Week of March 14-18, 2016

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

Here’s what we liked this week:

What Learning Will Look Like in 2035
Education Week
Tom Vander Ark makes a thorough, detailed prediction about education’s future, including the use of technology, personalized learning, relationships, facilities, and much more. I like his emphasis on changing the aims of schooling – including a greater focus on the success skills taught by PBL.

Ransom Everglades Students Fight Political Rhetoric with Facts
Miami Herald
A story from Florida about an A.P. Government class project in which students created an online voter guide to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. It’s a good example of how current events can inspire authentic projects – reminds me of the California Propositions Project, a video that BIE uses in our professional development workshops.

Learn Different: Silicon Valley Disrupts Education
The New Yorker
A look at the AltSchool in Brooklyn and San Francisco, founded by tech entrepreneur Max Ventilla to “liberate children’s individual creativity and intellectual curiosity” with blended learning, personalization, and – of course – PBL.

Panel: Ditch Grades Now, Focus on Student Learning
THE Journal
A provocative argument by educator-hacker and author Mark Barnes, who spoke recently at SXSWedu, challenging sacred cows in education – such as grades, tests, and homework. He advocates instead for portfolio assessment, formative assessment, and engaging students in their learning with PBL.

When a Project Rollout = “meh”
Intrepid Ed blog
Blogger Kevin Gant, a high school teacher at nex+Gen Academy in the New Tech Network, describes a common pitfall, even for a PBL veteran: thinking your students will be as engaged by a topic as you are (in this case, GMO foods). His solution – in an admittedly “doh!” moment – is to give students more voice and choice about how to demonstrate their learning in the project.

Project-Based Learning Using Disney Movies
Edutopia
Blogger Sarah Carter describes a project that engages her high school students in learning world history by analyzing the historical accuracy of Disney films. Sample question for inquiry: Is Mulan set in Han China when the Forbidden City was not yet constructed?

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