# data[].attributes.body
Posted by 8th grade entrepreneur communications department:
Our 8th grade Entrepreneur
class created and sold two separate products; a cell phone charging dock and an Entryway
organizer.  Our class is a semester long class, and we first learned about business practices, completed resumes, interviewed for our jobs and participated in a mass production system to produce our products.
The profits earned from our sales will be given to Make A Wish Colorado to help make wishes come true.
On behalf of our company,
“Wishes At Altitude”  we thank you.

# data[].attributes.body
4th graders at Welchester Elementary were treated to a 5 course book tasting. As a way to engage and inspire a love for reading, students were treated to books they may have never picked up before but after tasting were excited to read more! The lesson was also an opportunity to illustrate that there is always more to something than what's on the outside. It was a great way to boost engagement in May!

# data[].attributes.body
During our final trimester, our G/T sixth graders at Kendrick Lakes Elementary are challenged to pull their learning together through what we have come to know as our “Genesis Project.”  Using what we’ve learned in both science and social studies, we create a planet, figure out its continental arrangements, settle it according to what our watersheds and other natural resources supply, and organize the political and economic systems of these settlements.  As we do so, we use what we’ve done through our word study work (morpheme analysis) to identify the values that bring our continent teams together and to name our creations.  Our work with literary analysis continues as we reflect on and respond to the questions raised by Lois Lowry’s dystopian series, The Giver Quartet:  What do we want our worlds to look like, feel like, and why?  Our end products include a binder of thinking maps, physical maps, and political maps outlining the work of our continental teams.  Students are also invited to use their creative writing skills to write origin  myths and their expository thinking through the composition of their “Declaration of Interdependence.”

# data[].attributes.body
Weber Elementary students recently engaged in a real-world problem solving task when the city of Westminster donated some much needed mulch for our landscaping. Students worked to measure the areas that needed new mulch and then determined the cubic feet of mulch necessary to complete the landscaping project. The school community then came together on Saturday for a mulch spreading party.

# data[].attributes.body
Students were given a culminating task of creating a Mayan board game.  Students were given a list of research topics. After weeks of researching (independently) the Maya Cultural students organized themselves into collaborative game production groups.  Game board production teams articulated ideas, combined their research, and collaborated on all aspect of creating a final board game. When the games were completed, teams rotated and played other teams games and filled out an evaluation.  Production teams were given their game evaluations. Teams calculated their final score for each category requirement using mean, median & mode.

# data[].attributes.headline
Designing a Well Adapted Animal (aka the Alien Animal Project)

# data[].attributes.subject
Designing a Well Adapted Animal (aka the Alien Animal Project)

# data[].attributes.body
Students in 6th Grade at Kendrick Lakes were asked to create an imaginary animal that would be well suited to an alien environment based on different biomes on the Earth. The students worked in art to create a clay sculpture of their creature. In Language Arts, students wrote a report about their animal outlining how their animal was adapted to their environment. In science, students learned about niches, adaptations, biomes and survival techniques to inform their choices. During our school’s science night, the students displayed their creations and spoke to parents and community members about them. Students ultimately learned how changes to an environment can affect the organisms in that environment.

# data[].attributes.body
Thank you Troy Braley for sharing this video on how to start PBL in a high school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reinventing a Public High School with Problem-Based Learning

# data[].attributes.body
Standley Lake HS transforming our ESL classroom.  The first project had students in our 11th grade ESL World History class create podcasts for an ancient civilization of their choice.  Students identified and researched various civilizations and based on the research created a podcast on what made their civilization so interesting.  Specific podcasts were chosen as mentor text then students analyzed why they were so effective at educating and entertaining the listener.  Utilizing SoundTrap.com, students then used their research to create their own podcast.  The second project built upon the podcast and soundtrap.com experience.  Students studied the Enlightenment period and then used the same skills to identify and research various people important from that time period.  Students then used soundtrap.com and incredibox.com to create their own rap for their important figure.

# data[].attributes.headline
Three Creeks K-8 3rd Grade States of Matter

# data[].attributes.subject
Three Creeks K-8 3rd Grade States of Matter

# data[].attributes.body
Check out these 3rd Grade students working collaboratively to show how water molecules change from one state to the other. Did I mention they programed Spheros to represent the water molecules in each state? Pretty cool right? Take a look at the video they created to share their learning!

# data[].attributes.body
Through collaboration, students compared and contrasted themes between forms of writing by investigating Depth and Complexity sentence stems such as: "How is the theme related to similar ideas across disciplines?" This particular article, "The Gold Cadillac", was based on racial bias during the 50s & 60s. Students' interpretations continue to surprise us with their depth of thinking and application across contents and life. One student in particular, created an analogy between a scientific process and racial bias. In essence, he compared oil and water to the demarcation that exists between racial and ethnic groups. With integrity, this student honestly articulates his thinking! Check out the attached video!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

# data[].attributes.body
Thanks to Jayson Haberkorn at Bell Middle for this idea!
6th Graders at Bradford K8 will create a multimedia presentation to demonstrate geographic, cultural, historical, and environmental understanding of how cultures have survived over time.   Students will present their final products to an adult panel.  To achieve the primary objective, students will be charged with the mission of selecting a location in the Western Hemisphere that will be a relocation area as a result of a Zombie Apocalypse.   Students will work in collaborative groups to use their knowledge to create a plan to justify this relocation of their culture in order to survive.

Here is our launch video.

# data[].attributes.body
First and Second graders at Colorow are reading some Advanced Reader Copy picture books, (thanks to Tattered Cover!) and writing short reviews for the books!  Perfect way to practice opinion writing!

# data[].attributes.body
As a part of our Social Studies Dept study of culture, students were required to explore their own cultures and family histories, and as part of a culminating activity, prepare a food that was representative of their cultural heritage. The food was prepared at school and presented in the school gym at the "Taste of Brady" exhibition that was open to all Brady students and their families as well as neighboring elementary and middle schools.

# data[].attributes.body
Using PBL, students choose a topic based on content such as globalization. The goal is to have the student produce their own learning goal(s) and Driving Question. Students build the project from beginning to end with the teacher being nothing more than a facilitator. Some struggle for answers and ask for answers. It is their task to solve problems along the way with minimal teacher assistance (unless they are absolutely stagnant or out of their skill set).

# data[].attributes.body
During our study of the Civil Rights Movement in Modern U.S. History, students have asked, "What resulted from it?" "Are there any modern-day movements happening?" "Who might be considered major figures in Civil Rights today?" And so, I've designed a second HyperDoc, this one as a four-square to be done in appointment times, a different partner and different viewpoints for each "time." As a History teacher, I believe it is important for students to see the connections of the past to today, in order to establish relevance of what we learn/explore and why.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Civil Rights, post-1968: Four Square Appointments 9: America’s Race Problem: BBC investigates  After you watch, answer: What are the reasons given for the divide between black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods? What is “white privilege”? How did the conversation on race change when Barack...

# data[].attributes.body
2nd graders brought the Makerspace into their learning by combining their procedural writing with the SS unit, Geography: People interacting with the environment. They wrote procedures for reusing common household items that typically get thrown away or recycled.

# data[].attributes.body
In 4th grade science , A Special Breed, students are learning about physical characteristics that help organisms survive. They are now creating a new animal on Tinkercad to be printed on the 3D printer and will explain what physical traits they have and why they need them.

# data[].attributes.body
7th and 8th Grade Elective Class are using Googles Applied Technical Skills Curriculum to expand the knowledge students have of the Google Suite of Tools. Student create Interactive Slide presentations (in a choose your own adventure style), Sheets that allow them to filter and utilize drop down menus in Area Guides to places they want to visit, the have learned effective ways to utilize docs for note taking as well as coding pop up messages. Use of mail, sharing and calendars go beyond the basics to help them truly harness the power of the tool. We have then used these skills to apply them to authentic task such as research and presentations regarding Dr. Glasses Task Force looking at the structure of start times. Students used their tech skills to create videos using slides for story boards and creating book trailers for our younger students.

# data[].attributes.body
10th grade American History students studied the 1920s and 1930s through the lens of the conceptual understanding, "Analysis of cultural artifacts help people construct knowledge about ways of life." (In the IB Middle Years Programme, this is called a "statement of inquiry" and is the transferable, conceptual focus of a unit.) Throughout the unit, students practiced analyzing cultural artifacts using the OPVL (Origin, Purpose, Values, and Limitations) model. This is the model that IB uses to analyze and evaluate sources, and requires students to evaluate the values and limitations of a source, considering the origin, purpose, and content of the source. As a final assessment, students selected from primary source artifacts (including photographs, advertisements, poems, paintings, etc) and completed OPVL analysis of the artifacts, evaluating how and to what extent the sources contributed to our understanding of way of life. Students then selected artifacts from times and places we have not studied and applied their source analysis skills to artifacts about which they had no background knowledge. The assessment was assessed using the IB MYP Rubric (Criterion Diii) with added task specific clarifications. This assessment asked students to engage in the type of work and thinking that is typically practiced by professionals  in the discipline (History).

# data[].attributes.body
One 7th grade Enrichment class is engaging with a problem about how to capture a primary source. They are trying to figure out how best to capture the story of a Communist concentration camp survivor. They are learning about collaboration, flexibility in thinking, 21st century tools, as well as using mentor sources such as memoirs & testimonies.

# data[].attributes.body
11th and 12th grade English students did individual research on their post- secondary lives.  They researched higher education options, trade schools and career options. They also researched life-style choices such as home and vehicle ownership, travel and housing costs.  Part of their projects included real applications for scholarships, cover letters and and resumes.
Teacher: Kristin Mora

# data[].attributes.body
Jeffco IT hosted Jeffcon 2018 - the first annual day-long IT conference for 10th - 12th graders interested in a career in IT. We brought 190 students to the Ed Center on Jan 31. They were able to choose 4 breakout sessions from over 20 different topics offered. These breakouts covered a wide variety of subjects ranging from customer service to networking to hacking to pathways to scholarships at colleges to how Google uses data to map the world and many more. In addition we had Warren Tech, CU Boulder, Red Rocks, Front Range, Metro State, and Mines present to talk about their IT related programs and offerings. Finally, we also had a half dozen vendors present to describe what careers in IT in that vendor are like. Students left with a better understanding of the wide variety of IT careers and the pathways to follow to get there.

# data[].attributes.body
Brady Exploration School
Students brainstormed fundraising ideas (for the Jumet Scholarship Program), gathered data, analyzed data, and fit data to linear functions in order to analyze five fundraising ideas to see the how they compare.

Grade 9 - Mathematics - Algebra 1 - Modeling with Linear Functions
Grade 9 - Mathematics - Algebra 1 - Descriptive Statistics

Teachers: Shining Eyes Archer & Anita Madden

# data[].attributes.headline
GeometryTransform the Task:  Estimate the height of the tree outside the gym because it needs to be removed/ cut.Students use similar triangles, Pythagorean Theorem & trigonometry for the task.Related Standards & Mathematical Practices:Standard 4: Shape, Dimension, and Geometric RelationshipsLE 2: Concepts of similarity are foundational to geometry and its applicationsEO c: Define trigonometric ratios and solve problems involving right triangles. (CCSS: G-SRT)EO c.i: Explain that by similarity, side ratios in right triangles are properties of the angles in the triangle, leading to definitions of trigonometric ratios for acute angles. (CCSS: G-SRT.6)EO c.iii: Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles in applied problems.* (CCSS: G-SRT.8)GLE 5: Objects in the real world can be modeled using geometric conceptsEO a.iii: Apply geometric methods to solve design problems. * (CCSS: G-MG.3)Standard MP: Mathematical PracticesGLE 1: Developing mathematical practices are processes and proficiencies necessary to flexibly use skills and concepts in multiple contexts.EO 5: Use appropriate tools strategically

# data[].attributes.subject
GeometryTransform the Task:  Estimate the height of the tree outside the gym because it needs to be removed/ cut.Students use similar triangles, Pythagorean Theorem & trigonometry for the task.Related Standards & Mathematical Practices:Standard 4: Shape, Dimension, and Geometric RelationshipsLE 2: Concepts of similarity are foundational to geometry and its applicationsEO c: Define trigonometric ratios and solve problems involving right triangles. (CCSS: G-SRT)EO c.i: Explain that by similarity, side ratios in right triangles are properties of the angles in the triangle, leading to definitions of trigonometric ratios for acute angles. (CCSS: G-SRT.6)EO c.iii: Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles in applied problems.* (CCSS: G-SRT.8)GLE 5: Objects in the real world can be modeled using geometric conceptsEO a.iii: Apply geometric methods to solve design problems. * (CCSS: G-MG.3)Standard MP: Mathematical PracticesGLE 1: Developing mathematical practices are processes and proficiencies necessary to flexibly use skills and concepts in multiple contexts.EO 5: Use appropriate tools strategically

# data[].attributes.body
Teachers: Ed Bauer & Anita Madden

# data[].attributes.body
Students in Web Page Design II work in collaborative groups to create a web based solution for a problem.  One solution was designed to save teachers time.  The problem is, when students will miss class due to an activity, the activities sponsor sends an email listing all the students who will miss class time to all teachers in the building. The student's solution sends emails only to the affected teachers, and the email only contains the students who will miss that teachers class.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Authentic learning is the research, processes, resources, networking and culminating skills a learner needs to attain a genuine, successful outcome. The outcome must have relevance and be tangible....

# data[].attributes.body
4th grade students wrote a free verse poem to represent the artwork they created inspired by a visit to the Clyfford Still Museum and the story line of Love that Dog. Students reflected on themselves as artists and poets and compared and contrasted freeverse poetry and abstract art. Students used their original poetry and artwork were used to create beautiful note cards used as  thank you cards to show gratitude to our for volunteers and community partners. The student art and poems will be on display later this year at the Clifford Still Museum. This work was collaboratively planned with our  Art teacher and homeroom and teachers and used standards of art and literacy (art and poetry can be better viewed together if you download the full embedded document below of samples of the note cards).

# data[].attributes.body
This year, we purchased Breakout EDU boxes. There's an engaging scenario that sets up the activity. Students have to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to "decode" puzzles to unlock the boxes. Students work in teams to accomplish their goals. We've found that students are highly engaged in these activities. We've also used them with staff during professional learning. We would highly recommend this resource to anyone!

# data[].attributes.body
At Kullerstrand we've been learning real, text-based coding using Bitsbox. This tool teaches real programming syntax (rather than simplified "blockly" graphical style commands) and requires the same level of accuracy as real programming languages such as Java and Python, but it eliminates just enough of the technical difficulty that the kids can still quickly create game apps that can be immediately played on their phones and tablets.

# data[].attributes.body
At Kullerstrand, we've started a VEX IQ robotics club. The students don't merely play with the robots. They have to design and build a sophisticated robot to accomplish specific tasks that will be required in a serious competition. As they work through their ideas, they maintain an "engineer's notebook" which will also be judged at the competition. While we haven't begun learning to program the robots yet (coding is a bit harder than what they're used to because they have to actually program sensors to interact with the robot's environment - like color and distance sensors), that is on the radar for us hopefully in the near future. We have also been partnering with School of Mines so that our students get exposure to their students and can catch a vision of following an engineering career path. It was fun getting to tour the School of Mines campus and see some of their robotics projects

# data[].attributes.body
6th graders were presented with text features throughout nonfiction texts, and then were asked to complete an I Spy activity. Because our students receive their materials online, students had to find examples of nonfiction text features within their courses. Students had to submit screenshots of where they saw the text features being used and the purpose of the text structure that they had found. Students really enjoyed this assignment and many have said that they can't look at a text without seeing the text features first!

# data[].attributes.body
6th grade students went on a scavenger hunt around our temporary buildings to identify the author's purpose of the materials hanging around our school. They were able to identify ten examples for each of the author's purpose. They found examples of to inform: on posters, calendars,  and mandatory classroom signs. They were able to identify items that fit the to entertain author's purpose from funny memes and bulletin boards, and they found examples of to persuade in the flyers from the options at Warren Tech and from the brochures we had about our school. It was a really fun activity that made author's purpose much more clear for them.

# data[].attributes.body
Students in elementary school are often doing reports on animals, but we can spin this in new ways to make it engaging and connect with a student's ability to use digital tools. In small groups, students are tasked with creating a children's rap album that teaches a 1st grade audience about animals. Students research their animals in traditional ways by asking questions and organizing researched content. Students use BeastBox to create a foundational beat and then each kid designs an informational rap to go with the beat. As the beat plays through BeastBox, students use Screencastify to record their screen and voice thereby creating a "Rap Version" of an Animal Report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Make your own music by mixing wild animal sounds with beatbox loops in this free online game from the Cornell Lab and Ben Mirin. Anyone can be a wildlife DJ. Play now.

# data[].attributes.body
I am theorizing and putting down on paper an example of how we can incorporate all 5 subject areas to support a project based learning activity. No longer teach subject areas in isolation, rather have every subject support a project based outcome. The example question of the project I am basing my ideas around are "what are the different ideas we can use to learn about American history."

# data[].attributes.body
Ms Stephanie's 1st grade class is learning to use a program to integrate 3D printing into PBL's in order to design and create. Throughout the initial lesson on how to use the program, students continuously demonstrated self-direction and personal responsibility by using their curiosity and taking initiative. They were given very little direction on how to use the program, but were asked to give it a try and then explain their use of the program. After using the app for a few minutes, students taught the class how to design. Then they went back to their seats and taught each other all the tips and tricks they'd learned.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

# data[].attributes.body
Our school uses the genius hour program, allowing students to pursue a passion project and create presentations to showcase their learning.
This is as individualized for teachers as it is for students. Some teachers scaffold their students' work with a theme (e.g. how does this project help the world?).

# data[].attributes.body
While studying the Kennedy years and the Civil Rights Movement, students engaged in an overview of major events and figures involved in working for change for African-Americans. After our overview, students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding and to choose what to explore, receiving a personal copy of this Hyperdoc (linked below). The point values suggest the amount of time each source would take to explore, and it was interesting to see students' choices and their thinking as they navigated the doc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Civil Rights: Choose Your Own Adventure Hyperdoc

# data[].attributes.body
During our People are Connected in the Economic Marketplace, third graders created products and sold their products to other students. Through this experience students learned about goods, services, producers, consumers, and bartering. In addition, students created commercials to advertise their products then created QR codes for students to scan so that they might be persuaded to check out their store during their Market Day. This unit incorporated reading, writing, social studies, and technology!

# data[].attributes.body
During an Environmental Science Unit about recycling, students re-purpose plastic bottles that are collected from the school's recycling bins. These products are uploaded onto social media accounts of the students' choosing and used as a platform to educate their peers about the local and global impacts of plastic use and refuse.

# data[].attributes.body
Students create an original opera. This work of art is fully student driven. The class becomes an "opera company" and they collaborate based on their role in the production. Students write scripts and compose music, set designers work with carpenters to create visually stunning scenery, make up artists and costume designers work to bring the characters life, public relations advertises using their writing and acting skills acquired to publicly promote the production, and historians document the steps using "old" and "new" technology. This production is a way to synthesize and apply their progression of learning through
out their elementary experience.

# data[].attributes.body
6th graders create, develop, plan, and produce and original opera during their music rotation. The opera is a student-driven work of art! They choose their jobs, write scrips, compose music, design & construct sets, design & create costumes and props, the historian documents each stage of the production digitally

# data[].attributes.body
The biology department at LHS has done three PBLs this year, to the delight (no kidding) of students. Students have taken on the roles of a nutrition specialist to design a snack bar for high schools kids; a genetic counselor to provide support and information for a (hypothetical) family that might have a child with a specific genetic disease; a children's book author wishing to educate students at Eiber ES about endangered species and natural selection; and finally as content curators creating resources for 7th graders in JeffCo about health education.

# data[].attributes.body
8th graders will tie in their memoir writing unit to their learning around Westward Expansion and The Civil War.  The task will be to select a group of people, women, children, Native Americans, African Americans (slave), African Americans (free).  Students will research this group of people to observe how the changes in America, expansion, reform, compromise, and The Civil War, the interactions among diverse groups of people, events, and ideas to understand the change over time that was experienced by these select groups.  Students will then work to create an audio Pod Cast for their work.  Finally, students will partner with the visual arts teacher to generate a visual representation that accompanies their pod cast.

# data[].attributes.body
Our 4th grade teachers used an inquiry based approach to their Resourceful Choices science unit.  The unit was launched with energy engineers presenting to our students about renewable and nonrenewable energy.  Our students designed net zero classrooms with the guidance of experts in the field.  From there, students: developed questions, completed research, collaborated with classmates, presented in classrooms and took action on their concerns by bringing awareness to our school community.  In addition, the classes analyzed data related to our use of energy at our school and presented their findings to our principal and instructional coach.

# data[].attributes.body
5th Grade WIN (What I Need) block - students engaging in different kinds of tasks based on their needs. Let's Go Code - some 5th graders are working with a coding mouse while other students are being monitored on their code.org progress and other students debated an issue at icivics.org.

# data[].attributes.body
One of the transformed tasks students have completed was a how-to training presentation for an authentic audience of refugees unfamiliar with American culture.    Students researched refugees, watched videos, read articles, and heard from guest speakers about the culture shock facing newcomers to the U.S.   Students then came up with some aspect of American life that refugees should know about such as riding the light rail, dealing with snow, how to apply American-style makeup, how to get a tattoo, how to make spaghetti, and the purpose of Christmas trees.  Then they used bullets and parallel structure along with transition phrases, objectives, and recaps to describe the process with the audience in mind.  The task is authentic and relevant because students will find themselves teaching or training others at some point in their lives.  The task helps students contribute to their community because the presentations are going to be uploaded onto a website available to refugees.

# data[].attributes.body
In my English class this year, students choose an environmental or social issue as the focus of their term-long project. A component of the project is to spread awareness of the issue. To meet this criteria some students completed volunteer work, some posted flyers or passed out pamphlets, and some created social media postings. One group of students created tee shirts.

# data[].attributes.body
7th and 8th grade students are exploring theme using design thinking processes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Design thinking is a mindset. It is the confidence that everyone can be part of creating a more desirable future, and a process to take action when faced with a difficult challenge. That kind of optimism is well needed in education.

Classrooms and schools across the world are facing design challenges every single day, from teacher feedback systems to daily schedules. Wherever they fall on the spectrum of scale - the challenges educators are confronted with are real, complex, and varied. And as such, they require new perspectives, new tools, and new approaches. Design thinking is one of them.

We have a new resource- The Co-Designing Schools Toolkit, which supports educators to collaboratively create equitable change in schools through a community-led, equity-centered, and design-driven process.

You can still download the classic Design Thinking for Educators toolkits + workbook here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Design thinking is a mindset. It is the confidence that everyone can be part of creating a more desirable future, and a process to take action when faced with a difficult challenge. That kind of optimism is well needed in education.

# data[].attributes.headline
I envision this evaluation matrix as a tool to reverse engineer transforming learning.

# data[].attributes.subject
I envision this evaluation matrix as a tool to reverse engineer transforming learning.

# data[].attributes.body
8th graders are going to create their own weather forecast after tracking the weather for a month and learning to make predictions with air masses and fronts.

# data[].attributes.body
6th students:  You are an educational product designer asked to create a product (video, board game, storyboard, children’s book, etc.) which documents the journey of a water molecule. Select a beginning state of water and have the molecule travel the earth. Your product must illustrate the water cycle journey that includes all state changes, what bodies of water the molecule is cycled through, and at least three properties of water. At some point your “molecule” must interact with pollution and become a usable molecule of water.

# data[].attributes.body
Even though we are an online school, students in World Geography, after learning about deforestation, go to the store and plant their own trees.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Gold Standard PBL: Project Based Teaching Practices

# data[].attributes.subject
The Gold Standard PBL: Project Based Teaching Practices

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Adapted from Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning: A Proven Approach to Rigorous Classroom Instruction, by John Larmer, John Mergendoller, Suzie Boss (ASCD 2015). This post is also available as a downloadable article.
Teachers who make Project Based Learning a regular part of their teaching enjoy their new role, although for some it might take time to adjust from traditional practice. It's fun to get creative when designing a project, instead of just using "off the shelf" curriculum materials. Most teachers like working collaboratively with their colleagues when planning and implementing projects, and interacting with other adults from the community or the wider world. And PBL teachers find it rewarding to work closely alongside students, tackling a real-world challenge or exploring a meaningful questions.

When transitioning to PBL, one of the biggest hurdles for many teachers is the need to give up some degree of control over the classroom, and trust in their students. But even though they are more often the "guide on the side" than the "sage on the stage," this most certainly does not mean that teachers don't "teach" in a PBL classroom. Many traditional practices remain, but are reframed in the context of a project.

Design & Plan

Teachers create or adapt a project for their context and students, and plan its implementation from launch to culmination while allowing for some degree of student voice and choice.

Align to Standards

Teachers use standards to plan the project and make sure it addresses key knowledge and understanding from subject areas to be included.

Build the Culture

Teachers explicitly and implicitly promote student independence and growth, open-ended inquiry, team spirit, and attention to quality.

Manage Activities

Teachers work with students to organize tasks and schedules, set checkpoints and deadlines, find and use resources, create products and make them public.

Scaffold Student Learning

Teachers employ a variety of lessons, tools, and instructional strategies to support all students in reaching project goals.

Assess Student Learning

Teachers use formative and summative assessments of knowledge, understanding, and success skills, and include self and peer assessment of team and individual work.

Engage & Coach

Teachers engage in learning and creating alongside students, and identify when they need skill-building, redirection, encouragement, and celebration.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gold Standard PBL: Project Based Teaching Practices

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Adapted from Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning: A Proven Approach to Rigorous Classroom Instruction, by John Larmer, John Mergendoller, Suzie Boss (ASCD 2015). This post is also available as a downloadable article. Teachers who make Project Based Learning a regular part of their teaching enjoy their new role, although for some it might take time to adjust from traditional practice.

# data[].attributes.body
First graders are learning about American Symbols using an MMTS document that has them watch, read, play, and write.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

# data[].attributes.body
Our 5th graders will be taking a virtual field trip inside the human body with Google Expedition in April. The Sci fi movies I grew up with are unfolding before my eyes in our classrooms!

# data[].attributes.body
The 4th grade students were involved in a PBL regarding alternative energy resources. They needed to figure out how to replace fossil fuels with sustainable energy. The Board of Environmental Studies of Jefferson County Public Schools (Grant Euler, partnership designer) challenged the students to  conduct research on which type of alternative energy (wind, solar, hydro) would be best for Powderhorn, how they would bring the energy to Powderhorn, and then using technology, they  presented their findings.  Presentations were supported by a poster, model, and a written proposal.

# data[].attributes.body
Using the I Notice...I Wonder... strategy is a great way to begin to change the learning experience for students.  It enables all students to make meaning during the learning.
https://tinyurl.com/INoticeIWonder

# data[].attributes.body
We are planning an afternoon for students to engage in authentic task activities that are fun, collaborative, and not at all tied to Bridge (yet!). The Allendale Explorers afternoon will show teachers how this type of learning is what our students want and are ready for!

# data[].attributes.body
Blog Post by Dr. Glass

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 (Plus 7) Ways to Transform Student Task

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On February 2nd, I had the chance to talk with about 350 educators from our alternative education campuses in Jeffco. For those of you who haven't had the chance to visit an alternative education classroom and see these professionals at work, alternative educators are veritable edu-ninjas when it comes to making learning engaging and meaningful...

# data[].attributes.headline
Moving From “Stealing” to “Remixing” With Credit

# data[].attributes.subject
Moving From “Stealing” to “Remixing” With Credit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Eileen Lennon recently shared this image with me (and the world) on the "8 Characteristics of the Innovator's Mindset" from my book:

This visual is incredible, and I appreciate Eileen taking and building on my work.

Here are the apparent benefits to Eileen:

1. She has created something of value that others can use.

2. She has dug deeper into her learning by building on the work of someone else.

3. She has created something that will help her build a more extensive network.

Here are the obvious benefits to me:

1. Eileen has promoted my work and brought more attention to it.

2. She has created something visual that may have brought a different audience into what I have shared through a visual.

3. I get to dig deeper into my work by going through the reader's interpretation of what I am saying.

Through the opportunity to remix, both the originator of the content and the "remixer" benefit.

So why I am bringing this up?

Because in education, we talk about "stealing" each other's ideas. I despise this, and it sets a bad precedent for our students. We should use terms like "remixing", "altering" or "build on" (all with references) but never "stealing." Personally, I get frustrated when I see an idea that I have worked on just taken and used by others without reference. I have had school leaders take my blogs, and post them on staff pages as their own. It is frustrating and can feel entirely defeating.

I wrote this post, " 4 Reasons Why Referencing Others Is a Good Thing," and gave some suggestions on why you should ALWAYS reference to the work of others:

1. It shows that you are well read.

2. It raises up the profession as a whole.

3. Great leaders give credit.

4. It is an honor to be referenced by someone else. Pay it forward.

I do my best to be thoughtful of my work, and if I have a great quote in my head, I Google it before I put it out there. It is hard to come up with an original idea, but it is important we do our best to give credit. I always tell people that do presentations that it is always better to over-reference than under-reference.

Simply stated, stealing might benefit one party, while hurting another. Building on the work of others with proper referencing creates a win-win opportunity. As a profession, let's get rid of the idea of "stealing" the work of others, even if made in jest. We are all better when we lift up the work of others, instead of claiming someone else's ideas as our own.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Moving From "Stealing" to "Remixing" With Credit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Eileen Lennon recently shared this image with me (and the world) on the "8 Characteristics of the Innovator's Mindset" from my book: This visual is incredible, and I appreciate Eileen taking and building on my work. Here are the apparent benefits to Eileen: She has created something of value that others can use.

# data[].attributes.body
Blog by George Couros

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Here is a question I often get in workshops:

How do you focus on being innovative while still teaching the curriculum?

When I hear this, the viewpoint of "teaching the curriculum" and "innovation in education" is that the curriculum is on one side of the spectrum, and innovation is on the opposite side.

Working often as an outside consultant, I could tell teachers to not worry about the curriculum, "school is broken, and we need to fix it," blah blah blah, but that would be irresponsible of me as someone who works with schools, but not employed directly. While these teachers focus on "innovation," they may also lose their job because they didn't do what they were supposed to do.

What I try to get people to understand is that how we teach the curriculum, often, is the innovation.

Look at your curriculum, understand what you are teaching, and ask, "is there a better way?" For example, instead of lecturing on a topic, could you have the students create a video or Vlog on the topic, to explain it in an in-depth way? I don't think that classrooms should be absent of providing content to students, but I do believe that what we create with the content provides a deeper understanding of what you are learning. What does it matter if a student does well on a test, but doesn't understand the ideas a week later? I have seen so many schools get devices like tablets and they ask immediately, "What apps would you download?" The question they should be asking is, "What can I students create with this?" Simply focusing on the word "create," and thinking about how that would enhance the learning could make a significant impact.

I am also not saying that lecture is a bad thing. I think there are great lessons learned from lecture, but I don't think that any one way is the best way for all students. I know that from the experience of being both a teacher and a learner. But I challenge you to look at one thing in the context of your work, whether it is in leadership or teaching, and ask, "Is there a better way to do this that would work better for the people I serve?"

All of a sudden, that one thing, becomes a second thing, third thing, and so on.

What separates the great teachers from everyone else, is not what they teach, it is how they teach. The curriculum is the same across subjects. The "how" is where the artistry in education happens.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How do you focus on being innovative while still teaching the curriculum?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here is a question I often get in workshops: How do you focus on being innovative while still teaching the curriculum? When I hear this, the viewpoint of "teaching the curriculum" and "innovation in education" is that the curriculum is on one side of the spectrum, and innovation is on the opposite side.

# data[].attributes.body
Kindergarten presenting prototypes to their class that they created through the Design Thinking process as teams. They were working to solve an issue they were having in the classroom around storing their materials.

# data[].attributes.headline
The four characteristics of ‘authentic learning’

# data[].attributes.subject
The four characteristics of ‘authentic learning’

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Educational Research Newsletter and Webinars

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The four characteristics of 'authentic learning'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Authentic learning is a relatively new term that describes learning through applying knowledge in real-life contexts and situations. In a recent article in the Journal of Authentic Learning, Audrey Rule of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego tries to answer the question she is most often asked: What do you mean by authentic learning?

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Ways to Ensure Project Based Learning Accelerates School Transformation

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Ways to Ensure Project Based Learning Accelerates School Transformation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
September 27, 2017
3 Ways to Ensure Project Based Learning Accelerates School Transformation

For decades, our schools have been stuck in a model of learning that no longer serves the needs of our students as they encounter the uncertainty of a rapidly changing world. This inertia has been caused by a combination of contrarian forces: the political left and right, groups with special interests, government, legislation, finger-pointing, large social and economic inequities, and those who just fear change. Two years ago, frustrated as many of us are by this lack of progress toward transforming education past a model built for the Industrial Age, I asked a simple question: Might there be some really big "levers" that could significantly transform education that don't require permission from, or empowerment by, the forces that have created the inertia in the first place? After two years of research and talking with dozens of teachers, administrators, students, and thought leaders, I wrote Moving the Rock: Seven Levers WE Can Press to Transform Education (Wiley, 2017) to share what was a resounding YES to that question. I specifically capitalized WE in the title, as all of these levers are well within the power of school community stakeholders to firmly act upon.

Most educators, students, and parents value a model of deeper learning over the traditional model that has characterized our schools for the past 150 years. Deeper learning promotes student engagement, inquiry, student choice, collaboration, authentic assessment, individualized learning pathways, and interdisciplinary courses. At most schools, educators recognize that one of our best tools to implement a deeper learning experience is project-based work. Using the metaphor of my book, project-based learning is one of the most powerful and ubiquitous "oils" that lubricates the big levers of potential transformation. By their very nature, when formed correctly, project-based learning strategies weave together multiple strands of deeper learning: collaboration, relevance, inquiry, choice, creativity, new partnerships, and authentic assessment.

Avoiding a PBL Pitfall
Having said that, my experience in visiting with teachers at many schools is that some fall into the trap of "doing" PBL as if it were another piece of curriculum pulled from the guide at the back of a text book. How can we avoid such a pitfall? Here are three elements that I find distinguish powerful project-based learning experiences from those that just tweak a more traditional pedagogy:

1. Real Student Choice: Deep learning rests on student engagement, which requires that students are intrinsically motivated by the relevance of their work. Nothing elevates this more than empowering, and indeed expecting, students to make choices in their learning. It is disheartening when I visit schools where teachers proudly share their project-based curriculum, only to tell me, "I came up with this great project for the students to do". This cuts the heart out of project-based work. An authentic approach to project- based learning allows students to help design the projects, pick themes, and choose from a buffet of options that they help to co-create.

2. Real Immersion: While not every project can or should engage the world in the same way, projects are an opportunity for learning in and with a community that starts immediately beyond the classroom door and now extends around the world. Some guiding questions to ask when co-designing a project with your students might be: What elements of this project will be undertaken BEYOND our classroom? How will you engage others-in the local community or around the world-in your work? What partnerships might you form that can grow for other students who come behind you?

3. Creation: One of the most powerful elements of the deeper learning model is that students and teachers become creators, not just consumers, of knowledge. Research, an important skill, might be viewed as finding and reporting on knowledge created by others. In my view, the best "project" work includes, and perhaps even requires, us to design, create, and share something original.

Organizations like the Buck Institute, Edutopia, and the Deeper Learning Network are packed with ideas, resources, and concrete examples of how to best design and implement a curriculum that is built around highly relevant, engaging projects. When we design around projects, we smear the boundaries of subject, and can even see a day, hopefully soon, when subject-based departments in high schools are no longer part of an upgraded school structure. Projects can re-orient the entire paradigm of our classrooms. They become the focus, not a tangent, of learning. They do not replace an emphasis on learning critical content; in fact, the opposite appears to be true. Students learn critical content better because they are intrinsically motivated, through their participation in the design and construction of the projects, to learn what they need in order to produce and share interesting and valuable outcomes.

Follow Grant Lichtman on Twitter @GrantLichtman
Visit his websitegrantlichtman.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Ways to Ensure Project Based Learning Accelerates School Transformation | Blog | Project Based Learning | BIE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For decades, our schools have been stuck in a model of learning that no longer serves the needs of our students as they encounter the uncertainty of a rapidly changing world. This inertia has been caused by a combination of contrarian forces: the political left and right, groups with special interests, government, legislation, finger-pointing, large social and economic inequities, and those who just fear change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elements of Authentic learning: Authentic tasks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Designing an authentic task for students is the most important of all elements of authentic learning.

# data[].attributes.headline
10 Characteristics of Authentic Learning 

# data[].attributes.subject
10 Characteristics of Authentic Learning 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
10 Characteristics of Authentic Learning Activities
II. Provide authentic activities and tasks.
What Is Authentic Activity?
I. Have real-world relevance.
Conclusion
Provide authentic contexts that reflect the way the knowledge will be used in real life.

Checklist:

Does the context of the course represent the kind of setting where the skill or knowledge is applied?
Is the pathway students take through the learning environment flexible, where students are able to move around at will?

An activity similar to one students are likely to encounter in the outside world.

Experiences of personal relevance that permit learners to practice skills in environments similar to those in which the skills will be used.

Real-world tasks that a person can expect to encounter on the job, in the home, or in other social contexts.

Students have their own roles similar to those found in a real-world team at work, at play, or in other collaborative social contexts.

The instructor acts as a coach and facilitator, supporting students as they accomplish authentic tasks.
Activities and tasks are ill-defined, requiring students to define the tasks and sub-tasks needed to complete the activity. Comprise complex tasks to be investigated by students over a sustained period of time.

Checklist:
Do the activities and tasks mirror the kind of activities and tasks performed in real-world applications?
Is the activity presented as an over-arching complex problem (or series of small sub-steps) that is worked on over a longer period of time?
Do students work on the activity and tasks for weeks rather than minutes or hours?
Are students able to choose information from a variety of inputs, including relevant and irrelevant sources?
III. Provide access to expert performances and the modeling of processes.
Checklist:

Does the learning environment provide access to expert skill and opinion from a variety of sources? (Note: The instructor won't necessarily provide all those.)
Does the learning environment allow access to other learners at various stages of expertise? (E.g. Putting students in groups or letting them work with a mentor.)
Are the students able to hear and share stories about professional practice?
IV. Provide multiple roles and perspectives.
Provide the opportunity for students to examine the tasks from different perspectives, using a variety of resources.

Checklist:

Are students able to explore issues from different points of view?
Are students able to use a wide variety of learning resources and materials (not just a single textbook)?
VIII. Tasks are seamlessly integrated with assessment.
Provide for authentic assessment of learning within the tasks.

Checklist:
Are students assessed on the product of the investigation rather than by separate testing?
Are there multiple assessment measures rather than a single measure?
V. Provide the opportunity to collaborate.
Support collaborative construction of knowledge

Checklist:

Are students able to collaborate (rather than simply co-operate on tasks)?
Are grades given for group effort of a whole product, rather than individual effort?
VI. Provide the opportunity to reflect.
Promote reflection to enable abstractions to be formed

Checklist:

Are students required to make decisions about how to complete the task? (reflection-in-action)
Are students able to move freely in the environment and return to any element to act upon reflection? Non-linear.
Can students compare their thoughts and ideas to experts, teachers, guides, and to other students?
Do students work in collaborative groups that enable discussion and social reflection?
VII. Promote articulation to encourage students to verbalize their knowledge and thinking.
Articulation enables tacit knowledge to be made explicit. Provide opportunities for students to articulate the knowledge they gained.

Checklist:
Does the task require students to discuss and articulate beliefs and growing understanding?
Does the environment provide collaborative groups and forums to enable articulation of ideas?
Does the task require the creation of a polished product that requires presentation of thought and argument?
Does the task enable presentation and defense of arguments?
IX. Create polished products.
Create polished products valuable in their own right rather than as preparation for something else. Allow competing solutions and diverse outcomes.

Checklist:
Are products of performances polished and refined rather than incomplete or rushed drafts?
Do students participate in the activity for extended periods of time?
X. Provide coaching and scaffolding at critical times.
Instructor does not attempt to 'transmit' knowledge. Instructor's role is supporting rather than didactic.

Checklist:
Is the teacher's role more supportive than didactic?
Are more knowledgeable students able to assist with coaching (by how the learning environment/context is setup)?
Is a teacher, guide, or helper available to provide contextualized support?
1. Have real-world relevance.
2. Provide authentic activities and tasks.
3. Provide access to expert performances and the modeling of processes.
4. Provide multiple roles and perspectives.
5. Provide the opportunity to collaborate.
6. Provide the opportunity to reflect.
7. Promote articulation to encourage students to verbalize their knowledge and thinking.
8. Tasks are seamlessly integrated with assessment.
9. Create polished products.
10. Provide coaching and scaffolding at critical times.
10 Characteristics of Authentic Learning Activities
The essence of the authentic learning experience
Adapted from Reeves, T. C., Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (2002). Authentic activity as a model for web-based learning. 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, USA.
http://authenticlearning.info/AuthenticLearning/Home.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Characteristics of Authentic Learning Activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
10 Characteristics of Authentic Learning Activities II. Provide authentic activities and tasks.What Is Authentic Activity?I. Have real-world relevance. Conclusion Provide authentic contexts that reflect the way the knowledge will be used in real life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
10 design elements are suggested for the design of authentic tasks in web-based learning environments:

1. Authentic tasks have real-world relevance
Activities match as nearly as possible the real-world tasks of professionals in practice rather than decontextualised or classroom-based tasks.

2. Authentic tasks are ill-defined, requiring students to define the tasks and sub-tasks needed to complete the activity
Problems inherent in the tasks are ill-defined and open to multiple interpretations rather than easily solved by the application of existing algorithms. Learners must identify their own unique tasks and sub-tasks in order to complete the major task.

3. Authentic tasks comprise complex tasks to be investigated by students over a sustained period of time
Tasks are completed in days, weeks and months rather than minutes or hours, requiring significant investment of time and intellectual resources.

4. Authentic tasks provide the opportunity for students to examine the task from different perspectives, using a variety of resources
The task affords learners the opportunity to examine the problem from a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives, rather than a single perspective that learners must imitate to be successful. The use of a variety of resources rather than a limited number of preselected references requires students to detect relevant from irrelevant information.

5. Authentic tasks provide the opportunity to collaborate
Collaboration is integral to the task, both within the course and the real world, rather than achievable by an individual learner.

6. Authentic tasks provide the opportunity to reflect
Tasks need to enable learners to make choices and reflect on their learning both individually and socially.

7. Authentic tasks can be integrated and applied across different subject areas and lead beyond domain-specific outcomes
Tasks encourage interdisciplinary perspectives and enable diverse roles and expertise rather than a single well-defined field or domain.

8. Authentic tasks are seamlessly integrated with assessment
Assessment of tasks is seamlessly integrated with the major task in a manner that reflects real world assessment, rather than separate artificial assessment removed from the nature of the task.

9. Authentic tasks create polished products valuable in their own right rather than as preparation for something else
Tasks culminate in the creation of a whole product rather than an exercise or sub-step in preparation for something else.

10. Authentic tasks allow competing solutions and diversity of outcome
Tasks allow a range and diversity of outcomes open to multiple solutions of an original nature, rather than a single correct response obtained by the application of rules and procedures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
10 design elements are suggested for the design of authentic tasks in web-based learning environments: Authentic tasks have real-world relevance Activities match as nearly as possible the real-world tasks of professionals in practice rather than decontextualised or classroom-based tasks.

# data[].attributes.body
Decoding Deeper Learning in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Doing Projects vs PBL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.

# data[].attributes.body
rigorous content

real world

personal relevance

application and transfer

social context

collaboration

reflection

create a product/presentation

multiple perspectives

# data[].attributes.body
4 questions to ask when analyzing tasks

1. What is the actual work that students are being asked to do?

2. What do you have to know in order to engage in the task?

3. What is the actual product of the task?

4. If you were a student and did the task, what would you know how to do?

# data[].attributes.body
Standley Lake students are contributors to the Gator Reads website. They submit reviews of books read for English classes. This year's seniors were required to submit one review of a book they read from the suggested summer reading list.

# data[].attributes.body
Stevens staff engage in a design challenge to use maker space materials to have their matchbox car travel the fastest and farthest

# data[].attributes.body
The 6th grade students are learning about writing in various modes, such as websites, blogs, books and magazines. They select which mode they want to write about the next science topic. The teacher is learning about blogging with the students, as she has never blogged before.

# data[].attributes.body
3rd grade students are organizing their classroom library. They are learning about the different types of genres, fiction and non fiction to determine the best way to organize the library. They are working in partners to review various books and convince the other the type of book they are reviewing

# data[].attributes.body
6th grade students work in pairs to answer the driving question. They selected an environmental problem in Colorado. They had to connect with experts in the field of study to gather information about solving the environment problem.

# data[].attributes.body
Students are learning how to conduct interviews prior to interviewing business, and industry partners.

# data[].attributes.body
8th graders are learning about the California Gold Rush. They are designers of model train sets for San Francisco in 1849. They need to scale the models to HO for model trains. The colors need to match the colors of time, and sets need to be stores from the time. They need to create directions for the models so customers can recreate them.

# data[].attributes.body
Students in 11th grade English are creating art through drawing and inanimate objects to determine what beauty means. What does beauty mean to them? What does beauty mean to the object when the setting is created and the object is added to the drawing? This is day one before they begin reading "Portrait of Dorian Gray"

# data[].attributes.body
A class of GMHS 9th graders are are enrolled in AMPED - Algebra 1 Manufacturing Processes, Entrepreneurship and Design class. They learn Algebra I in one period and then the following period they apply their learning in the school Print Shop. They recently needed to determine the number of shirts that could be shipped in various sized Amazon boxes, including the number of packing peanuts required.

# data[].attributes.body
Brady High School students are engaging in PBL to create a hydroponics system.  The teacher is planning the  with facilities to determine what is needed to install the system in the hall way in place of a bank of lockers.  The students are determining materials needed to create the system

# data[].attributes.body
Biology 10th grade- 3 Act Task

Students are provided with pictures of wounds, they then have to figure out the cell regeneration needed to repair the injury