If you only understand something in one way, you don't understand it at all. ~Marvin Minsky

Step-by-Step Guidelines

  • 5 Design Princples for Project-Based Learning
    Check out the PBL Planning Resources on the left-hand column. There's a handy checklist if you'd like to check off the planning tasks. (From Buck Institute for Education and Boise State University)
  • Project-Based Learning: Step-by-Step
    This page compares the 5-step Buck Institute Model with the 6-step Edutopia PBL Planning Model. Note the well-organized module sections to help you learn more about other phases of PBL (assessment, for example).
  • A One-Page Sample PBL Lesson Plan Format (printable)
    If you want just one page to guide your initial planning, check this out. It's a no-frills practical planner. (from the Buck Institute for Education)
  • A Printable 8-Page Guided Planning Format
    Each page provides guidance, explanation, and a lot of space for your planning ideas. In contrast to the one-pager above, this is a thoughtful approach with lots of prompts. (also from Buck Institute for Education)

Edutopia's PBL Framework, Videos, and Articles

  • How Does Project-Based Learning Work?
    Edutopia's 6-step model with clear explanations. There's a complete PDF chapter available for each step if you would like to delve more deeply into any section for examples and ideas.
  • How to Put the Rigor in Project-Based Learning
    Seven key tips from a former skeptic who is now a PBL teacher leader! If you care about quality, this page is for you.
  • Seeing PBL in Action: Videos!
    The George Lucas Educational Foundation provides about 35 videos on middle school project-based learning. See PBL in action and listen to comments by teachers, kids, and researchers. A fantastic resource filled with ideas for your classes.
  • Ten Tips to Replicate Project-Based Learning Here are 10 key lessons from 5 middle schools and 1 high school that are in their second year of transitioning to a project-based learning model based on High Tech High. Make sure you review this document thoroughly!

Apple's Challenge-Based Learning Resources and White Papers (9th-grade focus)

  • About Challenge-Based Learning
    This Website discusses the ideas and outcomes of a multi-year study in six high schools with 1-to-1 laptops, focusing on 9th grade. The term "challenge-based learning" is essentially the same as PBL. Explore the methods, frameworks, and experiences of this major research project using the blue navigation buttons.
  • Challenge-Based Learning Whitepaper
    This Apple PDF Whitepaper gives an introduction to their planning model with several examples. Most of the document contains detailed examples and resources for actual PBL projects.
  • Challenge-Based Learning: An approach for our time
    This PDF research paper from the New Media Consortium discusses challenge-based learning using the Apple framework and examples. This provides in-depth discussion of the rationale, methods, and results of PBL in practice.
  • Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow - Today
    This PDF document describes the background of the challenge-based learning initiative and it's potential role in transforming secondary education.

Other Models and Examples

  • How We Practice Project-Based Learning at Technology High School A narrative discussion of PBL's implementation to give you an idea of how a school bases much of its learning on projects. Note: many of those discussed are difficult to implement in a traditional school.
  • Introduction to Inquiry Learning from YouthLearn
    This provides a fine discussion of the value of project-based and inquiry-based learning that is especially valuable to share with parents and the community. It's focus, however, is more on after-school programs, although its justifications also support PBL as projects in traditional classrooms.

 

We're confronted by insurmountable opportunity!
-- Pogo (Walt Kelly)

About this topic

Description: Several related strategies have arisen to more deeply engage students and to improve their ability to apply learning in meaningful ways. These related learning strategies have been called: project-based, inquiry-based, problem-based, and challenged-based. While there may be minor differences between them, they all approach learning in a way that is fundamentally different from traditional classroom practice. For simplicity, we will call all of these "Project-Based Learning" or "PBL."

Rather than focus on daily assignments that address a narrow skill or concept that is disconnected from the student's life and community, PBL strives to create meaningful learning tasks for students. This is done by framing the learning activity as part of a BIG IDEA to which the student can empathically or emotionally relate. The student is given appropriate structure for the project but is also given latitude in its execution so that it can be developed in a personally-relevant manner. The important part of the project is not its "grade" as much as the meaning that is developed in the student.

This sounds very abstract, but the frameworks and examples in the links to the right will give any interested teacher a way to understand and to carry out PBL-style learning projects with any age student.

View a work-in-progress Wikibook on Transformative Applications in Education.


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