Nov. 7 - 11, 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:

Why Students Can’t Google Their Way to the Truth
Education Week
Stanford prof Sam Wineburg and doctoral candidate Sarah McGrew point out the need for critical thinking (as I did in yesterday’s post about good citizenship in a democracy) when it comes to finding information on the web, drawing examples from the recent U.S. election. I like how they explain what separates real fact-checkers from the rest of us, and how schools can teach these skills.

Three Tools for Teaching Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
KQED Mind/Shift
Since I’m focusing on this topic a lot this week, here’s one more from Katrina Schwartz describing how a teacher puts training on “integrative thinking” to use in her classroom. Some very practical take-aways for PBL teachers.

Let’s Talk about Racism in Schools
ASCD Educational Leadership
Rick Wormelli, always a cogent writer, offers some sage advice for our times. He includes 10 principles for having candid, productive conversations with students.

Hard to Do Well: Project-Based Learning and Authentic Learning Design
Education Week
This post is not critical of PBL but acknowledges its complexity in this thoughtful report on Next Generation Learning Challenge’s “MyWays” project. Blogger Grace Belifiore has been researching “the changing context for learner success in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world” and developing a framework for next-gen school designers.

Taking PBL One Step at a Time
Getting Smart
Tony Donen, principal of STEM School Chattanooga, a high school that uses PBL, gives great advice for teachers and for school leaders planning a PBL implementation initiative. (Thanks for the shout-out to BIE when discussing the need for high-quality training for teachers.)

Elevator Speech for PBL
A Principal’s Growth Mindset blog
Principal Andy Hoffert attended my recent session at ASCD’s Educational Leadership conference, the final activity of which was to write a one-minute “elevator pitch” for PBL. Here’s his second draft, lookin’ good!

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