I have been living and breathing the world of project based learning for a long time. I wanted to be able to showcase some examples, resources, and other related content so you can see the work. Additionally, I hope it inspires and creates curiosity and in the greatest of all things moves you into action and connecting with me!
Podcast
- Head to my podcast page as there are many episodes with PBL experts
RECENT PBL EXAMPLES
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Michel Mockers’ Graphic Novel PBL Unit | 2023
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Food Scarcity and Waste PBL Unit | 2022
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Systems for Survival PBL Unit | 2023
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Systems for Survival PBL Unit | 2022
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Systems for Survival PBL Unit | 2021
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Riva’s Reality’ Graphic Novel PBL Unit | 2022
- For more details about the unit and the graphic novel, visit the Riva’s Reality Exemplar page and the Riva’s Reality main page.
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | SDG Sea Turtle Plastic Pollution PBL Unit | 2019-2021
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Power of Water PBL Unit | 2019
- Co-Creator & Co-Teacher | Our Education Matters PBL Unit | 2019
SEMI RECENT PROJECTS
- How can we solve the problems of waste in our local landfills using stem and design thinking?
- Power of Water PBL
- Deeper Learning Deep Dive: Flight of the Endangered Species(workshop and pbl experience for educators)
- Deeper Learning Deep Dive Threat to Inequity (workshop and pbl experience for educators)
Some But Not All Previous Project Examples
There is a bit of gap in time for projects due a job shift, but I am now back in the mix as you can see above
Project Examples from 2014 – 2015
January 2014 – May 2014
- Eagle Eye To The World – You can see I have a special tab for this project on this site. This is one of my favorites as it is my first big global project that I helped to create and operate. It is like my own little baby. We follow the journey of two bald eagles, Liberty and Justice, as they live life along the Mississippi River, lay eggs, and work to keep them alive. We have a lot going on and you can stay updated with the Eagle Blog. Lastly, here are all prior blog posts on this project here in the blog.
- Here is the wiki from the eagle project we did last year and all the resources and learning is documented in great detail.
- Physics of the Future – a new project with the awesome help of Vicki Davis as our two classrooms will be working with the book Physics of the Future and trying to make sense of what life is going to become. I have never been so excited for a project before and I cannot wait to see where this takes us all.
- Field of Greens
- A Few Bad Apples
- Physics of the Future
- Literacy Across the World
- Child’s Play: A STEM Language Arts PBL Unit – all documents and planning guides are available if needed
- What makes a person more than a number? Skype With Holocaust Survivor
- Mock Trial of the Civil War
- Taking Global Collaboration and Skype Beyond Mystery Skypes
- Flattening Classroom Walls: Connecting with Cadiz, Spain using Skype
- Fear Factor
- 3D Print Ornament Challenge – A design project open to anyone in the world
- Young Engineers of Today Spring Lab 5: PVC Trebuchet Part 2
- Young Engineers of Today Spring Lab 4: PVC Trebuchet
- Young Engineers of Today: Spring Lab 3: Soldering 101
- Eagle Eye On The World – A global project focused on Liberty and Justice. Here is the blog that has links to past years of projects. This is coming back for the 2015-2016 school year.
- Power of International Collaboration: Iowa to Africa
- Flat Addy
- BettPassion
- Here is a Sway with more Project Ideas
Billboard Design Video
STEAM Fest Video
Student Created Video for Checkers for Courtyard Project
November 2013
Success, Education, and Life: Comparing life in Bettendorf, IA to Uganda, Africa – This page is still in development so please be patient as I work do document our communication and the things we are learning. This is heading towards one of the most rewarding, eye opening, and powerful communications I have encountered.
2011 – 2012 and 2012 – 2013 Eracism Global Debate Project – I am working a page to organize all these posts, but this will give you a sense of what the students did and what they learned debating globally.
Blog Posts on PBL
- Project Based Learning: It’s More Than Projects!
- Don’t Build a Makerspace Until You Create a Culture of Learning
- “Is it really the goal of schools to create college and career ready students?”
- Group Work Is Hard
- 4 Questions for PLC’s or Groups of Educators
- Cubes of Compartmentalization
- How I Know Education Is Headed Down The Wrong Path
- Because if we choose, then we are responsible, aren’t we?
- When developing a lesson plan or unit ask yourself
- What worked yesterday might not be right for today
- The Key To Teaching AND Keeping Your Teacher Sanity
- Technology is NOT an Education Revolution
- What are the shortcomings of project based learning?
- Project Based Learning – Project Tuning Experience
Books Worth Reading
- Make Learning Personal by Barbara Bray & Kathleen McClaskey
- Deeper Learning by Monica Martinez
- Transforming Schools: Using PBL, Performance Assessment, And Common Core Standards
- Leaders of the Their Own Learning
- The Teaching Brain
Deeper Learning
- 4 Ideas for Engaging Students
- Teaching Channel Videos on Deeper Learning
- This article is not directly talking deeper learning, but it is exactly just that! http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/19/maker-movement-reinvents-education-268739.html
- Agents of Deeper Learning
- Deeper Learning 2015 Conference Reflection
- 31 Days of Deeper Learning & PBL Blog Series | 3: Standardized Testing
- 31 Days of Deeper Learning & PBL Blog Series | 2: What is DL and PBL?
- 31 Days of Deeper Learning & PBL Blog Series | 1: Intro
- My Dead Fish Showcases The Need for Deeper Learning
- Visible Learning: Agree to Disagree?
- Even In Failure There Is A Gift
- How Can Robert Palmer Help You Become A Better Educator?
- Forming Tribes in Education
- “And I Won’t Back Down”
- Proximity <=> Creativity and Collaboration
Additional Resources
START HERE: PBLWorks