“Creating classroom culture is the most important thing that you can prepare when you’re trying to do Project Based Learning…anything can stand on a strong classroom culture and be successful and I think that’s inherently true of PBL”

— Rachelle Antcliff, High School English Facilitator, CSA New Tech High School | Columbus, IN

Welcome to the PBL Playbook, brought to you by Magnify Learning – where we put teachers back in their sweet spot. Make sure you follow us on Twitter: @magnifylearning, @askgiebs, @MissB103, #PBLPlaybook.

PBL is the best way to teach – but how do we set our students up for success in this kind of environment? The answer to this can be found within the culture of the PBL classroom.

In this episode, Josh and Andrea sit down with PBL facilitators from Columbus, IN, Secondary Language Arts facilitator Rachelle Antcliff (@RAAntcliff) and Elementary facilitator Raven Chandler (@RavenChandler5), to discuss the elements that set a PBL classroom apart from a traditional one, how to create this culture from day one, and tips and tools for developing a positive classroom culture where PBL can thrive. They dive into the conversation by addressing two questions – What does a PBL classroom look/feel/sound like? How is that different than the look/sound/feel of a traditional classroom? Then they discuss the essential elements and things that must be present in the classroom to create a culture where PBL can thrive. After that, they jump into some tips and suggestions for teachers new to PBL to begin to integrate the elements of PBL into their classroom, starting with allowing for student voice and choice. They continue that idea with thoughts on how to set classroom expectations at the beginning of the year using student input to help begin the year with PBL in mind and launch a successful year. They also discuss some tools to help create and develop culture that thrives in a PBL environment. Finally, they wrap up the episode with some book recommendations based on the conversation (Mindset by Carol Dweck, Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, and Project Based Learning Stories and Structures by Magnify Learning Executive Director Ryan Steuer).

Check out Episode 4 now to hear their conversation about culture in a PBL classroom!