Session Topic: Project Based Learning

Time: 1:40 to 2:20

Scribe: Brittany

Interesting Points
1. Start with the outcome in mind: guiding questions that will shape the project.
2. Notion of inquiry: Starts with really great questions. Not about yes or no.
3. Here is the task and why you are doing it makes it more interesting and motivating
for students.
4. Get to know the students and their contexts. Using what they are interested in to
engage them in learning. This makes it more real for them. Important to let go and let
the students guide the learning.
5. For Pre-service teachers: Talk to your TA about project based learning so you can
learn how it works.
6. How to overcome days missed by students: be accountable to your team members
and make up for the work that was missed.
7. Start small with facilitating PBL. Both you and students need time to acclimate to this
model of learning.
8. Acknowledge the critical perspective towards PBL. How is rigor addressed in your
PBL?
9. Remember that teaching is very nuanced, and that pedagogy is changing all the time.
Must consider what is of educational value for your students.
10. It is okay to push back against the current paradigm, even a little bit.
11. Research perspective: Students without time management skills tend to not do as well
in PBL. What do you need to implement and develop a project that will be successful?
12. Model metacognition by thinking allowed to help students understand how to think.
Students who arent good thinkers can use this modeling to develop their own
strategies.
Connection to Alberta Education
Have cross-curricular competencies that are required by the Alta Ed, and that PBL is a good
way to complete these competencies.
Connections to Specific Subjects
Mathematics

Teaching math through a building a canoe. Connects to

enterprise and innovation. It also had to work.
The canoes are sold at the end of the project, and they
use a budget to determine the final sale price.
Balance between the mastery of discrete elements, and
developing an understanding of math. Dont need to
memorize conversions, but know how to find those
conversions and use them.

PBL math learning is about creating meaningful

connections in math.
Create fair and unfair games, and then presented them
via a carnival to the school.
Language Arts

Inter-grade projects to create books. Has a lot of literacy

connections (Visual, written etc)

Science
Social Studies

Prior to PBL talking about government in grade 6 was the

most boring subject. Create a town in their classroom:
included budgets and the democratic process. Made it
more interesting.

Other

Real life connections: learning how to solve and grapple

with a difficult problem. Builds up self-efficacy.
Reinforce the why are we doing this with students.
Planning art projects requires a lot of scaffolding to be
successful. Include exemplars and share your process
with the students. This can be applied to PBL in general to
give students a sense of structure and succeed.

Differentiation and Assessment Techniques

Conversational assessment about where students are within the project to really see what is
going on.
Meet with each group every other day and discuss where they are in the project, and what
they need to get done.
PBL is differentiation: the product and process is very open. Tell students what the required
pieces of the project, but the rest is up to the student.
Give students roles in an assignment based on their strengths.
Other
Group project will increase engagement, and possibly attendance.
Positive peer pressure is very powerful.
Do PBL and force yourself to be uncomfortable for a while you test it out and try it out.
Resources:
Alberta Assessment consortium.
Galileo Network: Galileo.org.
Alberta CTF: Sharing and collaborative projects.
Webinar on PBL found on the ATA website.
High Tech High and High Tech Elementary.