Here are some articles, blog posts, research studies, and other resources I’ve recently run across that relate to Project Based Learning.

High Quality PBL Framework on the Horizon
Education Week’s Blogs
Between now and March, educators and organizations are invited to commit to a new framework that describes what students should experience when they are engaged in high quality PBL. BIE’s Bob Lenz explains in this post, which highlights the need for teaching project management skills.

An OKC teacher adopts a progressive teaching method that’s capturing students’ attention
Oklahoma Gazette
A nice story in the local press about one of BIE’s National Faculty members, Telannia Norfar, and how she uses PBL in her math classroom at Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City.

Remembering 9/11/2001 – A View from Afar
Weebly.com - Student Blog & Podcast
I recently ran across this on Twitter: a high school student is asking for a public audience to listen to a podcast she created for a project about 9/11. Check it out and give her your comments and add your reflections about the event!

This Framework Makes Group Projects More Collaborative—and Individual
EdSurge
Great post about how a 5th grade teacher and a parent successfully introduced students to Scrum, an online tool used in the business world to help teams work better together.

“If at first you fail…” The Value of Project Revision
Magnify Learning
Ohio high school teacher Andrew Larson offers the usual sage advice about reflecting on how a project went, focusing on authenticity, assessment and standards-based grading, the need for practice and revision, and incorporating literacy.

My Favourite Inquiry Journeys of 2017
Kath Murdoch
An excellent post from the Australia with a collection of a dozen project ideas from a variety of schools and grade levels. Like her, I loved the “Bin Chickens” project, in which four year old students noticed a wild ibis trying to steal their lunches in the schoolyard, launching an inquiry into interactions between humans and animals, adaptation, and habitat loss.

What’s the Difference Between Project- and Challenge-Based Learning, Anyway?
EdSurge
This article sorts out the many “-based learning” models being used today. The author features interviews with Karen Cator of Digital Promise, which promotes challenge-based learning, and me, saying it’s all closely related and all good, whatever you call it.

In Our Connected World, What If Empathy Is Learning?
KQED Mind/Shift
Thom Markham, who authored BIE’s PBL Handbook back in 2003, discusses how education needs to change to better fit our highly connected and complexity-filled world.

Finding the Beauty of Math Outside of Class
Edutopia
This article gives some new resources for a great project idea that’s been around for while: students create “math trails” in their community, where people walking the path are asked to solve or create interesting problems about objects and shapes they see.

The Secrets to Great Teaching
New Tech Network
A thoughtful post by school director Matt Bertasso on the difference between teaching methods aimed at “giving students a fish” vs. teaching them to fish.

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