(Early-Childhood PBL Implementation: HERE)
“I felt their enthusiasm. I saw the students were engaged. This unit seemed more meaningful to them. I enjoyed seeing students’ purposefulness. I could feel a difference in the class between the usual hands-on activities we do and this.” – Helen Hurgin, Windham Middle School Seventh Grade Science and Math Teacher
What does a high quality PBL look like in practice?
Teachers have told me they want to provide project-based learning but wonder about best ways to organize its implementation. You are a professional and should decide the best way to implement project-based learning for your students’ needs, but it’s good to have a starting structure. Eventually, you might decide to continue following these recommended steps or to adjust them.
To get an idea of how project-based learning can be implemented, here are suggested implementation steps and how the steps were followed for a “How can we conserve energy at our school?” project.
Project based learning can be implemented in ten sequential steps:
Beginning
1. Hook
2. Unit Overview
3. Challenge Question
4. Elicit beginning inquiry questions: Connecting to prior knowledge, generating questions (Need-to–Knows) and initial ideas for how to solve the challenge. (Know/Need-to-Know/Ideas)
Middle
5. Digging-in: Finding answers to inquiry questions (need-to-knows). Gather, share and analyze information – further questions, further research
6. Determine solutions
7. Create products including presentation
Ending
8. Feedback/self-assessment/revision on draft presentation/product (this ideally occurs earlier as well).
9. Presentations and other Summative Products
10. De-Briefing
(Possible Celebration)
Seventh-Grade Students’ Project: Conserving Energy at their School
Helen Hurgin was a science and math teacher at Windham Middle School (Maine) when she provided this project for her students.
Energy conservation at the Middle School is chosen as the topic based on relevancy to students, potential resources in the school community and wider community, and its ability to forward curriculum objectives.
Before the Project
Before beginning the two and a half – three week project, Mrs. Hurgin provides direct instruction of some of the reasoning skills students will use – for example, experimental inquiry, understanding diverse perspectives and logical decision-making. The students already know how to effectively work in small groups, as they are used to performing experiments collaboratively.
They also already have some experience in presenting to audiences. Mrs. Hurgin provides a lesson to students on creating digital slide shows, which is a new skill for many of the students.
Beginning
1. Hook
To elicit students’ interest, Mrs. H. begins the unit with three hooks:
– Students use a process for generating and testing hypotheses to analyze which appliances in theirhomes use the most electricity.
– The students watch a video of melting glaciers and discuss why this is an indicator of climate change.
– The most motivating hook is when the students’ assistant principal comes into their classroom to speak to the students and reads a letter he wrote to them about the school’s need to conserve energy.
2. Project Overview
Mrs. Hurgin presents the project to students, explaining the overall goal – finding ways to conserve energy in their school and she explains the products students will be required to produce. The graded products are a group verbal presentation with a slide show or chart (grades are individual), in some cases an individual presentation, and an essay. Non-graded products are journals, outline of group’s questions, activities, and progress; and self-assessments.
Note: Teachers might decide to let students choose their products but a written product usually should be included.
Mrs. Hurgin lists dates products are due, success skills/attitudes (21st Century Skills) the project addresses – e.g. critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communications (4Cs), Habits of Mind; academic objectives the project addresses; and how students’ progress on success skills/attitudes and academic objectives will be assessed.
A Project Wall, both physically in the classroom and on a website is created with these items.
Mrs. Hurgin sends a letter to families with an overview of the project, and the rationale for this kind of learning, including research findings. Families are asked whether they have expertise or other resources they can share.
3. Challenge Question
With Mrs. Hurgin’s guidance,the class determines the Challenge Question: “How can we conserve energy in our school?” The Challenge Question will be a guide throughout the unit. It is put at the top of the Project Wall and on top of the Know, Need-to-Know, Ideas chart. Determining the Challenge Question sets in motion an inquiry process.
4. Know, Need-to-Know (initial inquiry questions) Ideas – connecting to prior knowledge and brainstorming questions and ideas
Individually and then together, the class fills out a (Think we) Know, Need to Know, Ideas chart. This activity encourages students to tap into prior learning. Inquiry continues as the students brainstorm questions that need to be answered in order to find solutions to the Challenge Question. Students use analysis to determine information needed to solve the problem, form research categories, and identify information sources. Possible energy saving methods students list include quiet time (without lights), motion sensors, energy monitor, solar panels, and power strips.
Middle
5. Digging-in: Inquiry questions, Gather information to answer inquiry questions, Share, Analyze Information – Further Questions, Further Research
“I mostly listened to see where they were headed and made suggestions to help them get the information that would be useful and understandable. Often times I would ask the groups what questions they had for me or if they felt like they were on the right track.” – Helen Hurgin
Groups of four students are formed to address energy saving methods listed in the (Think I) Know, Need to Know, Ideas chart. Students choose a group based on their interest in a particular energy saving method. The students have choices within their groups of what subtopics to research and, within parameters, how to go about researching.
Mrs. H. facilitates students’ learning by going group-to-group, actively listening, analyzing the direction of discussions and asking open-ended questions to encourage the students’ reflections and deeper thinking. The students determine what further questions are needed to be researched in order to solve the original challenge. Individually and collaboratively, the students search for information on the Internet, using both links Mrs. H. provides and appropriate information sites of their choosing. Through Skype, students are connected to an energy professional who responds to their questions. Another community energy professional is available to volunteer in the classroom and he helps with keeping the small groups on track.
Note: Students conducting interviews, as part of their research process, whether with people in their school or beyond is recommended. Students conducting surveys, observations, or other data collection is ideal.
Scaffolds. Based on her assessments of students’ needs, Mrs. H. provides scaffolds such as group work roles chart, energy sources web, a graphic organizer on which students write their questions, and reminders about best interdependent work process.
Formative Assessment. Students’ progress and needs are formatively assessed, continuously. As Mrs. H. goes around to each small group, she notes whether or not students are on track and whether they have questions for her. Mrs. H. analyzes students’ discussions, end of class reported-out statements, Thinking Log journal entries, Noteshare (an Apple application) notes, small group and individual self-assessments. With this data Mrs. H. determines further scaffolds needed such as content information, process instructions, charts, and graphic organizers.
Adjusting the Challenge Question. Often during the inquiry and research process a class realizes the original Challenge Question should be refined to reflect the complexity of the situation. In this case, students begin to see that some of the energy savings strategies they have found would be expensive. Realizing the school is on a restricted budget, the challenge question is refined to: “How can we conserve energy at our school to address both environmental and economic costs?”
6. Determine Solutions
Each of the groups determines whether or not they will advocate for a particular energy saving strategy. They organize a list of facts and figures that substantiate their decision.
7. Create Products and Presentations
Collaboratively, groups plan verbal presentations of their findings. Presentations are required to include a slide show or other visual. In preparing their verbal presentation, groups have a choice of what kind of format to use, for example, a group might choose to include a quiz for the audience, song, or a skit. The groups decide what visual to include with their presentation, a poster or slide show. Students within groups choose the part of the presentation they will prepare and deliver.
Note: Though presentation of findings or products to an audience beyond the class is an integral part of quality project based learning, presentations to an audience beyond the class don’t always need to be public speaking presentations and presentations don’t need to be live – they can be shared through the Internet or distributed as hard copy materials. The presentation to an audience beyond the class can be, for example, a podcast, website, video, brochures, or art form such as a mural, dance, or skit.
Ending
8. Self-Assessment and Others’ Feedback on Draft Product(s) – This ideally occurs earlier as well.
Periodically throughout the project, Mrs. H. has been giving students feedback on their drafts and comments. Students meet with peers to get feedback on the logic and clarity of the findings they will present to the audience. Using a feedback protocol, students determine a particular item or question about which they would like a peer to give them feedback.
Students know that in giving feedback they should be “kind, specific, and helpful.” Individuals and groups also self-assess, using the rubric or checklist that will be used to evaluate their group presentation. Students then make revisions they determine are needed to strengthen their work.
9. Presentations and other Summative Products
Students’ progress on the identified success skills/attitudes (21st Century Skills) and academic objectives are summatively assessed through students’ contributions to their group’s presentation, each student’s individual essay, and formative assessments.
The audience for the presentations includes Mrs. Hurgin, the rest of the class, the assistant principal, an interested visitor, and the community energy expert volunteer. In their presentations, students cite research findings including statistics they have analyzed to substantiate their conclusions. One group concludes their presentation with an oral quiz of audience members.
The adult audience members evaluate the presentations using a rubric the entire class helped to develop. The rubric’s elements reflect the project’s target success skills/attitudes and academic standards. Individual student grades are not influenced by their group’s overall presentation.
Note: A presentation to an audience, ideally an audience that includes people with particular interest or expertise in the topic or at least audience members beyond classmates and teacher creates additional motivation to do quality work, and makes the entire project more special. The “Outside Expert(s)” students connected with as part of their research, is perfect as an audience member.
Individual Essay. The other summative assessment product is an individual essay. The essay demonstrates each student’s progress on identified academic standards, and also requires students to reflect and self-assess their own and their group’s process. In their essay, students respond to the prompts: “Write what you know about how we can save energy at the Middle School” “Write how your learning can transfer into your life at home and in the future” along with prompts that elicit positives and difficulties about working with their group. A rubric is used for evaluating the essays.
10. De-Briefing
Students have the opportunity to reflect individually and with a peer on what they see as the strong points of their work in the project and how their work could have been stronger. They also reflect on the project’s strong points and how it might be enhanced the next time it is provided. As a class, volunteers share their thoughts.
Mrs. Hurgin also reflects on the project’s strengths, how it could be enhanced, and devises plans for refining it, for the next time. For next time, Mrs. Hurgin plans to have students engage in a debate.
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Extended Learning
Service to the School Community. Towards the end of the project, some of the students begin implementing their group’s solutions, for example by putting up signs to remind people to shut off lights when not in use.
After the project concludes, a group of students extend and personalize their learning by choosing to write a grant proposal to the Maine Energy Education program. The students’ care is rewarded – they receive a $500 grant for motion sensors to turn lights on and off in classrooms.
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As a result of this project, Mrs. H’s students progress with deeper learning They learn and will retain academic content knowledge. Their concept of themselves as lifelong, capable, self-directed learners has been strengthened.
Video of Helen Hurgin’s seventh graders presenting their findings: https://youtu.be/hSCsK9pTPxs
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