Practical guidance for educators implementing project-based learning.
We know it happens, both to our students and in our own lives—we forget. There are whole days we can’t remember (quick—what were you doing on February 4, 2018? See!), whole books we don’t remember reading, and names of individuals we have m…
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You've probably heard the term "PBL" at conferences, professional development sessions, and maybe even on Twitter. But what is PBL, and why are teachers drawn to using it with students? What makes something a project-based learning unit and…
Read more →Anyone who has planned a PBL unit knows that it takes a tremendous amount of time to write it well. I'm currently in the process of writing a 7th grade science unit, and the background research and initial planning stages alone take a signi…
Read more →Over the course of a year, I experience many takeoffs and landings in airplanes ranging from CRJs to Boeing 737s. Sometimes, I come across nervous passengers who hold their breath through the ascent and tightly grip the armrest during the o…
Read more →I live in a beautiful area of the Arkansas Ozarks in a lake and river town with natural mineral springs. Heber Springs, my hometown, was once named Sugar Loaf Springs after this rocky hill that locals call "Sugar Loaf Mountain." After livin…
Read more →This week, my husband and I spoke in our eldest daughter's first grade classroom as guest speakers for their "Community Helpers" unit. We enjoyed explaining our work to her classmates and providing them with examples of new and different ki…
Read more →Our classrooms can be vulnerable places for us to share with other people. Fear that our lessons, classroom, or students aren't perfect might keep us from involving parents, experts, and others in the community. Or maybe it's not fear, but …
Read more →When I work with teachers to design their PBL units, some talk about having a video for a "hook" or discuss reading client letters in the "launch." Both seem to connect to the first day of the unit, and both are important elements to includ…
Read more →In the first few weeks of school, students watch us closely. They tune in to how we frame lessons, they read our feedback, and they listen to the kinds of questions we ask. We may not think they're paying attention, but they are, and one as…
Read more →It’s tempting, especially in a math or science classroom, to dive right into the syllabus on Day 1. However, that’s likely what students will be hearing all day in their other classes. What might it look like to dive right into thinking and…
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