Project Based Learning

5 Ways I Screwed up (and Fixed) Project Based Learning in My Classroom

About a month ago I was chatting with a colleague who was inspired to implement project based learning (PBL) in her classroom, took it upon herself to do so, and her first attempt at it was a complete flop.

While talking with her about what took place, she mentioned how many bloggers and writers (including myself) spend a lot of time talking about what we should do, but we don’t always reveal the struggles we endured to arrive at our current belief system.

Although I’m sure there are countless reasons as to why we should be transparent about our trials and errors, there are a few that immediately come to mind:

From my point of view, writing or talking about my past practices helps me to strategically reflect, which then informs what I’m currently doing.
From the point of view of someone who is following in the footsteps of others (my colleague), it is often comforting to know what we’re enduring is “all part of the game” and comparable to what others have gone through, and not just exclusive to those “who don’t know what the heck they’re doing.”

That being said, here are 5 ways I screwed up (and fixed) project based learning in my classroom.
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5 Lessons from Giving the Same Presentation Twice (at the same conference) #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

This past Monday at the Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference (PETE & C), Erin and I had the opportunity to present on project based learning (PBL). While we had presented on the topic many times before, this was the first time the presentation was mostly based on the contents of our book, Hacking Project Based Learning. (Exciting!) Rather than walking the audience through the book’s ten hacks/chapters, we decided to take a unique approach by focusing on six main symptoms and remedies for PBL Paralysis (obstacles that could prevent educators from implementing project based learning: standardized testing, needing grades, poor professional development, etc.).

Following Monday’s session, Erin and I were asked (and flattered) to present the session again on Wednesday, which we did. Between the two presentations we took the time to revise and edit our work.

That being said, here are five lessons learned from giving the same presentation twice (at the same conference).

Not All Egg Drops Are Created Equal #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 5 Comments

It was a late Saturday night when my colleague and coauthor, Erin Murphy, wrote the first draft of our introduction to Hacking Project Based Learning. When she handed it over to me for feedback, I have to admit I was a bit teary-eyed as I read through the excerpt that focused on the work I did with my students as a fourth grade teacher. (Yes, I loved my job.) More specifically, the first paragraph of the introduction is all about the egg drop project I facilitated – yes that egg drop project in which students are charged with designing a protective packaging for an egg in hopes of it surviving a drop from up high.

Nonetheless, I realize not all egg drops are created equal. Just like any other project, the extent to which students are engaged in inquiry, critical thinking, and creativity largely depends on the teacher’s decisions (some subtle, some not so much) during the project planning process.

That being said, let’s take a look at how my fourth grade egg drop compares to the egg drop I experienced when I attended space camp as an eight year old.

Makerspace Stories and Social Media: Leveraging the Learning #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

This post is #10 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, coauthored with Laura Fleming, was originally published on Edutopia. It is an extension of Chapter 10, which focuses on PBL reflection and publishing. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

The maker movement is built upon a constructivist philosophy that views learning as a highly personal and social process. In this philosophy, teachers facilitate inquiry-based learning, student development of knowledge and thinking processes, and student interaction and sharing of ideas.

“We do not learn from experience…We learn from reflection on experience.” – John Dewey

We do not learn from experience...We learn from reflection on experience. - John Dewey #HackingPBL Share on X

Reflection and sharing are core components of inquiry, which should be pervasive in all makerspaces. (According to the Buck Institute, reflection is one of the seven essential elements of project based learning, which falls under the umbrella of inquiry-based learning.) As educators, we can build student capacity to reflect upon the making process, and then be intentional about finding and creating opportunities for students to reflect, share, and celebrate their experiences. Reflection skills and strategies can turn inquiry into a natural part of the making process, as opposed to simply tacking on reflection after the fact because “we were told it’s important.”

Learning that endures should transcend a makerspace. Adding social media tools such as Snapchat and Instagram to the context of making can give students a channel for displaying their experiences by communicating what they have accomplished with a large, diverse audience. Social media platforms enable many engaging classroom activities, including “communities of practice” where learners can interact and share ideas. Reflection with video on these platforms, as well as peer feedback, can highlight the making process in a way that builds student voice and agency in an online environment.

Furthermore, there is tremendous value in utilizing authentic tools and platforms that are already part of students’ personal (and possibly, educational) lives. According to Superintendent Joe Sanfelippo of Fall Creek (Wisconsin) School District, “If schools access the spaces where students and parents live virtually, we are definitely in a place that we can leverage. It gives us a common forum and meets users on their turf, not ours.” In addition, rather than “locking and blocking” these tools, we should be proactively teaching students how to use them effectively and appropriately. (After all, no matter how much a school pretends that they don’t exist, students will use them.) As Ross used to tell his fourth grade students, “In middle and high school, when all of your friends are messing around on social media, I want you to be using it to grow your own businesses!”

With these thoughts in mind, use the rest of this post to help your students reflect upon their makerspace experiences and tell their stories using Snapchat Stories – Makerstories – and Instagram (or Instagram Stories) – Makergrams!

4 Reasons to Assess PBL with a (Somewhat) Traditional Test #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 10 Comments

This post is #9 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 9, which focuses on summative assessments. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Once again, as educators start to implement project based learning (PBL), two of their more popular questions are: How will my students and I know they are learning what they are supposed to be learning? How will I assess this? Yes, as stated in 5 Reasons Your Rubric Needs a Makeover, some form of a rubric is part of the answer. However, the conversation doesn’t end there.

While we can use a version of a rubric to provide students with feedback (in relation to the project’s learning targets) while the learning is taking place, I don’t think we should be so quick to ditch the paper and pencil test that is given after this learning has occurred.

Here are four reasons to potentially assess PBL with a (somewhat) traditional test.

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How to Transform Common Textbook Activities into Project Based Mini-Lessons #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

This post is #8 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 8, which focuses on mini-lessons. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

During project based learning (PBL), or any form of inquiry-based learning, it is unlikely students will accidentally stumble upon uncovering all necessary content. Therefore, some level of direct instruction will need to be integrated into your teaching. After all…

Students can’t think critically about nothing.

Students can’t think critically about nothing. #HackingPBL Share on X

This direct instruction usually takes place in the form of mini-lessons, which are strategically placed throughout the learning to provide students with relevant information at just the right time.

Planning for these mini-lessons can be an intimidating task, especially while one is already so consumed (and possibly, overwhelmed) by the job of constructing the overall PBL experience. However, help can come from one of the most unexpected and unlikely resources of all…the textbook. In fact, I have found “boring” textbook activities often times take on lives of their own when they are implemented within the context of PBL. For example, while putting together simple electrical circuits might feel like a common science experiment, this same experiment holds a lot more value when conducted after students are notified they are going to be incorporating these circuits into pinball machines.

That being said, here is the process I follow for transforming common textbook activities into project based mini-lessons.

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5 Simple Ways to Give Students Feedback During Project Based Learning #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 7 Comments

This post is #7 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 7, which focuses on feedback. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Grant Wiggins defined feedback as, “information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal.” A few specific examples he included were:

A friend tells me, “You know, when you put it that way and speak in that softer tone of voice, it makes me feel better.”
A baseball coach tells me, “Each time you swung and missed, you raised your head as you swung so you didn’t really have your eye on the ball. On the one you hit hard, you kept your head down and saw the ball.”

For both examples, the recipient receives specific guidance in regards to what to do next…When we provide feedback during project based learning (PBL), or any type of learning, we should have this same goal in mind. Students should walk away with an idea of what their next steps will be (otherwise, what we’re giving probably doesn’t meet the definition of “feedback”).

John Hattie, who has synthesized over 1,000 meta-analyses related to student achievement, identifies feedback as among the most powerful influences on student success in the classroom. He says feedback, when goal-focused, has “twice the average effect of all other schooling effects.”

But, when and how do we make time for feedback during project based learning?

Here are five ways to make this happen.

5 Reasons Your Rubric Needs a Makeover #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 6 Comments

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.

How will my students and I know they are learning what they are supposed to be learning? How will I assess this?

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.

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.

Inquiry-Based Learning’s Impact on Professional Development #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

This post is #5 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 5, which focuses on essential questions. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Admittedly, it took me longer than it should have to be able to make the distinction between professional development and training.

In short, I now view professional development as the process of building capacity in participants (or attempting to do so), while training generally follows more of a rigid approach with several “rights” and “wrongs.” Overall, I believe both have a place in education. For example, for about the past two years at my district’s elementary level there have been various forms of professional development involving Writing Workshop, but in January a representative from Heinemann is going to be training these same teachers on the new Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System.

At the same time, I have come to realize there is a third category, which can be triggered when we mistakenly believe we are providing deep professional development, but in actuality we are barely scratching the surface with not much more than conversations and examples related to a specific topic. This third category, which falls somewhere in between the other two on the “autonomy spectrum,” can be called discussion.

Since the line between discussion and professional development can easily be blurred, let’s take a look at how each of these categories applies to educators being introduced to essential questions, the topic that serves as the main focus of Chapter 5 in Hacking Project Based Learning.

10 Ways to Rethink Your Project Based Learning Directions #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

This post is #4 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 4, which focuses on developing a plan for your project. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Once you have a solid project idea, getting it down on paper and delivering it to your students can be a daunting task. At the beginning of the planning process, you often don’t have much more than a blank slate and a job that involves creating directions that will hopefully help to bring to life the project you’re envisioning. I have been designing project based learning directions for several years, and I have found that working with certain features in mind helps to (1) provide me with a solid direction, and (2) assist in making my directions that much more effective.

Here are ten features to always consider when creating project based learning (PBL) directions for your students.