# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Tricky Part of PBL: Writing a Driving Question

We've noticed over the years of facilitating our PBL 101 workshops that one of the most challenging parts for teachers designing a project is writing the driving question. One reason is that it's a writing task, and not everyone is a writer. Many teachers are great at creating curriculum units and lesson plans, and many are great at working with students, but crafting the wording of a question that captures the heart of a project can be tricky.

Log in to get this resource...

To view or download this resource, log in here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Tricky Part of PBL: Writing a Driving Question

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We've noticed over the years of facilitating our PBL 101 workshops that one of the most challenging parts for teachers designing a project is writing the driving question. One reason is that it's a writing task, and not everyone is a writer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The same product with the same focus or topic?"

The same product, but with a different focus or topic?"

A different product with the same focus or topic?"

A different product, but with a different focus or topic?"

As you have grown accustomed to in PBL, there is no ONE "right" answer to this question. However, I would like to share how four teachers approached this issue.

The "same product with the same focus or topic" is often a good option in the elementary grades, or in the secondary grades when the project has a narrow scope of content and/or short duration.

One project that fit this bill was a math project designed to teach systems of linear equations and processes to collect, organize and represent mathematical data. The project was anchored in an authentic controversy. The teacher had recently read about the Boston Marathon Committee's disputed decision to prohibit the use of MP3 devices for runners competing in the race. Their rationale, you ask? They cited the possibility that runners could enhance their performance with music. Could runners pace themselves to a beat? Could they get an emotional performance boost from music? Would it create an unfair advantage?

The teacher asked the driving question, "How can we develop an evidence-based recommendation to the White Rock Marathon Committee regarding the use of MP3 devices?" Students began the project by designing an experiment to test whether or not music could make your heart beat faster. Following their experimentation, they collected and organized their data using systems of linear equations, as the basis for their recommendation to the White Rock Marathon Committee.

Every student produced the same product with the same focus or topic: a presentation with visual aids and a written recommendation. The project did not involve a lot of "choice," but students had the opportunity to share their "voice" - their recommendation for or against MP3 devices.

The "same product, but with a different focus or topic" option is sometimes strategically selected because of the complex nature of the product itself, which must be carefully scaffolded by the teacher during the project process.

I saw a good example of this in a Humanities classroom for a project on the history of some major world religions and negative contemporary stereotypes about them. Students were teamed in expert groups to study one religion - Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism - and produce the same product: a podcast, using the history of the religion to debunk false stereotypes against that religion. The teacher wanted to scaffold all students in the use of Audacity, a voice recording and sound editing tool, so selecting a singular product type was a strategic decision.

The "different product with the same focus or topic" option makes sense when the project in anchored in a specific problem or specific content, but students could feasibly "show what they know, can do or think" in a variety of ways. This is a good option for teachers who feel confident and comfortable scaffolding the simultaneous development of different products, performances, presentations or services. Some teachers allow for product choice, but with limits, by providing a "menu" of options.

I worked with a teacher once who wanted to "PBLize" his persuasive writing unit. The school and his students had been abuzz with a recent tragedy involving a group of students who had gotten into a scuffle over an iPod at a public transportation stop. Sadly, during the fight, one of the boys pushed another boy into an oncoming bus and he died. The prosecution was seeking to have the boy tried as an adult for manslaughter, which in Texas would open the door for a possible death penalty sentence.

The teacher challenged students to share their perspective on the controversial issue through a variety of persuasive writing product options: a letter to the editor, a letter to the judge or legal teams, a position statement, a debate, a blog, an editorial, or the script for a live newscast or podcast. If students had their own ideas, he welcomed the opportunity to "consult" with them on additional product possibilities.

The "different product, but with a different focus or topic" option has the broadest possible scope. It can be powerful because of the potential for students to tailor the project work tightly to their strengths, interests and passions. The teacher has to be a skilled facilitator who is comfortable not having all the right answers and who knows how to help students learn to learn by modeling process skills during the project.

A great example of this comes from High Tech High in San Diego in the form of the Media Saves the Beach interdisciplinary project. The project was launched with an authentic newspaper article describing an authentic problem - the recent state funding cuts for beach and bay water quality testing, which could expose beachgoers to harmful bacteria. Students were challenged to write their own driving questions in response to the issue. One student group asked, "How can San Diegans reduce their impact on the North Pacific Gyre?" Students formed teams who each selected a different focus - a specific beach or bay location to study - and decided what products, performances, presentations and/or services they would develop to raise awareness about the issues and make recommendations to the public.

So, to decide what makes the most sense for their project, teachers need to think carefully about the scope of content, what's most authentic in the project's real-world context, and how comfortable they would be in scaffolding the development of a variety of products, performances, presentations and/or services.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PBL Design Deep Dive - What Products, and How Many?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teachers should think carefully about the development of a variety of products.

# data[].attributes.headline
What key vocabulary do learners need access to?

# data[].attributes.subject
What key vocabulary do learners need access to?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We’ve created a wide range of rubrics - for designing and teaching PBL to guiding students through key stages of the PBL proces

# data[].attributes.headline
How will you generate curiosity and interest in the project?

# data[].attributes.subject
How will you generate curiosity and interest in the project?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.headline
What tech tools will help you facilitate this project online?

# data[].attributes.subject
What tech tools will help you facilitate this project online?

# data[].attributes.headline
Students generate a list of need to knows. What do learners need to know to successfully answer the driving question?

# data[].attributes.subject
Students generate a list of need to knows. What do learners need to know to successfully answer the driving question?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." - Albert Einstein

Engaging in inquiry means being comfortable living in uncertainty. Of course, asking questions and finding answers is not only productive in a PBL project, but just living in general. That being said, inquiry ( the act of questioning) is not just about gathering information. In fact, I would argue that inquiry in its truest form should serve the purpose of asking more questions.

I have found it difficult for students to fully invest in their learning when a teacher guides them through a path that was decided before they even got into the room.

In our 4th-grade classroom, we are consistently asking each other questions such as "What do you think?" "What do you wonder?" "How do you know?" "What more do you want to know?" These questions provoke, challenge, and stimulate us, while at the same time valuing original thoughts and voices.

High-quality projects always start by valuing the student's voice, when we engage students with an entry event/fieldwork experience, and let them ask powerful questions they want to pursue the answers to. In our most recent project, students engaged in fieldwork and created a film festival around the big idea, "Stories have the power to influence change." Being a large school, we identified the authentic problem of a lack of connection between parts of our student body. We then framed our driving question: "How can we share our stories with the school community, through the mediums of poetry and art?"

We use the QFT (Question Formulation Technique), a structured, step by step process created by The Right Question Institute, to stimulate inquiry during the launch of a project. This process for generating student questions can take time, but I've found that it provides my students (and me) a way to make meaning and organization of the messy, exciting beginnings of projects. These questions arise from the need and urgency our driving question provides. We call the questions our "Need to Knows."

"Need to Knows" guide our work.

The QFT process helps make sure they are meaningful and productive questions-ones we can frame our project around. After a flurry of questions were raised by the students after the entry event, we went to prioritizing and improving our questions. "Which questions get us to the heart of our project? Which questions are fixed? Open-ended?"

After improving and prioritizing our first lines of inquiry, we are ready to jump in. This process is intentionally guided for two reasons: 1) to ensure the lines of inquiry students pursue are serving the authentic problem at the center of our project, and 2) they have a framework to come back to as we move through the phases of our project.

Our project wall helps organize the sustained inquiry that will be central to student learning during our project.

"Need to Knows" are not simply posted on the wall and never referred back to. These questions authentically guide the path of the project.

In our current project, adapted from EL Education's open-source ELA curriculum, questions such as "What inspires people to write poetry?" and "Why do people share stories?" require further unpacking. We cannot find the answers to these questions without asking more questions. For example, from the guiding question of "Why do people share stories?" more questions were elicited such as:

How do we learn more about ourselves?

How can we learn more about each other?"

What is the value of multiple perspectives?"

How can we entertain others with our writing?

Students are the drivers of where and how we pursue the answers to these questions, and what other questions we ask. The project wall is an interactive tool that students use to manage the project, and keep track of what "Need to Knows" have been answered, and what questions require further exploration.

Mini-lessons, workshops, and independent research are the main levers in how we find the answers to these questions.

My role as an educator is to step in at the just-right time when my students are pushing the boundaries of the learning pit. When we are struggling to answer a question as a class, or independently, these levers provide the most meaningful instruction. What are our next steps when the answers to these questions have been found?

Just as my students might be struggling to find answers to questions, they can also get into an "inquiry slump." They may feel lost or overwhelmed with the next questions to ask. Big, open-ended questions can cause this frustration. We know as a team that when this happens, we need to take a break and ask some fixed and more low-level questions that are more manageable. Identifying these questions with different color post-its or markers is critical in helping my students understand the inquiry process.

When used intentionally, and often, sustained inquiry can ensure students are active, engaged participants in their learning.

Our learners are entering a world where they can decide what they want to learn, when they want to learn, and how they want to learn. One of my roles as a facilitator of learning is to help them navigate the complexity of inquiry, so they are prepared to enter the modern world.

Student voice is beginning to become a buzz-word in education. If I want to truly value my learner's voices, they need to be a critical part of robust inquiry. Re-directing my students back to our "Need to Know's" in a project lets them know that their questions are at the heart of our learning process.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How We Use "Need to Know" Questions to Guide Sustained Inquiry

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A 4th grade teacher explains how he generates student questions and uses them in a project to let students know their voices are valued.

# data[].attributes.body
What are the goals for learning?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In this video, Suzie Boss and John Larmer, authors of Project Based Teaching: How to Create Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences, along with several teachers, discuss the Project Based Teaching Practice of "Align to Standards", with scenes from K-12 classrooms.

Watch more Gold Standard PBL Teaching Practices videos.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This video focuses on how teachers can use standards to plan the project and make sure it addresses key knowledge and understanding from subject areas to be included.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Helping all students (including English Language Learners) become fluent in the language of a project's targeted content is an essential part of teaching in a PBL classroom. Project Based Learning classrooms offer rich opportunities to learn and apply vocabulary in authentic and meaning-oriented ways, but this is most powerful when PBL teachers plan intentionally for vocabulary development throughout the project.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A lot of technology tools can support PBL-which ones work well for remote online learning?

This week PBLWorks conducted a webinar for teachers to learn about seven tech tools that they can use to engage students online in high-quality Project Based Learning. Another important goal of the workshop was to connect participants with other teachers who are learning how to facilitate PBL online.

PBLWorks has started presenting these free webinars this month to help educators who are keeping the PBL flame alive during this time of pandemic and school closures. Many of the participants are now doing projects with their students online. Others are planning to, or just want to be prepared and continue their own professional development around PBL. We'll continue presenting one webinar per week this spring.

Our webinars have been meticulously planned by a team of PBLWorks staff. The host is Antoinette Magee, and working behind the scenes are Cris Waldfogel and tech moderator Kristy Wagner - kudos to them all for a job well done. Even with hundreds of participants and a short preparation window, the 75-minute event went off without a hitch. I joined as a participant and saw the chat comments on Zoom, where the webinar earned high praise.

The webinar featured the use of breakout rooms, a novel experience that was welcomed by participants from all across the US and around the world.

We were asked twice to join breakout rooms to discuss what we were learning; one of mine included three teachers, from Minnesota, Iowa, and Nigeria.

Each webinar features another PBLWorks staff member or two as presenters. This week it was Dinah Becton-Consuegra and Sally Kingston, who explained the 7 Essential Project Design Elements in our model of Gold Standard PBL and introduced tech tools teachers can use to support each element. Participants watched a video of the March Through Nashville project and in the breakout rooms discussed how they could use the tech tools in a project like it if they were the teacher.

Here are our favorite tech tools for each of the 7 Essential Project Design Elements...

7. Public Product. Soundtrap & Book Creator

You can find more information and a recording of the webinar on our website.

Each webinar is presented twice a week. Registration for upcoming webinars is filling up fast, so check them out soon!

Next week's webinar is titled How to Adapt a Gold Standard Project for Online Learning. Our presenter will be staff member Krystal Diaz, who will show teachers how to convert a sample project idea from the PBLWorks collection of project cards to an online format, with step-by-step guidance. See you there!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PBLWorks Webinar Recap: 7 Tech Tools to Support Online PBL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A report on a free webinar presented by PBLWorks to support teachers during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
PBLWorks was proud to collaborate with a number of national and international partners and hundreds of educators to develop the Framework for High Quality Project Based Learning. The framework describes six criteria, each of which must be at least minimally present in a project for the student learning experience to be judged "high quality." While High Quality Project Based Learning experiences can absolutely be implemented powerfully in low- or no-tech environments, there are many ways that technology can be used to support each HQPBL criterion and deepen learning. In this post (based on a session we facilitated at ISTE 2019), we'll explore each criterion for HQPBL, discuss the kinds of digital tools that can support the criterion, and share examples.

Intellectual Challenge and Accomplishment
Students learn deeply, think critically, and strive for excellence. From the Framework:
Projects should not just be "fun activities" or "hands-on experiences" requiring minimal intellectual effort. A high quality project requires students to think critically about a complex problem, question, or issue with multiple answers, and then work on that project over the course of days, weeks, and even months. To complete a project successfully, students need to learn important academic content, concepts, and skills. They should also be challenged to produce the highest-quality work possible and guided and supported as they try to do so.

Digital tools that support this criterion include tools that enable peer feedback, critique and revision, in-depth exploration of discipline-specific content, and opportunities to explore high-quality models of excellent work in the discipline.
One of the best ways to deepen student intellectual engagement within a project is through well-structured classroom discussions about the content and themes of the project. Parlay Ideas is a really wonderful tool for managing, deepening, and assessing classroom discussions. The tool enables and enhances virtual or blended discussions.

In a classroom characterized by intellectual challenge, students understand that the first draft should never be the last draft. Providing and receiving quality feedback from adults and peers should be a natural part of student life. Kaizena is a Google Doc add-on that permits anyone shared on a Google Doc with the opportunity to provide voice recorded feedback, tied to evidence of skills on a rubric.

Authenticity
Students work on projects that are meaningful and relevant to their culture, their lives, and their future. From the Framework:
To motivate students and show them the relevance of what they are learning in school, projects should be experienced as "real." A high quality project reflects what happens in the world outside of school. It uses the tools, techniques, and technology found there. It can make an impact on other people and communities, and it can connect to the interests and concerns of young people. Students' voices should be heard in a project, and they should be able to make choices about their work.

Authenticity in projects is supported by digital tools that mirror the tools that adults use in the professional world to accomplish similar work. For example, students might leverage 3-D modeling tools like SketchUp or AutoCAD that are also used by design, engineering, and technology professionals in the world outside of school. Additionally, digital tools can be used in the classroom to connect students to people and places in the world beyond the classroom. Tools like Nepris can help make these connections. Nepris connects educators and learners with a network of over 27,000 industry professionals, and offers daily opportunities to join live, virtual chats with professionals on a variety of topics that prepare students for college and career

Public Product
Students' work is publicly displayed, discussed, and critiqued. From the Framework:
In traditional schooling, most learning occurs in a private relationship between a teacher and learner; students complete work individually and show it only to the teacher. In a high quality project, students make their work public by sharing it not only with the teacher but also with each other, experts, and other people beyond the classroom. This occurs both during a project, as part of the product development and formative assessment process and at its conclusion, when the product is shared and discussed with an audience. This public process and final presentation encourages students to improve the quality of their work and demonstrates what students know and can do.

There are a wide range of digital tools that can support students' development of public products. Anything that involves content creation, including video tools, infographics, presentation tools, and virtual museum creators can be really helpful for in this area. Social media tools can offer another powerful way to make work public.

Audio recording tools like Soundtrap or GarageBand can be great resources for students to use when creating podcasts as products. (Check out John Derian's recent blog post about podcasting in PBL for more guidance and resources.) Another powerful tool to support public products is Canva, a free graphic design product that allows students to collaboratively create and organize products such as infographics, posters, invitations, presentations, and flyers. Canva also integrates with most social media apps and sites for ease of sharing.

Collaboration
Students collaborate with other students in person or online and/or receive guidance from adult mentors and experts. From the Framework:
Projects may be done as an individual activity, but in today's world - and workplace -- it is important to learn the skill of collaboration. In high quality PBL, some project work should be done as a team. This does not mean simply dividing up project tasks, completing them individually, then putting it all together at the end with no synthesis or discussion. When students truly collaborate, they are contributing individual voices, talents, and skills to a shared piece of work, while respecting the contributions of others. In some projects, students also collaborate online with students in other schools, and work with adult experts, community members, and organizations.

Collaboration can be supported by digital tools in a variety of ways. Students should be able to leverage online tools to work together on shared products, engage in synchronous or asynchronous communication with external partners, and recognize and celebrate effective feedback.

Write About is a classroom writing community and publishing platform. Students can join authentic writing communities, safely connecting with a local or global audience to write, read, and comment on one another's work. Another tool that expands opportunities for collaboration beyond the classroom is PenPal Schools. This site enables students to connect with pen pals their own age around the world to discuss specific projects and topics.

Project Management
Students use a project management process that enables them to proceed effectively from project initiation to completion. From the Framework:
Whether it's on the job or in their personal lives, people work on projects, and it helps to know how to manage time, tasks, and resources efficiently. In high quality PBL, students learn and make use of project management processes, tools, and strategies similar to those used in the world beyond school. Students may also follow the steps of design thinking as they manage projects.

Digital tools that support project management in the classroom include tools that help students break complex projects into parts, track tasks dependencies and timelines and curate resources, and support design thinking processes such as prototyping and testing.

Tools like Trello not only support project management processes, but are used in many workplace environments outside of school. Trello is a visual collaborative project management tool that allows students to create, edit, and move cards to track tasks. Students can comment on cards, assign due dates, and tag or assign specific team members. (Learn more about how to leverage tools like this for project management in another great blog post by John Derian).

For resource/research curation and organization, tools like Webjets can be powerful. Webjets is like a huge digital whiteboard with multiple interactive cards that can be organized freely or grouped together easily. A card can contain an image, an embedded video, a live Google Doc, an attached file, or a table containing a variety of elements organized into columns.

Reflection
Students reflect on their work and their learning throughout the project. From the Framework:
Learning is reinforced by reflecting on what we know and do. In a high quality project, students learn to assess the quality of their work and think about how to make it better. They pause regularly-not just at the end of the project, but throughout the process-to think about what they are doing and learning. By reflecting on what they have accomplished, students retain project content and skills longer, develop a greater sense of control over their own education, and build confidence in themselves.

Meaningful and varied opportunities for reflection throughout a project are critical to student learning. Digital tools that support reflection in PBL enable students to collect and look at their work and learning experiences over time. Reflection tools might also allow students to set and track progress on goals, and finally, effective reflection tools enable multiple means of expression (e.g., written, verbal, visual), so that students can focus on ideas and meaning-making rather than struggling to express themselves.

Flipgrid is one example of a powerful tool for reflection in PBL. Flipgrid enables asynchronous video-based discussions. A teacher can post a video prompt and then collect student responses in video form. Another reflection tool that is particularly supportive for even very young students is SeeSaw. This tool invites students to demonstrate and reflect on their learning in a variety of ways, including drawing, voice recording, photos, videos, document uploads, annotations, and any combination thereof. Students can compile their work into digital portfolios, explain their thinking and reflect on how their work has changed over time. Seesaw also offers great family communication tools that enable teachers, families, and students and/or critique, discuss, and revise.

Infinite Possibilities...

The tools we've provided here are just examples. We know that there are many digital resources and applications that can deepen and "supercharge" Project Based Learning, and we encourage you to select tools based on the needs of your students, the requirements of your project, and the resources available at your school site. When you do incorporate tools into your projects, consider using the HQPBL framework as a guide and an inspiration-- how can the digital tools you use help to enrich the student experience in these six ways?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supercharging HQPBL: Accelerating Project Based Learning With Digital Tools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A list of tech tools teachers and students can use to support each of the 6 criteria in the Framework for High Quality PBL.

# data[].attributes.body
How can we design a tiny house that meets the needs of our clients?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In this project, student design teams consult with clients to learn about the clients' budget, needs, and personal preferences. They use this information, along with key mathematics skills related to measurement and geometry, to design and create prototypes of custom tiny homes for their clients. Students also read about housing, tiny homes, and construction and apply what they learn from their reading to their designs and presentations.

Log in to learn more about this project

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this project, student design teams consult with clients to learn about the clients' budget, needs, and personal preferences. They use this information, along with key mathematics skills related to measurement and geometry, to design and create prototypes of custom tiny homes for their clients.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inside a Bright Minimalist Tiny House in the Woods

# data[].attributes.body
3.MD.C.5 Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement.

3.MD.C.6 Measure areas by counting unit squares (sq cm, sq m, sq in, sq ft, and improvised units).

3.MD.C.7 Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.

3.MD.D.8 Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same areas and different perimeters.

1.4.a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

1.4.b Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

# data[].attributes.body
Finding measurements.

Use measurements to calculate perimeter.

Use measurements to calculate area.

What do I want to present and how do I want to do it?

# data[].attributes.body
Through the process, students will take it step-by-step each day working on a different component.

Day 1: Introduction

Day 2: Calculating perimeter and area of rectangles.

Day 3: Creating a layout/floor plan using perimeter and area.

Day 4: Construction of Tiny House

Day 5: Present Tiny Houses

# data[].attributes.body
What are the benefits of living in a Tiny House?

Will people be interested in living/buying my Tiny House?

What should be included?

Are there any environmental/climate factors I need to consider when constructing? (A place that snows year-round or rains 6 days out of the week)

# data[].attributes.body
After the virtual tour, we will discuss as a class, the benefits and/or downsides of living in a Tiny House.

# data[].attributes.body
Students will decide what rooms they want to include in their Tiny House. Then, they will apply their knowledge of perimeter and area to create a floor plan.

Once they have created a floor plan, students will construct their Tiny Houses and present them!

Students will also write a short paragraph explaining what they would change or do differently next time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Virtual Graph Paper is a web application for creating drawings and illustrations on a virtual grid. You can use it right here in your browser. When you are done, your drawing can be downloaded as an SVG file.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Area and Perimeter of a Rectangle- Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This activity requires students to find the area and perimeter of rectangles. It gives immediate feedback.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
IXL | Find the area of figures made of unit squares | 3rd grade math

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Improve your math knowledge with free questions in "Find the area of figures made of unit squares" and thousands of other math skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Students build rectangles with a given perimeter. Each side of the rectangle makes a different sound based on its length, helping students engage in multi-sensory learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
GeoGebra - the world's favorite, free math tools used by over 100 million students and teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free digital tools for class activities, graphing, geometry, collaborative whiteboard and more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Citizen Math used to be called Mathalicious. If you have a current account on Mathalicious, you can use those credentials to log in to your Citizen Math account. Learn more here.

When learning connects your students to the world, they develop critical thinking skills that enhance their success in life - and in class. Welcome to the world of Citizen Math.

Sign Up

PROVOKE QUESTIONS. SPARK CONVERSATION. ACTIVATE MINDS.

Citizen Math provides supplemental math lessons for grades 6 - 12. Browse a few lessons and experience an immersive, participatory approach that makes learning - and teaching - with Citizen Math so incredibly rewarding.

Citizen Math = Proven Success

A research study of over 25,000 students indicated that just two supplemental Citizen Math lessons significantly increased test scores and classroom performance. Learn how our program builds engagement and enjoyment-for students and teachers.

SEE RESULTS

WE HELP YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN

Citizen Math lessons are dynamic, social learning experiences. They are designed to be flexibly implemented alongside any core curriculum and require minimal tech, so you can get started right away.

SEE HOW IT WORKS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
citizen math lessons teach standards-based math through real-world topics that students care about.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Citizen Math lessons teach standards-based math through real-world topics that students care about.

# data[].attributes.body
Perimeter

Area

Floorplan

Blueprint

Scale

Sustainability

Interior Design

3D Model House

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
(Tiny House) Summative Assessment Rubric v.22

# data[].attributes.body
Students will complete a desmos activity to check for understanding.

# data[].attributes.headline
National Educational Technology Standards for Students

# data[].attributes.subject
National Educational Technology Standards for Students

# data[].attributes.body
1.4.a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

# data[].attributes.body
1.4.b Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.