network
This is the Storify record of one of NTN’s Tuesday #PBLchats on Twitter; lots of useful ideas and links to resources for making PBL authentic.

Follow us on social media: Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. For information about BIE professional development services click here.