Project and Problem Based Learning

1. Project and Problem Based Learning

3. Always think outside the box FedEx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alSQpinagp0

4. Toxic Popcorn Scenario A can of highly toxic popcorn has contaminated an area of approximately 4 feet in diameter. The toxic area extends to the ceiling. If the toxic popcorn is not transferred to a safe container for decontamination, then it will contaminate and destroy the local area. The popcorn is estimated to have a safe life of exactly 20 minutes before it explodes. It’s up to you to save the day!

5. Project Pedagogy Resources , Constraints and Technology PBL Framework Assessment Content

6. What does the research say about PBL? Envision Schools founder Bob Lenz writes in this blog post. But a new report finds that 12th-grade students who were taught a project-based economics curriculum outscored a control group on standardized tests, and their teachers were reportedly more satisfied with the material, Lenz notes. Edutopia.org/Bob Lenz's blog (9/30)

7. What does the research say about PBL? The study by Jo Boaler, at Stanford University, found that students at a project-based school did better than those at the more traditional school both on math problems requiring analytical or conceptual thought and on those considered rote, that is, those requiring memory of a rule or formula. Three times as many students at the project-based school received the top grade achievable on the national examination in math.

8. Lecture…Sit and Get Passive Average Retention Rates PBL Active

9. Why PBL? Think critically and be able to analyze and solve complex, real-world problems Find, evaluate, and use appropriate learning resources Work individually and cooperatively in teams and small groups Demonstrate versatile and effective communication skills, both verbal and written Use content knowledge and develop skills to become life-long learners in order to succeed in a global economy

10. Why PBL The 21st century student will need to be able to adapt to the ever changing world and concentrate on process in order to be successful in the workplace. They will need to communicate well, work in teams, think critically, be innovative and creative and be able to solve problems.

11. retain student interest…keep it relevant • focus on a problem solving, critical thinking and a systems thinking approach. • student centered and teacher facilitated. • integrate technology and 21st Century skills. Why PBL

12. Partnership for 21st Century Learning http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

13. The standard includes six strands, which reflect the • Framework for 21st Century Learning: • 21st Century Skills • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving • Creativity and Innovation • Collaboration, Teamwork, and Leadership • Cross-Cultural Understanding and Interpersonal • Communication • Communication and Media Fluency • Accountability, Productivity, and Ethics • Understanding by Design UbD template (lesson plan development) • http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/final.htm 21st Century Themes Global Awareness Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial Literacy, Civic Literacy Health Literacy

14. Creatively Speaking, Part Two: Sir Ken Robinson on the Power of the Imaginative Mind http://www.edutopia.org/sir-ken-robinson-creativity-part-two-video

15. Engage the student and the achievement will follow 85% of Middle and High School Students report being bored in their classrooms

16. PBL for Teachers http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/

17. Project and Problem Based Leaning is high on the list for addressing skill development and engaging students. But before we can move forward, you need to take a look at your understanding of PBL. So... using the combined knowledge and resources of this group create a group presentation on PBL. You have one hour to complete. Your presentation can be in any style or format.

18. Consider the following for your presentation: Why do PBL? What are the Pros and Cons of PBL? What are the Characteristics of PBL? What are the Differences and Similarities of Project and Problem Based Learning? How is PBL Assessed? What are the Student and Teacher roles when doing PBL How is Technology being used to support PBL? What does the research say about PBL?

19. Project Based Learning? Is a teaching and learning model that focuses on the central concepts and principles of a discipline, involves students in problem solving and other meaningful tasks, allows students to work autonomously and in groups to construct their own learning, culminates in realistic, student generated products. Buck Institute for Education

20. What is Problem Based Learning? Problem-based learning enables students to embrace complexity, find relevance in their learning, and enhance their capacity for creative and responsible real-world problem-solving.

21. Problem-Based Learning Defined: Finkle and Torp (1995) state that "problem-based learning is a curriculum development and instructional system that simultaneously develops both problem solving strategies and disciplinary knowledge bases and skills by placing students in the active role of problem solvers confronted with an ill-structured problem that mirrors real-world problems"

22. Specific tasks in a problem-based learning environment include: • determining whether a problem exists; • creating an exact statement of the problem; • identifying information needed to understand the problem; • identifying resources to be used to gather information; • generating possible solutions; • analyzing the solutions; and presenting the solution, orally • and/or in writing.

23. Constructivism Learning as an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current or past knowledge. Students continually build upon what they have already learned.

24. PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes consistent with constructivism Curriculum Design, Teachers will… • design an ill-structured problem based on desired curriculum outcomes, learner characteristics, and compelling, problematic real-world situations. • identify gaps in the curriculum that will identify skills needed, content area and strategies that are not working • target objectives… begin with the end in mind • focus on standards

25. PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes Cognitive Coaching • Students actively define problems and construct potential solutions • Teachers model, coach, and fade in student support • Teachers give students time to think • Teachers guide them to, not give them the resources needed to solve problems

26. Characteristics of PBL • Learning is student centered. • Real-world context. Making connections between what students are learning and their own lives. • Development of critical thinking skills • Time to analyze and solve problems • Student autonomy and choice. • Decisions are student initiated and self-directed. • Group collaboration and teamwork, developing social and communication skills.

27. Characteristics of PBL • Collaboration with external sources for advice. • Not limited to the four walls of the classroom or the teacher as the • primary source for information. • Encourages mastery of technological tools. • Prepares students for the work force by building problem solving • skills. (Teaches them to think for themselves) • Role changes for the teacher and student--Teacher as facilitator, not • the expert on the topic

28. Characteristics of PBL • Ongoing evaluation, not a single evaluation element • Teacher adapts and adjusts to change • Teacher as scenario writer • Inquiry questioning by the teacher and student • Supportive and non-competitive climate for students

29. Characteristics of PBL • Interdisciplinary oriented. demonstrates connections between classes • The focus is on the process more so than the solution • Multiple outcomes instead of a single answer, or right or wrong

30. Problem-based learning has as its organizing center an ill-structured problem which... • is messy and complex in nature • requires inquiry, information-gathering, and reflection • is changing and tentative • has no simple, fixed, formulaic, "right" solution • appeals to human desire for resolution/ equilibrium/harmony

31. Product or Process? Ms, McIntyre introduced a “project” to her students. She plopped a packet of papers on each student’s desk and explained that each student would create a poster about water-borne bacterium and how it can be harmful to humans. The packet included assignment sheets with due dates and grading policy, a guide for designing the poster, and a list of websites and books to use.

32. PBL is not… Giving students a project, that is hands-on, with step by step instructions, designed and guided by the teacher that results in a student produced product. This process is missing student voice and choice, and may not be authentic or relevant

33. Redesign this Project Ms, McIntyre introduced a “project” to her students. She plopped a packet of papers on each student’s desk and explained that each student would create a poster about water-borne bacterium and how it can be harmful to humans. The packet included assignment sheets with due dates and grading policy, a guide for designing the poster, and a list of websites and books to use.

34. How does PBL work? • Students confront a messy or ill-structured problem. • In groups, students organize prior knowledge and attempt to identify the nature of the problem. • Students pose questions about what they do not understand. • Students design a plan to solve the problem and identify the resources they need. • Students begin to gather information as they work to solve the problem.

35. Examples of PBL Scenarios You are a scientist at the state department of nuclear safety. Some people in a small community feel their health is at risk because a company keeps thorium piled above ground at one of their plants. What action, if any, should be taken?

36. You are a consultant to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. A first draft of a plan for the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone has received strong, negative testimony at hearings. What is your advice regarding the plan?

37. You are a science advisor at NASA. A planet much like the earth has experienced massive destruction of elements of its biosphere. What is causing the destruction of plant life? Can new plants from earth be successfully introduced to help save the planet's environment?

38. As a representative of Acme Travel in NJ, you have just received an email from National Travel Magazine. One of their reporters is coming into the state next month and wants to visit three of the “best” state parks in NJ. They will only be in the state for three days. Develop a plan for the reporter to use once he arrives at AC airport.

39. You are the curator for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The National Treasure has just been found! Your job is to design a room in the museum that will display all of the artifacts. The area of the room is 450 square feet. What shape, length, and width should the room be? You need to present the floor plan model to the owners (teacher and class) of the museum by Friday. Your presentation can be in any format you would like to use.

40. The producers of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” are creating a new series entitles “Extreme Makeover: School Edition.” Students from all over the country are being asked to submit ideas and designs for the improvement of their school foyers/entryway. Your team’s assignment is to design a new foyer for the school using pattern block tiles that will create a visually pleasing entrance. The designers of the show will choose that best design and use it create the school’s foyer.

41. It is April 1, 2008 and you wake up feeling groggy from the night before. You did not sleep very well. You stagger downstairs into the kitchen and get a bowl out of the cabinet. As you reach for the Fruit Loops you realize there is an empty box. So you go upstairs to ask your mother where there is another box and find an empty bed. Your parents are nowhere in sight. However, on their bed there is a note that said, “Lauren and Matthew, Mom and Dad had to go on a TOP SECRET mission. No one can know we are gone. We have left you $3,000.00 cash in the freezer to pay the monthly bills and take care of yourselves for the month. We will be back on May 1, 2008. Remember, you cannot tell anyone and if you have any questions, you can only call us once and ask two questions. We love you very much and can’t wait to see you. Love, Mom and Dad” What are you going to do? 3 to 5th grade

42. You are a single working mother with a five year old daughter. Upon your husband's death, you receive $20,000 in worker's compensation and $10,000 in stock option shares. How can you invest this money so that by your daughter's 18th birthday, its growth is maximized?

43. An educational company has asked for your help to create an activity with the following materials. 20 pieces of paper, 4 paper clips, 10 inches of tape and a tennis ball. The activity must teach collaboration/team building skills as well as math and science. Work in groups of 3 to 5. You have 20 minutes to complete and present your group results.

44. Example of Project Based Learning You have been given 20 pieces of paper, 4 paper clips and 10 inches of tape. Your group is to build the highest paper tower possible that will support a tennis ball for 10 seconds when placed on top. The structure is to be free standing and cannot touch any other object that would aid in support. The tape is also not to be used to attach the tower to any other object. One final objective for your group is to make a science or math connection that’s related to this activity. You have 20 minutes to complete.

45. You are a stockholder of a major oil refinery in Louisiana which has mined oil from wetlands in the southern part of the state. You have received pressure from publicity about the wetlands to make it property of the federal government so that it can be protected. What will you do?

46. Develop, design, and demonstrate the feasibility of a self-contained, self-sustaining human community in a place that is not yet considered habitable.

47. Paper or Plastic

48. PBL addresses student needs by taking learning theory into account with PBL and answers the student question: Who cares? Why do we need to know this? • Students take on an active role in their educational experiences. • Students are actively involved in the learning process, and they learn in the context in which knowledge is to be used. • Students are empowered with the responsibility of managing a largely self-directed learning process so that they are better equipped to take on the responsibilities of mature professional life. • Students are encouraged to develop the skill of transferring knowledge into new domains, a skill that students can carry with them throughout their lifetimes.

49. Teacher as coach… Models/coaches/fades in support: • Asking about thinking • Monitoring learning • Probing/ challenging students' thinking • Keeping students involved • Monitoring/ adjusting levels of challenge • Managing group dynamics • Keeping process moving

50. Student as active problem-solver • Active participant • Engaged • Constructing meaning