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Project-based learning was a natural byproduct of thinking about teaching and learning from the standpoint of what actually worked to engage and empower students in the learning process.

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"What I know for sure is that you feel real joy in direct proportion to how connected you are to living your truth." Oprah Winfrey

As a new teacher, I had a lot of ideas about what would work best in my classroom. Then I actually started teaching!

It took years, but there were moments where I would have something resonate so often that it eventually became a learning truth I stood by and based my teaching on. Many of these truths are clear to teachers that have been in the field for a long time, while others might catch you during your first lesson of teaching.

All of the truths I share below make up my educational ethos, or belief set. They formed the foundation for great learning to happen and allowed me to focus on those activities and tasks that would foster deep learning experiences.

Project-based learning was a natural shift in my classroom because of what we believed worked for students. It wasn't to be flashy. It wasn't to make everything fun (sometimes it was). Project-based learning was a natural byproduct of thinking about teaching and learning from the standpoint of what actually worked to engage and empower students in the learning process.

10 Learning Truths That Led Me to PBL

1. Learning starts with attention. It's almost impossible to learn if you aren't paying attention. And whatever you are giving attention has the ability to turn into learning.

2. Attention happens for two reasons: Necessity and interest. Nature uses necessity to drive quick learning feedback loops. When we try to manufacture necessity (think: you must learn this because of a pop quiz tomorrow) a culture of compliance follows. When we allow for interest to drive attention, commitment to the learning process follows.

3. Relationships directly impact attention, and therefore, learning.

4. Learning happens inside our head. Understanding is demonstrated outside our head.

5. Technology is a byproduct of learning + creativity. Both must be present for technology to exist.

6. Learning has nothing to do with innovation. But innovation has everything to do with learning.

7. Intrinsic motivation will always outperform extrinsic motivation (in the long term) when it comes to learning.

8. Worms are better than strawberries and cream.
"Personally I am very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found that for some strange reason, fish prefer worms. So when I went fishing, I didn't think about what I wanted. I thought about what they wanted. I didn't bait the hook with strawberries and cream. Rather, I dangled a worm or grasshopper in front of the fish and said: "Wouldn't you like to have that?"
Dale Carnegie said this, and I believe it to be exceptionally true when thinking about engaging and empowering our students. What do they prefer? Start with that.

9. Learning doesn't have to be meaningful and relevant. But, relevant learning experiences draw students in, and meaningful learning experiences stick with them. If you have the choice to make learning meaningful and relevant, you should go the extra mile every time.

10. Learning is wild, it's messy, it's free. But, learning also can be driven by limitations. Rules don't often apply, including these ten.
What are your education truths?
Call to Action

If you want to see FIVE projects that were inspired by these ten truths, feel free to download the epic guide to student ownership in the box below.

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10 Education Truths That Support Project-Based Learning

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"What I know for sure is that you feel real joy in direct proportion to how connected you are to living your truth." Oprah Winfrey As a new teacher, I had a lot of ideas about what would work best in my classroom. Then I actually started teaching!

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This is part of lesson NOT an afterthought
Teachers visit each others classrooms- see lessons, space
What does this look like in Kindergarten- visit other schools
facilitate play?  See in action
Leaving comfort zone
Going to the unknown-
Letting go of control
Need more reflection-
Need more interaction among grades, subjects, etc
Curriculum Map by quarter ALL grades
Create Google calendar of "ideas"
PBL #3- Use release time to coordinate into our lessons

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Self-Reflection on Project Work

This document helps students think about what they did in the project and how well the project went.

Log in to get this resource...

To view or download this resource, log in here.

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Self-Reflection on Project Work This document helps students think about what they did in the project and how well the project went. Log in to get this resource... To view or download this resource, log in here.

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John Spencer on The Power of Student Conferencing

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John Spencer on The Power of Student Conferencing

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If we want to empower students to own the assessment process, we need to incorporate meaningful self-assessment and peer assessment into our lessons. However, students still need guidance from their teachers. This is why I love five-minute conferences. Unlike a deep dive tutoring session or a longer conversation, these 5-minute conversations provide a quick opportunity to guide reflection, provide feedback, discuss the mastery of standards, or simply do a pulse check. In this article, I share strategies for implementing a five-minute student conferencing system.

Listen to the Podcast

If you enjoy this blog but you'd like to listen to it on the go, just click on the audio below or subscribe via iTunes/Apple Podcasts (ideal for iOS users) or Google Play and Stitcher (ideal for Android users).

https://spencerauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Conferencing.mp3

The Five-Minute Conference

When I teach our lesson planning and assessment courses, I make it a goal to have two 5-minute conferences with each student over a period of six classes. Note that it's easier when the classes are in person but it still works well via Zoom. We just have to get a little more creative with the process. While ten minutes of one-on-one conferencing might not seem like a big deal, it's often the very thing that students mention in course evaluations. In other words, it matters to my students.

I actually began this conferencing process about fifteen or sixteen years ago and it's one of my favorite ways to engage in meaningful feedback.

During these conferences, students are empowered to ask questions about their work and to reflect on both the product and the process. They are able to navigate how they are doing and what they need to do to improve. This can help build metacognition.

My goal is for students to know the following:

What they know

What they don't know

What they need to know

What next steps they need to take

Where they can get help (including help from me)

When teachers use these short conferences, assessment moves from a teacher-directed monologue into a back-and-forth dialogue. As this occurs, teachers get the chance to know the students on a more personal level. This allows for a better approach to differentiated instruction. But it also increases engagement. Research has demonstrate that the teacher-student relationship plays a vital role in student engagement. Students feel known on a deeper level, which then increases trust. This, in turn, leads to a higher level of student self-efficacy and helps prevent discipline issues. But it's more than that. In my own experience as a middle school teacher, it was a chance to get to know quieter students. I experienced this firsthand. Before doing one-on-one conferencing, I accidentally ignored some of the quiet kids who were doing just fine in class. The five-minute conferences helped guarantee that I met with each student every week. It was a safety net for a student who might slip through the cracks.

Meanwhile, this saved me time. Every conference was essentially a chance for ongoing formative assessment. As a result, I spent less time grading (especially leaving feedback on student work). Meanwhile, it allowed me to thrive as an introverted teacher. I need this time one-on-one with students because the large crowd can feel exhausting. As an introvert, I could recharge while meeting one-on-one with students.

The Four Types of Conferences

The following are the four types of conferences I use with students:

Advice Conference: This conference is all about learning specific skills that students are missing. Each student must ask the teacher a series of questions based upon an area where he or she is struggling. This is a chance for targeted one-on-one attention and explicit help with a strategy. Students guide the process, tapping into the teacher's expertise. This has the added bonus of encouraging students to embrace the idea that mistakes as a part of the learning process. It sets up a classroom culture where every student must be humble enough to admit that they are still struggling in some area of reading.

Reflection Conferences: Instead of telling students what to do, the goal is to draw out student reflection. The teacher uses a series of reflective questions to lead students through the process of metacognition and into the setting and monitoring of goals. As the year progresses, the teacher asks fewer follow-up questions and the students begin sharing how they are doing without the aid of pre-chosen questions.

Mastery Conference: Unlike the reflection conference, the focus here is less about reflecting on the process and more about students judging their own mastery of the content. We use the Standards-Based Assessment Grid as a way to figure out the level of mastery on particular standards.

Pulse check: This is an informal conference in which the teacher simply checks in to see how a student is doing. This is the most open-ended of the conferences and does not require a particular protocol. These are ideal when a student is suddenly missing work or seeming to struggle. However, they can also be helpful in general just to see how students are doing. Students might talk about how they feel about the class and the subject or their group members. Often, a teacher guides students on reflecting around SEL components, like empathy, awareness, communication, etc.

The Logistics: When and How to Run These

The following are some of the questions you might have about running a conferencing system:
Do you meet with every student?
When I taught middle school departmentalized (one subject), I had a goal of meeting with each student every other week. When I taught self-contained (all subjects), I met with every student every week. I often scheduled 1-3 conferences per day with students who needed additional support. Ultimately, you know your students the best and you can devise a system that works for you.
When do you run these conferences?
Find the best moments where kids can be talking to each other while working independently. This allows for the class to work at a buzzing, not-too-loud noise level while I talk to students individually. It might be during a warm-up, during independent practice, or during extended project times. You might excuse a student from the exit slip at the end of a class period and do a quick pulse check meeting. As you start running conferences, you'll start noticing those little moments when conferencing makes sense.
How do you find the time for this?
If you want to meet with each student each week, you'll need to plan out five or six mini-conferences per class period each class period. Each conference lasts about 5 minutes. If you teach self-contained (all day), you might aim for one short conference each hour. In a class of twenty-five, that would be a meeting with each student each week. Here's a snapshot of one week. Note that I taught students in a 75-minute block, so 25 minutes still allowed for plenty of time devoted to direct instruction, small workshops, helping groups, etc.

While that's ideal, you might teach larger classes or you might have shorter class periods (around 45-60 minutes). In this case, you might aim for three conferences per class period and meet with each student every other week.

It helps to give students specific days when they know they will have a conference. This allows students to feel prepared ahead of time. Over time, it becomes a habit. A student knows that Wednesday is her day. Still, you might put a schedule up on your board or in the area where you hold your conferences. If you're really on top of it, you could schedule reminder emails to your students. Confession: I was never that organized or proactive. I kept a schedule on the wall but then called students over by saying their name aloud.
What's the best location?
Every teacher is different. Some love to pull students over to the kidney-shaped table and lean in while they talk. This allows the teacher to still see the entire class. Others might walk over and sit next to a student at their desk or table. When I taught middle school, I had a spot in front of the board that worked as a standing center. I could look out at the class and stand directly next to the student in the conference. We shared a laptop computer screen and we were side by side chatting. It comes down to whatever allows you to feel comfortable while still monitoring the rest of the class.
What do you prepare ahead of time?
Students don't like to feel caught off guard and sometimes the phrase, "Can I see you up front?" leads to a panic. This is why it helps to explain the conferencing purpose and process. Students should know that it's not disciplinary and it won't be graded. They should also know ahead of time when they will meet with the teacher. You might provide optional handouts for students to use. These can function as a blueprint for the process. The pulse check option doesn't require a handout but you might use an emoji chart answering "How am I feeling?" or you might give a student a survey ahead of time. This gives you something to discuss when you meet together.

Get the System for Free

It's funny how much can be accomplished with a simple five-minute conversation. It can be a chance to guide students in self-reflection, help provide needed advice, or work provide a chance to review mastery of standards. This is why I tend to schedule short, five-minute conferences with students in each class period. If you're interested in the Five-Minute Conferencing System, you can download it by filling out this form below:

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If we want to empower students to own the assessment process, we need to incorporate meaningful self-assessment and peer assessment into our lessons. However, students still need guidance from their teachers. This is why I

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ASCD Book- How to Give Effective Feedback

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ASCD Book- How to Give Effective Feedback

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An advanced student of mine was recently talking to me about the protests in Brazil and how the youth of the country are 'making the movement'. Knowing that she meant 'movement' in terms of a coordinated group action focused on a political issue, i.e. a 'political movement', I responded by saying that the verb 'make' is not a common collocate for this use of the noun 'movement'.

"Then what is a more typical verb that I can use here with the word 'movement'?" she asked.

I thought hard and said, "Well, we can definitely say 'to start a movement', and maybe even 'to take part in' or 'to be part of a movement'. But I'm not sure what the most common way of saying it is. Why don't we check it out?"

We then proceeded to look up examples using the word 'movement' in a corpus and realised that this particular meaning of 'movement' was not often used with a verb, but more as a subject or object noun in sentences like 'The animal rights movement would have become less militant' and 'This was home to the founders of the Separatist Movement'.

Surprised, we then proceeded to look up common collocates of the word, and found a list of words that acted as adjectives or that formed compound nouns with the word 'movement'; the top three being 'labour', 'union' and 'trade'. The only verb in the top 100 collocates of 'movement' was the verb 'repeat', which occurred in the 99th position. Upon looking up the examples in context, it was immediately apparent that 'repeat' was used with a different meaning of 'movement'.

We finally came to the conclusion that that particular meaning of 'movement' simply wasn't often used with a verb, and perhaps it was easier to reformulate what she had said to 'The youth in my country are the ones that are protesting'.

As teachers, when faced with a problem or when asked a question, we think of it as our duty to provide a solution or an answer. After all, teachers are traditionally seen as knowledge owners and knowledge givers.

So when a learner asks, "What is the difference between 'trouble' and 'problem'?", we rack our brains trying to find a satisfactory answer on the spot that can actually be of use to the student. Some of us provide answers that we later then regret, and some of us end up tying ourselves up in knots, confusing our students and ourselves even further.

But as our role shifts to being a facilitator of knowledge acquisition and knowledge processing, might it be acceptable to simply say "I don't really know the answer. Let's find out together!"?

Where does this shift in roles come from?
And why is it necessary to think of this shift?

In the world we live in today, we no longer 'own knowledge'.Knowledge is everywhere - the internet, the library, and the people around - many of whom are now globally connected by social networks, blogs, and other internet communities.

In fact, many would say that there is an overwhelming amount of knowledge and information out there. It is therefore important to know what information is needed for which context, how to access this information and how to use it.
The traditional ways of learning by memorising facts and simple trivia might serve one well as a fascinating party trick but might not do much more than that these days.

After all, the knowledge that we give students today might be outdated tomorrow. As this Youtube clip 'Did you know 3.0' so aptly suggests, 'We're currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that haven't been invented, in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet'.

You might say that this might be true for fields like IT, Biology or Engineering, but surely not language learning? Surely not communication training?

The internet is constantly changing the way we communicate, and new genres like Skype, Twitter, Facebook walls, game fan sites, that never existed before are fast becoming the normal channels of communication.

So, what are the rules of communication when dealing with these new channels? What is the discourse etiquette?

Is it polite to send someone you have never met a direct message to add you to their circle of friends?
Is it acceptable to call someone on Skype without sending them a message or making an appointment in advance?
To what extent can we criticize someone openly in a Facebook group?
When is it appropriate to use 'u' to mean 'you'? In a text message? In a tweet? In an email?

After more than two decades of writing emails and observing patterns of email communication, we now know that in English, it is completely acceptable to start an email with 'Dear Rachel' or 'Hi Rachel', depending on how well I know Rachel.
It would, however, be a little odd to start it with 'Good afternoon! Rachel!' But what about when starting a Skype chat? Or when writing a message in a forum discussing the advantages of non-disposable nappies? Or when posting on someone's Facebook wall?

New rules of communication and discourse expectations are being created and solidified every other day as different methods of communication become the norm. How do we teach what we are not entirely familiar with? How do we educate our learners on what we don't yet know?

This is not just an issue to do with discourse strategies and genres and register, but also the ever-evolving lexico-grammar structures of modern times.

While some might insist that 'If I were a millionaire' is more correct than 'If I was a millionaire', we cannot deny that the latter is now a widely used alternative to the subjunctive.

Phrases like 'As I was seated there...' and 'I'm going to bus it' are more and more commonly heard in the spoken vernacular. And most still can't decide whether we are in the year 'two thousand and thirteen' or 'twenty-thirteen'.

The fact that language is ever-evolving and constantly influenced by social and cultural factors is not a new concept. After all, the use of the verb 'to edit', derived from the noun 'edition' was considered an outrage to many linguistic purists in the early 1800s, not unlike the way some might consider the verbs 'to Google' or 'to tweet'.

But while some of you might be still stuck debating whether 'to Google' and 'to tweet' are an abomination to the English language, others have moved on to examine the intricate rules of when to use the upper case for these verbs, as in 'to Google' and when to use the lower case, as in 'to tweet'.

What is new is the fact that language and communication is now changing and evolving at a speed never experienced before, and the social and cultural influences that affect language is now more global than it's ever been.

Perhaps spending hours of classroom time drilling the use of the present perfect with 'already' and 'yet', and then a couple more correcting students when they say 'I did it already' and 'Did you do it yet?' just because it's British English may not be the best use of your students' time.

How then can we use our time in the classroom?

How then can we make this shift?

Admitting that we teachers are not the knowledge owners - we don't always know it all.

Coming to an agreement with the students from the start of a course that they will not be 'spoon-fed' information, but will instead be expected to take responsibility for their learning.

Referring students to other experts e.g. by showing them blogs, groups and forums including ones on Facebook or Twitter.

Giving students tools to find the information they need -

Teach them skimming skills so as to get to the relevant information they need on the web;

Helping them to differentiate legitimate sites from bogus ones.

Enabling them to use search engines more efficiently.

Giving them practice of the use of online dictionaries with their tablets and mobile phones.

Encouraging them to use corpora and concordance software to find out more about words and phrases.

Encouraging critical analysis of information e.g. genres, discourse strategies, and helping students to notice relevant linguistic patterns.

Encouraging students to access knowledge for themselves and becoming experts in a particular subject. Then encouraging students to share this expertise with the class e.g. through presentations, with the school e.g. through newsletters, and even with the world e.g. through blogposts, Youtube videos, etc.

Encouraging collaborative learning - group projects, peer mentoring.

Allowing students space to choose their own topics and projects, so that they are able to learn what they want when they want.

Asking your students about their favourite ways of learning, and giving them homework and tasks that reflect this. This may include getting them to report back on a Youtube video they have watched, a trending topic on Twitter, or an English song they have recently heard.

Using coaching techniques e.g. those that help students to come to their own conclusions through rigorous questioning.

Assessment and grading students not according to the knowledge learnt, but how the knowledge is accessed, what is done with the knowledge, and how it is applied.

And perhaps with time and practice, we might learn to let go of the control we have become used to, and help our students take control.
About English Teaching professional's regular blogger: Chia Suan Chong is a General English and Business English teacher and teacher trainer, with a degree in Communication Studies (Broadcast and Electronic Media) and an MA in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching from King's College London. A self-confessed conference addict, she spends a lot of her time tweeting (@chiasuan/@ETprofessional), Skyping, and writing. You can find out more about her on her blogsite: http://chiasuanchong.com

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Making the shift: 'teacher as knowledge owner' to '... | ETp

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An advanced student of mine was recently talking to me about the protests in Brazil and how the youth of the country are 'making the movement'. Knowing that she meant 'movement' in terms of a coordinated group action focused on a political issue, i.e.

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Did You Know 3.0 (Officially updated for 2012) HD

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Interesting read

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The easiest way to follow your favorite blogs

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This is a Twitter Account I found with some useful insights.

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This post is #6 in a series of 10 posts that serve as extensions of the 10 chapters in Hacking Project Based Learning, which I coauthored with Erin Murphy Problem #1: Your rubric closely resembles your project's directions. . This post is an extension of Chapter 6, which focuses on the grading of projects. #HackingPBL Make it Work
How will my students and I know they are learning what they are supposed to be learning? How will I assess this?
Problem #2: Your rubric goes on, and on, and on.
These are easily two of the more popular questions that emerge as educators make the shift to project based learning (PBL), and some form of a rubric (and its effective use) is usually a big part of the answer.
Make it Work
As I continue to analyze rubrics (or adaptations of rubrics) there are a few specific look-fors that help to immediately indicate whether the tool is spot on, or if some revisions are necessary. Here are five look-fors that suggest your rubric needs a makeover.
Problem #3: Your rubric doesn't clarify what exemplary work looks like.
If your rubric looks like project directions regurgitated in another format (as was the case with many of my faulty rubrics), you could be promoting compliance, not creative learning. There is a strong chance your students will be able to "play the game" and earn an A by simply following what has been outlined for them in their rubric/directions: appropriately title your work, include three photographs related to your topic, include at least ten adjectives, cite five sources, etc. Furthermore, in the end, all finished products will probably look quite similar.
Make it Work

Use these two questions to guide your decision-making: Can your students earn an A without understanding the material? Can your students understand the material but not earn an A? If your answer to any of these questions is "Yes!" there is a problem.

Your rubric's left-hand column should contain the content you want students to know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the project. To make things easy, each "box" can contain an entire academic standard (if it's short and simple), or a longer standard that calls for multiple actions can be broken down across different boxes with each action having its own box.

The autonomy students possess in reaching these goals should be determined by the project's directions, not the rubric. However, make sure your students can actually satisfy the rubric as a result of following the directions.

Problem #4: Your rubric is an assessment of learning, not for learning.
For one reason or another (possibly to hold students accountable), you have found the need to assess (and maybe, grade) each and every aspect of the project based learning experience. Therefore, rather than clarifying the targets for which students should be aiming, your rubric reads more like an endless list of requirements that obscures the why behind the work. In the end the rubric does more harm than good, and it could be a reason why students start to dislike PBL.
Make it Work

If you have a rubric that doesn't seem right, give it to your students and ask them what they think. You'll be surprised at the insight they demonstrate when analyzing and co-creating the manner in which they will be assessed.

Focus your rubric's left-hand column on what should be the students' main takeaways from the project. Leave out more "shallow" items (e.g., the parts of an ecosystem) that will be taught and learned within the context of a main takeaway (e.g., demonstrating a deeper understanding of how ecosystems function).

If you have not taught it, don't grade it. This point may sound obvious, but I cannot remember how many times I graded students on collaboration while neglecting to provide explicit instruction in this area. Grading something that has not been taught will most likely lead to anxiety, not learning.

Problem #5: Your rubric wouldn't work with your students.
Your left-hand column has the appropriate information, and for each goal you have included descriptors for what exemplary work involves (think, a 4 on a scale of 1-4). And, possibly, you have also added descriptors for the other numbers as well. However, after all of the hard work you've put in, you hand the rubric over to your students and they appear a bit lost. The same mistakes are popping up over and over, and everyone has an entirely different idea of what a 4 should look like.
Make it Work

Rather than telling your students what ideal work involves, have them uncover these features by analyzing exemplars. These features can populate the "4 column" of the rubric. As a result, students will have a clearer picture of what should be included in their work.

You may understand what is in the rubric's left-hand column (which was derived from standards), but your students may not. Consider rewording this information in student-friendly language.

If the majority of your students are committing the same errors, there could potentially be a content problem, not an assessment (rubric) problem. Take a short "break" from the project to conduct a mini-lesson that targets the problematic content. Follow up with some form of assessment to determine next steps.

In the End
In other words, the rubric makes roughly two appearances. The first is when it is given to students (and maybe, briefly reviewed) when the project is rolled out. The second appearance is when students receive their grades, after which everyone promptly moves on to the next learning experience. In instances such as these, the rubric (and its accompanying grades) is used as a weapon to hold students accountable for their learning, as opposed to being leveraged as a tool that can assist in the learning process.

Whenever students are working on the project, make sure their rubric is visible. This way, they can work with their goals in mind.

As students work, continuously provide feedback. Grant Wiggins defined feedback as, "information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal." So, on the rubric, think about leaving a space where feedback can be provided pertaining to each goal.

Once students receive their "final" grades, consider having a system in place that allows for them to resubmit their work to potentially earn higher grades.

There is a chance all or some of your students, because they are too young and/or don't have the literacy skills, are not capable of handling a text-heavy rubric. Here it could be tempting to forego using a rubric, or just forget about project based learning altogether. However, rather than proclaiming, "A rubric wouldn't work with my students," the attitude should be, " How can I make it work?" All students, no matter what they initially bring to the table, still need to know the targets for which they are aiming.
What are your thoughts on rubrics? How have you seen them done effectively?

Keep the text to a minimum, focusing on key words that are reviewed with students.

Whenever possible, use illustrations to replace or accompany the rubric's text. For added ownership, think about having students be the ones to create these illustrations.

Different technologies can assist in meeting students' needs. For example, text-to-speech can read to them an electronic version of the rubric, and QR codes can link to video explanations.

These are five of the major red flags (along with possible solutions) I consistently find when looking through rubrics.

And, in my opinion, it is not hard to view the traditional rubric as a tool that is archaic and in desperate need of an upgrade. Even when it is done "correctly," it is chock-full of columns, boxes, and teacher-made descriptors, which usually do more to promote compliance and anxiety than creative learning.

In Chapter 6 of Hacking Project Based Learning, Erin and I rethink the traditional rubric from the ground up with the creation of the Progress Assessment Tool (PAT). We look forward to sharing it with everyone!

Connect with Ross on Twitter.

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5 Reasons Your Rubric Needs a Makeover #HackingPBL

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This post is #6 in a series of 10 posts that serve as extensions of the 10 chapters in Hacking Project Based Learning, which I coauthored with Erin Murphy. This post is an extension of Chapter 6, which focuses on the grading of projects. #HackingPBL For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

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Makerspace Directions and Storyboards 2.pdf

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Finally, bottom line…
The more I engaged my students in project based learning, the more I realized that grading the actual
project was not only unnecessary, but potenFally harmful.
So, have the courage to provide feedback throughout the project to promote learning (not
compliance), consider a paper and pencil test aVer the fact, and always be working towards not
having to grade at all.

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If your textbook is aligned to the same content your PBL unit encompasses (which is likely), the
project can drive the inquiry and higher-order thinking (which textbooks are usually not good
at), while the textbook can be used as a starDng point when filtering in more direct instrucDon.
So, when designing PBL mini-lessons (or any type of learning experiences), rather than being
anD-textbook, think about how you can mold parts of this resource to best meet the needs of
your students.

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So…To support students in moving forward with their goals in mind, not only should we know what
feedback is and isn’t, but we must also be intentional regarding when and how it is given.

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And, in my opinion, it is not hard to view the traditional rubric as a tool that is archaic and in
desperate need of an upgrade. Even when it is done “correctly,” it is chock-full of columns,
boxes, and teacher-made descriptors, which usually do more to promote compliance and
anxiety than creative learning.
In Hack 6 of Hacking Project Based Learning, Erin and I rethink the traditional rubric from the
ground up with the creation of the Progress Assessment Tool (PAT). We look forward to sharing
it with everyone!

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Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.

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- Big questions

- teaching students how to ask questions

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- HITs and HICs.  Begin thinking about what the end goal is at the start of a unit

-  more PD to create grade level "HIC" Thought provoking questions and rich resources

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- a long process of teaching and learning

- using videos to show good examples of collaboration

-Collaborative Classroom is helping with this

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- creating a physical and emotion space to encourage students to take a chance.

- have students ask questions and use "I wonder" statements as serious questions

-build positive and open relationships with students as well as student to student relationships

- build a positive classroom community (family)

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I read the book Empower a couple of months ago and it had some really good insight into PBL and was an easy read!  I am planning to read Launch soon if anyone is interested in discussing! Both are written by John Spencer and A.J. Guiliani.

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Does anyone have any experience with forming umbrella questions? Tips? I'm planning on forming some with the second grade teachers for an upcoming unit and would love any feedback! ~Michelle

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There was a focus on relationships and environment in this hack. I have found that knowing my students well makes me incorporate a lot of the ideas discussed in a natural way. Discussion and comfort in the classroom leads to quality questions and authentic learning experiences.

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I think the Collaborative Classroom curriculum does a good job of discussing what collaborating looks like and helps teach the students communication skills needed.

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Looks differently at each
level/classroom

Teach kids to wonder

Investigate

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Project Based Learning for all. We build the capacity of teachers and school leaders to design and facilitate quality Project Based Learning.

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Project Based Learning: Start Here | Cult of Pedagogy

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Maybe you’ve always wanted to try PBL, but you just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Here’s a set of beginner-level resources to get you started.

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The National Education Association (NEA) is more than 3 million people-educators, students, activists, workers, parents, neighbors, friends-who believe in opportunity for all students and in the power of public education to transform lives and create a more just and inclusive society.

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The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM

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Defining Student Engagement through STEAM

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Keeping your students engaged in the classroom can get tough. Explore ways on how to increase student engagement using STEAM & arts integration techniques!

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By redefining failure as part of learning, we give children choices to take risks, opportunities to excel, and the support to grow into their potential.

Editor's note: This post is co-authored by Cheryl Harris, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Albemarle County Public Schools.

Risk is all too often the thing least evident in schools, and yet risk is how we learn, create, even adapt. So risk is what we allow and expect in our classrooms -- risk combined with abundant opportunity and the safety of being treated as a cherished individual.

Opportunities to Excel

In Cheryl Harris' seventh-grade language arts classroom, there is comfort, safety, and space for risk. Students aren't bored, because the room -- and the learning -- is theirs. They're given some requirements, and certainly expectations, but they don't drift away from the work, because the work is theirs. They create rubrics, directions, groups, workspaces, process, product, and presentations for an audience of choice. And they lift themselves up because, in that student-created environment, it's always OK to do something they are unsure about. Upon completion of activities or projects, students discuss, reflect, and celebrate -- and it's authentic celebration because every student knows that the work is authentic. These students become better problem solvers, more creative, and better critical thinkers. Through comfort, choice, and having a safe zone for taking risks, students become better prepared for the future that awaits them.

Who are your students? What are their individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests? By building relationships through connections, you build trust and respect. Students feel comfortable when they know that your room is safe for educational risks. Choose a variety of students to be the class leader at different times. Let them shine. It's not about the teacher -- it's all about the student. Conduct activities where each of your students is in charge. Students work better when you catch them doing something well instead of calling attention to their faults. Sincere praise builds self-esteem. Offer them opportunities to excel. Start in small increments and try what comes naturally to you. Continue adding these suggestions. Always make your decisions on what's best for students.

Video yourself. Are you including all students? Do your facial expressions demonstrate your passion for working with students? Find ways to show your students how much you value them. Do you have flexibility within your classroom? Do you show your students how important they are? How do you express your trust that they'll end up making good choices? Can you sit through your entire video without being bored? If you use choice in your room, please share how it's working. If you're trying some of these techniques, what changes are you seeing in your students?

Redefining Failure

In Michael Thornton's classrooms (individual elementary grades and soon a full K-5 space), there is comfort, safety, and space for risk. Whether in high- or low-SES schools, kids take chances because risk is honored, because risks are taken from a comfortable platform, and because there's always a soft spot to land.

People shy away from risks because they fear failure -- but what's so bad about failing? Some of the greatest moments of understanding happen after we've "failed." Viewing failure as a typical aspect of the learning process allows a learner to appreciate the need for risks. For this to happen, administrators, teachers, and students must redefine risk and failure for themselves. School officials must step back and allow all learners (including teachers and administrators) to take their individual journeys -- which will inevitably involve failing.

The age doesn't matter. All children, whether five or 18, deserve the chance of rising to challenges and taking risks in an environment where they know those risks are valued and celebrated, and where they know that they have a community of support. In kindergarten, children control their own spaces and choose their own technologies. Fifth grade students invent workspaces indoors and out. In third grade, they're writing their own textbooks and inventing presentation tools. At any age, children learn how to learn from their peers in a way that prepares them for life.

Choices and Chances

Fourteen feet above a middle school cafeteria floor, kids work through an iterative design process to build "treehouses" and transform this space from institutional to cool. Up here, every detail matters -- measurement, weight, the bending moment of wood -- and students discuss shear diagrams and physics. We need not discuss the "growth mindset" or tell these kids that they are "not math kids yet." Instead, we let adolescent curiosity and risk taking lead them to a place where math has never been so important.

On the floor in a summer CoderDojo, seven-year-old ELL students are busily hacking the programming blocks in Scratch. Not only do they need their character to fall below the X-axis (negative integers), they also need to control the speed of the fall. They're busy developing an understanding of vectors -- without teachers, paced curriculum, or even sitting in a chair. They're taking risks with subjects that they won't be expected to learn for years because they're designing a game that matters to them.

In a kindergarten class, boys sit in rocking chairs perched on a windowsill, looking alternately at picture books and the scene outside. "If you rock too hard," the teacher says, "the chair will move and you'll fall." This is better than saying, "No." Now the boys' classmates become rocking-speed-enforcers, and a learning community is strengthened.

Teachers learn to learn from each other as well when spaces for risk become the norm, and the same is true for administrators. Creating space for risk begins at the top of any school system. Principals must have space for risk, so that teachers have space for risk, so that students have space for risk. Permission to take chances is essential to an environment that allows growth. We cannot bubble wrap our kids, so we cannot allow our teachers to be fearful, so principals must know that their job is enabling risk. There is a process to building risk taking in schools. It must start at kindergarten and build from there. Choice plays a key role. The more opportunity that students have to make decisions within the classroom, the more opportunity they have to succeed and fail. Both outcomes will help them learn and grow as students and as members of society.

Grades K-12 | Albemarle County, VA

Enrollment

13677 | Public

Per Pupil Expenditures

Free / Reduced Lunch

28%

Data is from the 2014-15 academic year.

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By redefining failure as part of learning, we give children choices to take risks, opportunities to excel, and the support to grow into their potential. Editor's note: This post is co-authored by Cheryl Harris, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Albemarle County Public Schools.