ALTERNATIVE INSTRUCTION LESSON DESIGN 1

Alternative Instruction Lesson Design: Project Based Learning

Team 5: David Cunha, Grant Howerton,

John Boren, Lucas Miguel, Sean Ponsi

CSUMB
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Audience:

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District first-year teachers.

Topic:

Project-based learning (PBL) is a form of instruction that emphasizes the application of

true-to-life skills and concepts in an educational setting. These skills and concepts focus on

solving complex problems and answering questions in environments and situations that emulate

the kinds of things they would see in the "real world." This consists of involving the community

at large, which includes those outside the school and district, and then working to present their

work and findings to them. Part of this process' design is to have the students directly interact

with and contribute to their community. For example, a PBL module in a biology class might

involve the students learning about the interconnectivity of life in ecosystems and then putting

the learning into practice by designing and planting a food-bearing community garden.

Compared to traditional means of instruction, PBL offers a variety of strengths. Students

working in a PBL module have a considerable amount of voice and choice in their education,

specifically with regards to what and even how they learn. When students have an active role in

their education they are more likely to be engaged and an active participant in their learning.

Likewise, when students link what they are learning with something concrete, especially a need

that their community has, they are better able to apply and practice what they have learned. In

turn, this leads to greater long-term content retention when compared to a traditional lesson.

PBL can have drawbacks, however. Meaningful projects can be challenging to create,

time-intensive to execute, and difficult to replicate year after year. For teachers that are new or
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just starting PBL, managing a PBL module is even more challenging because they take on the

role of a facilitator where the students have far more autonomy than in a typical classroom, and

giving the students that much freedom is particularly demanding. Some content areas also have

difficulty connecting to meaningful projects, such as with math. PBL excels when the goal is to

go for depth but is less suited for environments that need to cover a breadth of material. Some

classes, such as an Advanced Placement (AP), need to give students a massive amount of content

to prepare for a written exam, and it can be difficult to efficiently give students all the

information they need in a project format.

Learning Outcomes:

Our learning module will explain PBL and the Buck Institute for

Education’s Gold Standard Project-Based Learning: Essential Project

Design Elements infographic. Even learners with limited knowledge of

PBL will be able to create a proposal for a PBL module based on their

chosen content that meets the requirements for Gold Standard.

Learning Module:

This module will use drill and practice strategies with adaptive automated instruction via

Google Forms. It will also include instructional materials and assessments with feedback. The

first piece of instructional material will be an embedded video, with each piece after comprising

one of the seven principles, or design elements, of PBL that includes an article of text for each

principle. Incorporated as part of each is an example of a successful PBL unit or module that
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adheres to the principle and a non-example that deviates from the principle. Following this, the

learners will need to identify and select from a list of multiple choice answers which is the best

example of the principle. If the learner chooses the correct answer, then the Google Form will

send them to the next section which will instruct and test them on a different design element. If

the learner chooses an incorrect answer, their form will send them to a feedback page that

provides them with corrective instruction and allows them to try again after.

Content Outline:

1) Topic: Introduce PBL

a) Multiple choice assessment: PBL vs. other types of instruction, which includes

traditional projects.

2) Topic: PBL principles, or design elements

a) Challenging Problem or Question

b) Sustained Inquiry

c) Authenticity

d) Student Voice and Choice

e) Reflection

f) Critique and Revision,

g) Public Product.

h) Assessment: Multiple Choice identifying appropriate Project Based Learning

component examples.

3) Topic: Student proposal for PBL module.

a) Assessment: Student proposal and instructor evaluation.

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Implementation Schedule

First-year teachers begin their employment approximately two weeks before the first day

of school. This process involves a considerable amount of paperwork and planning, and part of

this includes familiarizing themselves with their classroom, their site, their administration, along

with creating lessons. PBL is an ideal topic because it can be an incredibly useful tool when

appropriately utilized by educators, but it is often fraught with difficulties, including getting

started with it but also separating it from traditional lessons that use projects. This lesson would

help address these concerns. Google Forms is likewise ideal because it is a quick yet powerful

method for delivery that allows first-year teachers to receive instruction and feedback at a time

of their choosing and a place of their convenience.

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References

Larmer, J., & Mergendoller, J. R. (2015, April 15). PBL Blog. Retrieved November 6, 2018,

from http://www.bie.org/blog/gold_standard_pbl_essential_project_design_elements