BACK TO PROJECT BASED LEARNING BLOGS
By: Ryan Steuer, CEO
Magnify Learning
Dallas, TX
@ryansteuer
Magnify Learning will proudly publish a new Project Based Learning book through PBL Press. Life’s A Project: 6A’s of Project Based Learning by Andrew Larson will be published in Spring 2024.
Project Based Learning (PBL) empowers educators to teach the way they have always wanted to teach, so learners acquire real world skills, achieve academic success, and find purpose. In this masterclass in taking your PBL practice to a higher level, Life’s a Project makes the 6As of Project Based Learning accessible to all PBL educators in a way that creates systems for innovation and sustainability.
Andrew Larson, 25-year teaching veteran and thought leader in the worlds of Project Based Learning and Assessment, has paired the 6As of Project Based Learning with his life and teaching experiences to give every educator a deep dive into the process of creating a classroom that changes lives through Project Based Learning. Life’s a Project gives educators proven PBL classroom strategies to implement immediately (and over a lifetime) to transform their teaching practice. By applying Andrew’s wisdom from decades of teaching experience in a National PBL Model School, principals, coaches, and classroom teachers can create systems for bringing about PBL excellence to help learners master content standards while they discover their best lives.
Andrew started his teaching career in a traditional setting and found that after a time, he needed something more. After some soul searching, he was a founding teacher of one of the most intentional PBL schools in the country. CSA NewTech in Columbus, IN has been an innovative PBL school for over a decade and continues to lead the PBL movement.
PBL awakened the passion in Andrew that brought him to work with youth in the first place. Life’s a Project follows the PBL pioneering career and life of Andrew to give you insights into his teaching style, mindset, and ultimately the challenge of how you up your PBL game. You will be challenged in the areas of the 6As: Authenticity, Active Exploration, Applied Learning, Academic Rigor, Assessment Practices, and Adult Relationships.
Andrew is a thought leader in the world of PBL and Assessment. Chapter 6 of Life’s A Project will clarify your PBL life and give you direction to ensure your learners are mastering standards as they are changing the world.
Enjoy these three stories from Life’s A Project!
Story #1
PBL vs Invasive Species (and a workshop on Problem Statements)
It can be tedious and time consuming to write a problem statement as a class that everyone feels good about. Importantly, though, the process gives the teacher insight into how clearly students understand a project's goals from the outset. In this sense, writing a problem statement can be an effective process-based formative assessment.
Let's look at an example of problem statement creation. A project, commonly cited as a student favorite, involves invasive plant management at our nearby creek. Given the difficulty of the task of managing invasive plants, this is a classically authentic project that, whether we like it or not, just keeps on giving year after year. These plants are relentless!
When we launch the project, we take a walk over to the creek and get a firsthand look at the scenario, discuss the history of the site and the project (there was catastrophic flooding of this creek in 2008 that impacted hundreds of families in our community,) and try our hands at using an identification tool for plants.
Students will start wrapping their minds around the challenge by drafting problem statement proposals. These might vary as follows:
We, as 9th graders/ amateur biologists/ ecologists/ park preservationists/ environmentalists
Will conduct experiments around healthy biological communities/ attack invasive plants/ save the Haw Creek Riparian Ecosystem
So that the area will be better for wildlife/ we can eliminate invasive plants from the park/ we can learn the best ways to keep ecosystems and food webs healthy.
The goal as a class is to have a single problem statement on which we can all agree. After years of trial and error, my approach is to first, have students individually draft a problem statement based on their understanding through the project launch (also called an entry event; more on this later.) This can become a homework assignment, especially if time is running short. Even if it's not, ample processing time should be allowed. Consequently, having each student draft their own problem statement not only holds them accountable to meaningful engagement, it will result in better options for the next step.
Next, in groups, students share out their draft problem statement proposals and discuss their merits. Each group then submits one version, likely a mashup of the options from the table. This step effectively narrows the field of candidate problem statements by 75% or more. Electronic submission through a survey tool such as Google Forms will produce a spreadsheet report that is quick to filter through. While students do independent work for perhaps 10 minutes, I will review the responses, eliminate redundancies, and narrow the field further by quality. The result is three options for each of the three pieces of the problem statement (3 different "so that's, 3 "we, as," and 3 "will do/ create.")
Finally, we will review the finalists as a large group. After discussing each of the three components, we will vote on the best, using Parliamentary Procedure to select a version that is agreeable to the group. Dissenters are always required to offer alternative proposals that they can defend according to some common-sense guidelines for good problem statements, as described below.
In a typical year-long biology course that I facilitate, students will be ecologists, paleontologists, botanists, entomologists, nutritionists, cell biologists, geneticists, and more.
Final Problem Statement
So that we can learn the best ways to keep ecosystems and food webs healthy,
we, as ecologists,
will design, conduct, and analyze the results of experiments about ecological communities.
Authenticity
The invasive species project mentioned in Chapter 1 is a perennial favorite of students for many reasons beyond the innate authenticity that it presents. If you ask most of them why they like the project, they'll say things like, "Because we spent so much time outside" or "Because we got to do whatever we want" (design their own experiments, that is) or "I liked going and checking on the plots each month to see how things were changing." I like the project for all of those reasons as well. I also like it because it is such a hard problem that it is likely that we will never solve it. What that means for me is I'll always have a project that I can repeat, which certainly is a good thing. Taken a step further, the experiments, the student-designed experiments, that my students do inform future experiments; we learn what works well and what doesn't and apply it to future experiments. When one group, one year, tries something and has promising or remarkable results, those methods become added to the collective body of knowledge about the problem, which makes it a real investigation. This is, after all, how science actually works.
Story #2
The Tale of Two Cities (Rubrics)
My first rubrics were poor, but also very typical. Sort of like this:
There is a tendency to ask students to include more information, instead of digging deeper into the information. I think it’s a natural tendency for teachers to struggle with the dichotomy of more vs. better. It’s not their fault. American education has been pushing recall for a very long time. We are all doing our best.
Rubrics should be centered on academic content, not processes
A good rubric gives students a road map for unpacking academic concepts in order from foundational (surface level) depth of knowledge to higher (deep and transfer level) thinking. In order to build one, the instructor needs to apply their expertise in the subject matter in order to expose different layers of depth of knowledge for the students.
Also notice that the rubric makes no mention of a final product, its formatting, requirements or the color the slide backgrounds need to be, or whether or not there should be any glitter or puffy paint on the poster board. Who cares what the final product should look like? Let me clarify: you may have specific requirements for the final product’s formatting; this is appropriate and normal. But it’s not content. If you would like to make such requirements, you can create a simple, bulleted list for students to follow. Their ability to meet those requirements is a good reflection of their work ethic, attention to detail, or their ability to meet the standards of a profession. If we were to name it, it would probably be called agency, or work ethic. We have all seen presentations that are pleasing to the eye but have gross inaccuracies. Perhaps the students tried to sell you snake oil, or use smoke and mirrors to cover up the fact that they don’t know as much about the content as they should. But their beautiful final product is like a siren’s song, and we feel compelled to give them a good grade because it’s all just so…pretty.
Story #3
Dystopian Masterpiece Theater - Authenticity
A PBL purist would say that every project should have a community project, and I would agree with them. It's not realistic to tell oneself that there is no one more qualified to guide students in a certain realm than you. However, one must remember that community partners are not always adept at facilitating, while at the same time, there is literally nothing that I am more qualified to facilitate in a classroom setting other than simply… facilitating the classroom setting. Don't expect a community partner to be a good teacher. It's amazing when they are, but it is a mistake commonly made that we assume that our brilliant community partners are also brilliant teachers. Some are, and when I find one, I try my best to massage that relationship and make it a partnership with staying power. I will want to call that person again.
I've already talked about the Dystopian Masterpiece Theater project, an all-time favorite. But the reason it is such a great hit is all about our community partner. Robert Hay Smith, the eclectic theater owner, comedian, and Brit, took weeks out of his production schedule for four years in a row to give our students weekly lessons in play development and execution. He welcomed us into HIS classroom (a theater, conveniently located right across the street) to have these lessons, and the results were nothing short of fabulous. Students talk about Robert as they would an old friend. His tone, (almost) always gentle, always hilarious, and always full of constructive feedback, was precisely the balance that my co-facilitator and I needed to get our kids across the finish line (an evening performance of plays complete with professional set design, lighting, sound effects, and an audience of parents and friends.) I made a lifelong friend in Robert through our project partnership.
How Do You Get a Copy?
Are you ready to take your PBL game to the next level?
Are you all in with Project Based Learning?
Are you looking to increase learner mastery of content?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should click here to join the waitlist for Life’s a Project: The 6As of Project Based Learning. When you join the waitlist, you’ll get free bonuses and an opportunity to join the book launch team.
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a book launch?
Are you interested in publishing your own book?
Are you looking to help spread the word about Project Based Learning?
Join the book launch team! When you join the waitlist for book pre-orders, you will have an opportunity to join the book launch team.
Get ready for the release of LIfe’s a Project in Spring 2024!
I’m Ryan Steuer – author and thought leader who specializes in Project Based Learning training, coaching, community, and content to help educational leaders fulfill their vision of deeper learning in their schools. I’ve worked with leaders in school districts of all sizes, from 400 students to 100,000 students. These visionary leaders care about their students, but they are often stressed, overworked, and overwhelmed with the work ahead of them. That’s where I come in! I help leaders achieve their PBL vision, lead their staff, AND stop working weekends.
When I’m not guiding school leaders through Project Based Learning mindset shifts, I am outdoors with my wife and 5 kids - canoeing, hiking, biking, and traveling the US in our RV.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR PROJECT BASED LEARNING BLOGS & RESOURCES!