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At what point do we put limits on the project (length, breadth, etc.)?

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At what point do we put limits on the project (length, breadth, etc.)?

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Best way to find/to get in touch with other teachers in the district/outside of our school (that we might not even know) but could support our PBL or collaborate with us?

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Say I collaborate with another teacher to support a specific aspect of my PBL, should they use the same driving question in their work with the students on that subject?

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How can I figure out what interests my students?

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What lessons can I plan that help students become an ideal graduate?

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How will cross-curriculum instruction be a part of daily instruction?

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Where can I find projects/resources are there in my content area?

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STEM/ STEAM Certified Schools

The Georgia Department of Education is proud to offer STEM and STEAM Certification to recognize schools that have implemented a culture of innovation, interdisciplinary instruction, and business and community partnerships. Schools have a choice between two models for certification: Whole school or Program. Program certification indicates that the school has selected a group of students to participate in their STEM or STEAM programs. Schools determine the criteria for student selection in Program certified schools. All STEM and STEAM schools have the opportunity reapply for certification every five years.

If you are interested in STEM or STEAM Certification, we highly recommend that you tour one of our currently certified schools.

Click the Events Tab to view dates and times for School STEM/ STEAM Tours.

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The Georgia Department of Education is proud to offer STEM and STEAM Certification to recognize schools that have implemented a culture of innovation, interdisciplinary instruction, and business and community partnerships. Schools have a choice between two models for certification: Whole school or Program.

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What digital skills do students need to master to succeed in PBL classrooms? What portfolio items show they have PBL experience that translates to the workforce or post-secondary learning?

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As a special education teacher I spend a good bit of my planning time working on IEP's, progress monitoring and other sped specific items.  I teach multiple subjects.  Where do I go to find the best ready made PBL resources that do not require me to spend a great deal of time on planning.

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How do we teach students that are are already knowledgeable in the area we are currently working on?

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How can we implement PBL into my content while still preparing students for state testing/ensuring content learning?

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DeeperLearning4All

Our PBLWorks team is excited to share some big updates that have happened in the PBL community-all just in the past week!

First, a new body of research on PBL was just released that makes the case for Project Based Learning with the strongest evidence yet, using randomized control studies.

And as a result of this new research, we're offering a new Advanced Placement PBL Series this summer.

Here's the story...

Set of research Briefs from Lucas Education Research

This set of new research offers powerful evidence about the positive impact of PBL-including the benefits of high-quality professional development.

Taken as a whole, the new body of research shows the impact of Project Based Learning on student learning across grade levels and demographics. See all the research briefs released by Lucas Education Research.

One of the studies, focused on Advanced Placement classes, included the support of PBLWorks professional development for teachers. The findings from that study were especially remarkable, in part because the study focused on this high-stakes learning environment.

In the AP study (pdf), teachers in five school districts participated in our professional development as they shifted to teaching the Knowledge in Action curriculum in AP Environmental Science and AP U.S. Government and Politics. The Knowledge in Action curriculum provides a PBL-based approach to Advanced Placement studies.

The big takeaway from the AP study?

A PBL-based curriculum coupled with high-quality professional development for teachers led to significantly improved student performance when compared to students in non-PBL classrooms. High school students in AP classes who engaged in hands-on, inquiry-based projects with real-world applications - performed higher than their peers on AP U.S. Government and Politics and AP Environmental Science exams.

In year one of a randomized controlled trial in five U.S. cities they scored 8 percentage points higher.

In year two of the study they scored 10 percentage points higher.

Students were more likely to earn a qualifying score of 3 or above, which could increase their chances of receiving college credit and saving on tuition.

This research makes the strongest case for PBL yet.

Looking for more details? See an overview of the new body of PBL research from Edutopia.

For the AP PBL research, watch a video summary at Edutopia. Get the research brief (pdf) from Lucas Education Research. Or read the full study from the Center for Economic and Social Research at University of Southern California, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

(And stay tuned! We'll be sharing more about this research ourselves...)

With that in mind, you'll now find a new AP & PBL Series in our services catalog...

This week, we launched the Advanced Placement PBL Series of professional development workshops for both AP Environmental Science and AP U.S. Government and Politics. These new subject-specific programs take a PBL-centered approach to teaching.

Offered in partnership with the College Board, the AP PBL Series is based on the powerful new research showing the positive impact of PBL - and PBL professional development - on AP students' success. AP classes provide a great opportunity for high school students to get a head start on their college careers, and we know AP teachers want to do whatever they can to engage students at this critical point in their high school careers.

This is the professional development that was used in the AP PBL study.

Teachers who participated in the research study had lots to say about the shift to PBL. The shift had an impact on their teaching outside of their in Advanced Placement classes, too.

One teacher shared, "My approach used to be didactic, stand and deliver. I saw some progress with my students, but not as much as with PBL. The hands-on approach, the connections to the real world: it's amazing."

The ongoing professional development is what made the difference for many teachers, as they used the Knowledge in Action curriculum. Sam Texeira, a high school history and social studies teacher in Illinois, said: "The PBL professional development reframed the way that I think about assessment, delivery of instruction, backwards design, and accommodations and scaffolds. It benefited my instruction and planning for other courses years later. I am a stronger teacher and my students are more confident because of my involvement in the PD."

Ready to get started? Here's how...

The new AP PBL Series is available for any teachers of AP Environmental Science and AP U.S. Government and Politics. Learn more at pblworks.org/advanced-placement.

And as always, we have a wide variety of workshops and courses for individuals-as well as PBL services for schools and districts. Feel free to reach out to us anytime with questions.
Do you have thoughts on the research studies? Or have you explored PBL in your Advanced Placement classroom? Join the conversation on Twitter with @PBLWorks, or find us on Facebook. We love hearing from you.

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New research on the power of PBL (and a new program for AP Teachers!)

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DeeperLearning4All Our PBLWorks team is excited to share some big updates that have happened in the PBL community-all just in the past week! First, a new body of research on PBL was just released that makes the case for Project Based Learning with the strongest evidence yet, using randomized control studies.

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Ways to best communicate learning expectations, grading, and type of instruction to parents?

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If we aren't comfortable with the teaching methodology, would it be better to use methods that are proven to work for me?

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How can we show our students that we learn from our mistakes?

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How can I make lessons interesting that are considered “dimmer” on the switch?

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How can I help students feel comfortable participating?

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How can I as the facilitator guide students to a higher level of thinking?

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How do we help students become problem solvers?

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Is there a way to incorporate vertical training and alignment between the elementary, middle, and high school regarding PBL

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How do we excite students for PBL?

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How do we intrinsically motivate students to engage in the activities?

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What about students who are not into the project?

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How can we diversify the activities/tasks for students so it’s more engaging?

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How do we show our students that they need to have the skills to work with groups and other people?

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How can we incorporate community collaboration into projects?

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How do we combine WBL and internships and field trips into the content teaching?

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How do we integrate according to the specified scope/sequence?

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In what ways will this support students' emotional and social skill sets, especially nonverbal students?

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How to create empathy within students in their current developmental stage?

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What happens if your project gets REALLY behind pace?

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So am I correct that a PBL does not HAVE to be implemented daily from start to end? Can't you do it on some schedule like, for example, once a week, or whatever works?

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How can I translate what I'm already doing into PBL terms?

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What resources will be provided to implement PBL?

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For colleagues that could be a valuable asset to PBL strategies, how can we better dedicate time to collaborate and streamline objectives?

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How to develop questions focused on facilitation rather than instruction?

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Goals and Moves | Professional Development | The Inquiry Project

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The Inquiry Project takes a unique approach to a study of matter for grades 3-5, bringing together core ideas, scientific practices, and crosscutting concepts...

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How can I implement PBL in my current lessons?

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Is there any kind of formula that can be followed to help ensure effectiveness when initially implementing PBL?

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What is the best way to assess? How do we measure success?

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What aspects of PBL are most critical for students to experience early on/in elementary school in order for them to get the most out of PBL later on?

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What can we do to make challenging topics work better for project-based learning?

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How do we help students take ownership of their learning?

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How will I incorporate important real life everyday skills  when doing PBL?

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What tips or suggestions are there for implementing PBL in literary classes (Writing and Reading)?

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Can we build a repository of PBL lessons as teachers build them?

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What  are the driving questions that are most appropriate for my courses?

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How can we make sure PBL is impactful for students that ultimately don't fall into the "ideal" category? Like students that struggle to graduate?

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How can I identify the most important areas to start PBL?

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What, besides a grade, can be used to incentivize producing their best work?

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How do we create a unit that will accurately showcase that a student is learning and is getting closer to what we want to see as a high school graduate?

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How to help students in the Special Education classrooms achieve success with PBL's.

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How often is too often to do project based lessons?

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How can I help students from different levels work together on a project?

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How can we differentiate PBL to fit the needs of different learners with various reading levels?

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How can we ensure the participation of all students in PBL (Special Education, ELL, Pre K Students)

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What are the elements of PBL are the most important?

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Yes, we provide PBL training for educators!

PBLWorks offers a variety of workshops, courses and services for teachers, school and district leaders, and instructional coaches to get started and advance their practice with Project Based Learning.
Learn more

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Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements

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A research-informed model for improving, calibrating, and assessing your practice.

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How do we know if our question is PBL-worthy?

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The Project Design Rubric uses the Essential Project Design Elements as criteria to evaluate projects. The rubric aligns with PBLWorks' Gold Standard PBL model. Definitions and practical examples are used to clarify the meaning of each dimension.

The rubric helps educators understand the difference between a simple "project" and rigorous Gold Standard PBL. Teachers who are new to PBL can see how to move from beginner to expert.

You and your colleagues can use the rubric to guide the design of projects, give formative feedback, and reflect and revise.

Log in to get this resource...

To view or download this resource, log in here.

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Plan projects with Gold Standard PBL's Essential Project Design Elements.

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How can we help students maintain the sense of purpose after they graduate?