Curriculum & Unit Design

Project Based Learning: 3 Types of Direct Instruction #RealPBL

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Project Based Learning: Real Questions. Real Answers.

Direct instruction, however, has developed negative connotations, especially among fans of project based learning and inquiry. Yet, in Visible Learning for Teachers, John Hattie tells us, “One of the more successful methods for maximizing the impact of teaching and enabling teachers to talk to each other about teaching is direct instruction…often incorrectly confused with transmission or didactic teaching (which it is not).” In reality, didactic teaching relates to slow-paced lectures, and we need a broader definition of direct instruction. Even in a learner-centered classroom, the teacher fills the critical role of content infuser, providing students with new information to ponder, question, challenge, and learn.

When we made the jump to project based learning, we embraced it a bit too much, and for some time, we looked down on direct instruction. Now, thanks to more experience, we know that our students benefit when we strategically leverage direct instruction throughout our PBL units. More specifically, during project based learning, we have found that direct instruction emerges in three distinct ways: proactive, reactive, and learning detours.

Proactive Direct Instruction

Generally done with the whole class, this instruction can involve:

Content the majority of students will need as background knowledge to engage in the project
Content related to common misconceptions
Content students need to learn, but might not uncover on their own as they work through their projects
Specific jobs, skills, or tools the majority of students will want to execute or use, but will require assistance

In all instances, ask yourself: “Will the majority of my students be better off if I simply ‘feed them’ this information ahead of time, or should I make them work for it?” If you think you’re going to end up with a struggle that makes students unnecessarily anxious rather than a productive struggle that leads to deep learning, proactively teach the content.

To inform that decision-making, consider what you know about your students (pre-assessments can help), what you know about the content, what you know about the project, and how much time you’re willing to dedicate to it. Once you decide content is worth teaching, address it close to the time when students are going to need it: before or toward the beginning of the project, or during the project prior to students bumping into it. This is called just-in-time learning.

Reactive Direct Instruction

This is the crux of differentiated instruction, when you are in the middle of a project and recognize that students need additional support. This instruction, which generally comes in three forms, directly relates to the conferring we discussed in the previous chapter:

One-on-one conferring helps you meet a student’s unique needs.
Group instruction helps you meet a group’s unique needs during a group project, or during an individual project when several students are demonstrating the same need.
Whole-class instruction can take place when the majority of students are demonstrating the same need.

Most of the time, content will relate to the project’s learning targets. However, it may also relate to:

Specific jobs, skills, or tools the majority of students will want to execute or use, but will require assistance
Group remediation when students struggle to collaborate
Project directions, especially if you were accidentally unclear as to what you wanted students to accomplish

Learning Detours

If students know what they have to accomplish, they are more likely to take ownership of their learning. Of course, on their way to their goals, they’ll probably take their work in directions that include their passions and interests, which may not be encompassed by academic standards. Or students may stumble upon an unanticipated phenomenon or idea. If that happens, you can react in one of two ways. You stifle student curiosity if you reply with, “That’s not what we’re learning!” but you nurture students’ inquiring minds when you allow for them to investigate their questions.

Nurturing students’ curiosities supersedes covering the curriculum. #RealPBL Share on X

Nurturing students’ curiosities supersedes covering the curriculum. As much as possible, allow for these learning detours either during the project or outside of project time during something like Genius Hour. There will be times when a detour is too long or when you feel the learning won’t be beneficial. In these cases, it is helpful to have a parking lot for students to store, share, and possibly collaborate over their findings. When students post their thoughts publicly, it validates their thinking while also creating a platform to inspire the ideas of others.

Getting Started with Project Based Learning #RealPBL

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Project Based Learning: Real Questions. Real Answers.

When planning a PBL unit, there are five potential starting points, none of which are mutually exclusive.

Students: Find out what’s relevant to the students and use this as the basis for the project.
Cool idea: Start with a cool idea that gets your students and/or you excited.
A process: Build your project around a process, such as design thinking or the engineering cycle.
The end in mind: Establish what you want your students’ main takeaways (what we refer to as High Impact Takeaways) [enduring understandings] to be, and plan backward from there.
Academic standards: Flip through your academic standards, looking for inspiration, which can come from standards that promote learning that is hands-on, minds-on, and interdisciplinary.

No matter where we begin, our project should connect to the standards, unless students are engaged in something like Genius Hour (detailed in Chapter 8), or our organization isn’t held accountable for the standards.

While formulating ideas, you can also rely on the three tracks of project based learning, which range from most restrictive to least restrictive. Think of these tracks as a gradual release of responsibility, starting with Product Track and ending with Open-Ended Track.

Product Track: All students create a product(s) or contribute to an event, but there’s flexibility regarding how they do it so students can exercise their creativity to own the process.
Problem Track: The project starts with a problem (usually a real-world problem) that either the teacher gives to students or students find on their own. This approach is often referred to as problem-based learning or challenge-based learning.
Open-Ended Track: Present students with the project’s High Impact Takeaways [enduring understandings], learning targets, and possibly an Umbrella Question [essential question], and ask them to demonstrate their knowledge however they’d like, with only a little more direction.

One track isn’t necessarily better than another. For any given project, choose the track that fits best with your specific context. For example, even when you and/or your students are comfortable with the Open-Ended Track, it might be more appropriate to use the Product Track, depending on what you want to accomplish. And yes, you might use more than one track during a PBL unit – students debating an issue (Product Track) in the midst of solving a problem (Problem Track) – but one track tends to drive the unit as a whole.

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Project Based Learning Helps Us Overcome Technology Addiction #RealPBL

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

The following is an excerpt from the eBook, #RealPBL Deleted Scenes, which contains excerpts that didn’t make it into the final draft of the book, Project Based Learning: Real Questions. Real Answers.

Background Information: Here’s the final section from the Introduction that didn’t make the cut. Whereas the previous section stuck around for awhile, this one was written and then deleted shortly thereafter. While we believe the problem posed by this section – tech addiction – is worth addressing, it is covered throughout the book, in one way or another.

PBL Helps Us Overcome Tech Addiction

Toward the beginning of both of our teaching careers, we admittedly participated in what we now call “the technology pissing contest.” In short, we were always on the lookout for “cool tools,” and we wanted to be the first ones to use them at our school, even if we had to construct overly contrived activities.

Take, for example, these directions from an iPad project:

Using iMovie, shoot a silent scene of two actors portraying characters from a novel. Save the video to your Camera Roll. Open the Tellagami app, and use a solid green image as your background. Have the avatar in Tellagami explain what is going on in the silent movie scene. Finally, use DoInk Green Screen to combine the video created with iMovie with the Tellagami commentary. Save the finished product to the Camera Roll.

When we teach in this way, and we just have to use certain technologies with our students, we plan by “beginning with the technology in mind,” as opposed to planning that begins by considering what we want students to learn. And, we know our teaching is in the wrong place when students first and foremost believe their goal is to learn all about [insert technology].

This overemphasis on technology isn’t just a problem that exists at the classroom level. Based on our experiences, countless schools and districts are heavily investing in devices, sometimes as if it’s the answer. Then, to make sure money isn’t wasted, teachers are required to use these tools, and technology walkthroughs are implemented on a wide scale.

While we fully appreciate schools and districts moving toward technology integration, it has become increasingly obvious to us that technology amplifies (for better or worse) what’s already taking place. If we have a dynamic teacher and meaningful learning, technology can help to elevate these conditions. If we have a lackluster teacher and insignificant learning, not only will technology not help, but its entity could potentially mask what’s truly transpiring.

In addition, technology can be defined as something that was invented in our lifetime. For most of our students, these technologies aren’t a novelty but rather a way of life. We need to do what we can to ensure student access, but then we don’t need to take the use of these tools and hold it up on a pedestal. Also, the majority of the time, our students know more about these tools than we do, but we don’t ask them for help. As a result, our students miss out on valuable opportunities when we’re hesitant to use technology because we haven’t fully “mastered it.”

On a classroom, school, and district level, many of our technology-related problems (as well as other problems) dissipate when we prioritize pedagogy by integrating technology into meaningful teaching and learning, not the other way around. Or, as Michael Fullan succinctly puts it, “Pedagogy is the driver, technology is the accelerator.” (And in some instances, technology is the roadblock.)

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The Intersection of Project Based Learning and Reading and Writing Workshop #RealPBL #tcrwp

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

Background Information: The book’s Introduction was probably the most difficult part to write, which is why two of this eBook’s excerpts are from the Introduction. In the Introduction, we wanted to include a few reasons as to why project based learning should be prioritized, but we don’t want to alienate the reader by getting too technical too soon. This section, from the Introduction, is a personal favorite due to its emphasis on Reading and Writing Workshop. However, it was removed because (1) it could be confusing for those who aren’t familiar with workshop, and (2) it could turn away those who aren’t fans of workshop. Ultimately, a portion of this section was used elsewhere in the Introduction.

PBL Provides Context for Student Learning (Much Like the Workshop Framework)

In both of our school districts, Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop are used for the teaching and learning of literacy. Zooming in on the workshop framework, using narrative writing as an example, a typical instructional unit (unit of study) could follow these steps. As you read, even if you don’t use workshop, think about how these steps might parallel your experiences with project based learning or how these steps could transcend literacy:

Through the collective analysis of exemplars, the teacher introduces the unit’s genre, narrative writing, to students. Amongst the discussion, she gives each student a handout containing the unit’s learning targets – what students should be learning and applying as they write.
Over the next 4-6 weeks, the teacher engages students in a series of mini-lessons, lasting about 10-12 minutes each. Each mini-lesson focuses on a very specific aspect of narrative writing: writing a lead, introducing characters, inserting transitions, helping readers to visualize, etc.
After each mini-lesson, students are given about 25 minutes to write in their writers’ notebooks; it doesn’t matter what they write as long as they’re personal narratives and students are working toward the learning targets. During this time, students can use what they’ve learned from mini-lessons to enhance their work. Also during this time, the teacher meets with students, individually and in small groups, to help them to move forward with their writing.
As the teacher meets with students, sometimes she will notice many students are struggling with the same concept. She addresses the misconception by having the entire class stop their writing so she can teach (or reteach) the concept to everyone.
Most lessons conclude with a 5-minute meeting, during which some students read parts of their work so everyone can learn from one another. Oftentimes the teacher will ask specific students to read certain excerpts to demonstrate what particular concepts look like in action.
Over the 4-6 weeks, as students write in their notebooks, some pieces may resonate while others may fall by the wayside. The ones that resonate, about 2-3 for the unit, are taken through the entire writing process: revising, editing, publishing.

We tend to think about instructional approaches in isolation, and even though the workshop framework can be leveraged in powerful ways when teaching literacy, we usually don’t consider how this same framework can be applied to other subject areas. Nonetheless: Proven practices in one subject area can typically be used in others with the same success. For example, project based learning closely resembles the workshop framework – an actuality that is regularly an “AHA moment” amongst educators who are familiar with workshop but not necessarily project based learning. In fact, when designing project based learning experiences, we have heard educators refer to it as “Workshopping [insert subject area].”

Proven practices in one subject area can typically be used in others with the same success. #RealPBL Share on X [Read more…]

4 Keys to Student Self-Assessment

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

At T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School in Old Tappan, New Jersey, we’re in the middle of a two-year process of implementing Writing Pathways across all grade levels. More or less, Writing Pathways is an assessment system that works hand-in-hand with the Writing Workshop framework, and the system will help us to better align our writing instruction, horizontally and vertically.

In addition, whenever we’re dealing with assessment, student self-assessment should be our endgame for the purpose of students owning the learning as much as possible.

As John Hattie tells us in Visible Learning for Teachers:

…the greatest effects on student learning occur when teachers become learners of their own teaching, and when students become their own teachers. When students become their own teachers, they exhibit the self-regulatory attributes that seem most desirable for learners (self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-assessment, self-teaching). Thus, it is visible teaching and learning by teachers and students that makes the difference.

That being said, taking into consideration Writing Pathways and my work with project based learning, here are what I believe are the four keys to student self-assessment.

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Here’s How We’re Moving Forward as an Elementary School…

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

As I continue to document my journey as the Elementary Principal of T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School (TBD) in the Old Tappan School District (which began about five months ago), here are my posts from oldest to newest:

Now let’s take a look at how we’re moving forward as a school.

Below is a slightly modified version of a document I sent out to my teachers and staff with about two weeks remaining in the school year. Going into the summer, I believe it’s beneficial for everyone to have this information, (1) in case they want to get a jumpstart with the learning over the summer, (2) so everyone knows what to expect when returning to school in the fall, and (3) so everyone can better wrap their heads around how the different areas of focus fit together.

For curriculum, this is what will serve as our main areas of focus for the 2018-2019 school year. For each area, for this blog post, I’ve included additional background information.

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It’s the Learning, Not the Lessons!

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

Not too long ago I tweeted the following:

“It’s powerful when we shift the conversation from ‘What lesson are you on?’ to ‘What are your students learning?’”

It’s powerful when we shift the conversation from “What lesson are you on?” to “What are your students learning?”

— Ross Cooper (@RossCoops31) April 1, 2018

This tweet was motivated by a conversation I witnessed, during which a principal from another district said something to the effect of, “I’m working with my teachers to understand that it’s ok for students to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways, but we’re struggling.”

Although I still don’t know the entire context of this particular issue, I can say with confidence that a similar problem exists across countless schools and districts.

So let’s unpack it.

One of the Many Problems with How Textbooks Are Used

From what I have experienced, the majority of teachers still rely on a textbook when determining what to teach. And, if the principal’s problem is present, there’s an even greater likelihood the textbook is being used as a crutch, with teachers spending the year going through the textbook from cover to cover (more or less). This isn’t to say there is anything wrong with the actual book itself; the problem lies in how it is used.

The first warning sign is when the textbook is referred to as the curriculum, when in reality it’s a tool or resource that can help us to meet the needs of our students. And, if we’re treating the textbook as the curriculum, I’m more inclined to point the finger at the administrator (curriculum supervisor, principal, etc.) who is allowing for such abuse to take place.

So, if I’m a teacher heavily relying on my textbook, without the proper professional development to “move away from it,” I too would be baffled by someone telling me, “Teach Chapter 2 in a different way!” or, “Let your students show they understand Unit 7 however they want!”

At least three major steps are required for a paradigm shift to take place.

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Yes, Learning Targets Can Make Our Lives Easier

By Ross Cooper 11 Comments

My first few years in the classroom I wasn’t a big fan of learning targets or posting learning targets prior to each lesson for students to see. These feelings were mostly driven by my experiences as a student teacher, during which I had to write the standard on the board prior to each lesson. (I mistakenly thought standards were the same as learning targets. But, in reality, posting the actual standard was even worse.) I also thought the learning target approach to revealing content was both generic and lame.

However, I can say now that I started to “get” learning targets when I began to give my students more choices in regards to how they expressed their learning. In short, I was making the transition from, “Learn this in this way!” to, “This is what we’re learning, and you can demonstrate your understandings however you’d like!”

This shift was most evident when examining the rubrics my students and I used during our project based learning experiences. Initially, these rubrics looked like project directions regurgitated in another format, which promoted compliance, not creative learning. Many of my students were able to “play the game of school” and earn an A by simply following what had 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 usually looked quite similar.

Then, after a few years of this productive struggle, it was nothing short of groundbreaking for my students and me when I decided to start populating each rubric’s left-hand column with learning targets (as opposed to tasks). As students made their way through these projects, I gave them feedback in relation to where they were on the continuum of hitting each target (instead of telling them what hoop to jump through next in order to earn an A). Increasingly, feedback and assessment focused on what students were supposed to learn, not what I wanted them to do. And, because feedback wasn’t task-specific, students were able to naturally own how they learned and displayed their knowledge.

The Graphic

As I continue to wrap my head around learning targets, I’ve created the graphic (above), which illustrates the various degrees to which learning targets can impact learning. From top to bottom, choices range from most restrictive to least restrictive. For example, after choosing one from each column (as the graphic indicates), we can end up with, “Teacher chooses target(s). Hit the target(s) this way, by this date, at this time.” Here, we’re one-size-fits-all without student choice. The other extreme is, “Learner creates target(s). Hit the target(s) however you want, at your own pace.” This path resembles personalized learning. And, with all the buzz about personalized learning (and student choice, student agency, learner-centered spaces, etc.), I have found that these abstract (and sometimes, intimidating) approaches are much more concrete (and far less scary) when considered through the lens of learning targets.

Two more ideas related to learning targets…

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What Is School For?

By Ross Cooper 3 Comments

The other day, one of my former fourth grade students, who is now a high school sophomore, posted something on Facebook that struck a chord with me. And of course, as her former teacher (and as an educator), I saw it as my duty to appropriately respond.

Yesterday (about a week later), Faline followed up with another post, and I couldn’t help but smile.

So, here are a handful of thoughts that come to mind:

In Seth Godin’s must-see TEDx Talk – Stop Stealing Dreams – he repeatedly asks, “What is school for?” And in my opinion, one of the top priorities of school should be to help students accomplish exactly what Faline is asking – turning passions into careers. Seriously, if this isn’t our goal, what are we doing?
If students are able to turn their passions into careers, we have to ask ourselves, “Is this happening because of or in spite of school?” In other words, do students play the game of school and then go home to do what’s worthwhile and relevant? Or, does the worthwhile and relevant take place within our learning spaces?
In a previous post, I declared, “Not only should student be learning how to do their work, they should be learning and experiencing how to share and market their creations.” Why hasn’t this approach become the norm in our schools? Do students fear making their work public, or are teachers’ comfort zones serving as the main barrier?
Is school truly failing our students and/or entrepreneurs? (much like Gary Vaynerchuk tells us in this one-minute video)
In classes in which entrepreneurship is being taught (in isolation or integrated with other subject areas), could works by the likes of Vaynerchuk, Godin, Eric Ries, and Tom and David Kelley serve as “textbooks?” (much like I recommended today, at a middle school planning meeting for our project based learning school-within-a-school, which is scheduled to open next year)

And finally, if you haven’t read Crush It! (the book I recommended to Faline), make sure to check it out. Also, I can highly recommend Empower by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani (the guys responsible for the quote in this blog post’s featured image).

How can we help our students turn passions into careers?

Connect with Ross on Twitter.

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Project Based Learning in Math Class: Easier Than You Think

By Ross Cooper 6 Comments

When working with educators to implement project based learning (PBL) in their districts/schools/classrooms, the one subject area that is consistently met with hesitation is math. On a regular basis, math teachers (across all grade levels) ask something to the effect of, “Yeah, this is great. But how does it work in math class?”

Here are two reasons why I believe this skepticism may exist:

Math textbooks are the curriculum, when they shouldn’t be. From my experiences, math is the subject area in which teachers are most likely to march through the textbook from beginning to end, treating the book as if it’s the curriculum (and yes, I have been guilty of this mistake). In reality, the textbook is one tool or resource that a teacher should leverage to meet the needs of students. However, veering away from the textbook (potentially in the direction of PBL) can be uncomfortable.
Math is inaccurately viewed as black and white. In other words, answers are either right or wrong, and a deep conceptual understanding of content simply doesn’t matter (or, for one reason or another, it’s not even on the teacher’s radar). And therefore, PBL (which is commonly leveraged to promote deep conceptual understanding), on the surface appears to be nothing but a roundabout way to get to the same old answers. So, why bother with it?

So, what does project based learning look like in math class?

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