Recommended Reads

We’ve seen what can happen when students are presented with a problem to solve, a challenge to overcome. We’ve seen what can happen when students have learning experiences that are both relevant and meaningful to them as an individual and citizen. We’ve seen what can happen when students own their learning, have a choice in the process and performance task, and get to choose how they can demonstrate understanding. Project-based learning (PBL) is no longer relegated to gifted classrooms, honors classes, and exploratory specials. PBL is an active piece of the K-12 learning experience, found in every subject, in every grade level, and in every part of curricula and scope and sequences. PBL is taking over traditional finals and mid-terms as the performance task.  It is showing up as HOW you teach the unit, instead of only an ending project to the unit. PBL is growing because it engages and empowers students to learn experientially and share that learning in new and unique ways that go well beyond the classroom. Yet, many teachers are asking: How do we plan and implement PBL? How do we “fit it in” our current curriculum? How do we assess it using our current grading guidelines? How do we manage this type of learning? These are all real concerns and questions that cannot be dismissed. PBL takes time to plan, implement, manage, and assess. Then it takes time to tweak, improve, and highlight. In The PBL Playbook, we dive into specific answers to all those questions, and what PBL looks like in each grade level and subject area!