Learn how to increase engagement and retention in your classroom. Edutopia's professional development PBL teaching module is designed for either a two- to three-hour class or session or a one- to two-day workshop, and is divided into two parts.Part one, Guided Process, designed to give participants a brief introduction to PBL, answers the questions "What is PBL about?" "Why is PBL important?" and "How does PBL work?" The Guided Process also includes the Teaching About PBL section as well as a PowerPoint presentation (including presenter notes), which can be shown directly from the Web site or can be downloaded for use as a stand-alone slide show.Part two, Group Participation, assigns readings and activities for experiential PBL. Ideally, the tasks will be accomplished using group collaboration and with the use of technology.

The Project Design Rubric uses the Essential Project Design Elements as criteria to evaluate projects. The rubric aligns with PBLWorks' Gold Standard PBL model. Definitions and practical examples are used to clarify the meaning of each dimension.The rubric helps educators understand the difference between a simple "project" and rigorous Gold Standard PBL. Teachers who are new to PBL can see how to move from beginner to expert.You and your colleagues can use the rubric to guide the design of projects, give formative feedback, and reflect and revise.

Students analyze James Madison’s notes to understand why delegates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 compromised on equality in order to form a United States government, what steps they later took to create a Bill of Rights, and whose rights were protected and whose were not. Students learn about key efforts to uphold the rights of people in the United States, from the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to examples of participatory journalism today in order to respond to the question: How can we use examples of activism from the past and present to recognize America’s potential for living up to its democratic ideals? Students then analyze artifacts from the Colored Conventions, which was one of the first Black political intellectual movements in the United States to advocate for the rights of people who have been marginalized. Students create an original political pamphlet to raise awareness and inspire action on issues of injustice and inequality today.

This is a project that generally follows the PBL framework that can be used to help students master the concept of qudratics in their study of intermediate algebra. Specifically, it was designed to help students master the concept of quadratic functions, equations, and inequalities, including the parts of both standard & vertex equations, as well as how to identify the domain & range of a quadratic function; how to apply quadratics as the square of binomials; how to make decisions about a specific quadratic problem or application relative to the significance of the vertex and roots; and how to transform a quadratic by manipulating its parent equation. Note that the project was designed and delivered per the North Carolina Math 2 curriculum and it can be customized to meet your own specific curriculum needs and resources.

Students learn about the efforts of Ida B. Wells and other Black female journalists who used investigative reporting to challenge ideas and people that perpetuated social and political injustices. Students look to Black female journalists today by learning about Natasha S. Alford’s feature stories on race in Puerto Rico, and draw on past and present examples of journalism to help them respond to the unit driving question: How can journalism challenge inequality and injustice? Students use the tenets of investigative reporting to explore the achievements and challenges of the era, then work to shine a light on the possibilities of racial equity by writing and publishing a feature story about an issue of injustice today.

Students begin this unit by exploring the themes of humanity and community as they discuss  the many factors that influence the development of personal identities. They unpack together how we show versus hide different parts of ourselves, and how our identities can be both fixed and ever-changing. Then, students listen to oral histories by Vietnamese Americans in Washington to learn how displacement and resettlement have impacted them personally and shaped their outlook on helping others. Using evidence from these firsthand accounts, students answer the question: What can the experiences of displaced people teach us about community, resilience, and humanity? Throughout this unit, students work in teams to create a podcast where they reflect on their collective responsibility to stand in solidarity with displaced people.

Students learn how young people in Washington exercised their rights and responsibilities through “fish-in” protests to fight for tribal fishing rights in the 1960s. Students use this example of civic engagement to reflect on their rights and responsibilities today, then begin to consider the unit-driving question: How can we use social media to engage community members on issues of injustice? Working in teams, students examine a case study on one of three critical issues: natural resources, the environment, or hazard preparedness. The case studies help students understand how social media can be used to raise awareness and promote action. Finally, teams create a social media campaign that engages their local elected officials and community on an issue of social and environmental justice.

This unit begins with a challenge in which students must make a decision for the common good. The task highlights the importance of considering various stakeholder perspectives in order to serve the common good. Students transfer what they have learned to their study of a major dam project in Washington State. Teams focus on one of four projects (Upper Skagit Hydroelectric Project, Lower Snake River Project, Columbia River Gorge Project, Columbia River Basin Project). Each team works together to understand the perspectives of diverse stakeholders as they develop a response to the unit-driving question: How can dams in Washington serve the common good? Teams apply what they have learned to come up with a recommendation for the future of the dam project that considers how it will impact people and places.

During this problem-based learning unit, students will explore dystopian societies of past and in short stories in order to identify dystopian elements in today’s society.  In turn, students will have a choice between multiple product outputs in which they will apply what they have learned to modern day life and provide ideas of how to improve our society by combating these dystopian elements.*Students will need some prior knowledge of Nazi Germany, Civil Rights America in 1930’s, Present Day China, and Sierra Leone in order to make connections to why these societies have dystopian elements.

Students will explore the overarching question, is the internet trustworthy?, while expanding their knowledge of statistics and comparing data sets.  They will compare two data sets as well as determine the accuracy or bias of data representations shown on the internet. Students will then have the opportunity to apply their knowledge while creating their own visual representations for data they personally collected regarding the trustworthiness of the internet.  The module concludes with a peer showcase and the post-assessment.

This problem- based learning lesson looks at the increase of stormwater runoff due to effects of humans continuing to develop more and more of the landscape by building roads, streets, sidewalks, factories, etc. Students will analyze the benefits of using green infrastructure to reduce the amount of runoff in their community and increase biodiversity. Each lab group will play the role of a resident in a community. Their goal is to use the engineering design process to create a model showing how they will decrease stormwater runoff and increase biodiversity. The lesson ends with each lab group presenting their green infrastructure plan to a board. Please note that this lesson focuses specifically on the City of Lancaster in PA, however, documents can be modified depending your specific location.

This problem- based learning lesson looks at the increase of stormwater runoff due to effects of humans continuing to develop more and more of the landscape by building roads, streets, sidewalks, factories, etc. Students will analyze the benefits of using green infrastructure to reduce the amount of runoff in their community and increase biodiversity. Each lab group will play the role of a resident in a community. Their goal is to use the engineering design process to create a model showing how they will decrease stormwater runoff and increase biodiversity. The lesson ends with each lab group presenting their green infrastructure plan to a board. Please note that this lesson focuses specifically on the City of Lancaster in PA, however, documents can be modified depending your specific location.

This online module will provide strategies to manage cooperative and problem-based learning in the classroom

This article for elementary teachers focuses on why and how to use rubrics to assess student work and how to use online tools like Rubistar and PBL Projects Checklists to construct your own rubrics.

Using models of quality work is a powerful strategy for Gold Standard Project Based Learning. When students analyze models that exemplify high-quality work in the genre or format they are working to produce, it helps them gain a clear sense of the expectations for their final product. Students then apply the insights from their analysis of these models to develop, self-assess, and refine their work, aiming for the standard of excellence they saw modeled in the exemplars.

This unit begins by asking students to consider life in Africa before colonization and the forced enslavement of Africans. Students read Omar ibn Said’s autobiography to understand the Islamic scholar’s experiences before he was captured in West Africa and after he was enslaved in America. Excerpts from Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography provide a detailed glimpse of his childhood in Africa before he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Students examine these two stories and others for evidence of resistance, liberation, connection to culture, and shared humanity as they develop a response to the question: How can we better understand America’s past and present by listening to often omitted and unheard voices from the slave trade? Working in teams, students create a podcast about an unheard story in order to start a conversation about the lasting effects of the Transatlantic slave trade and the importance of Black history in America.

Students will be working with the problem “How do we know water is safe to drink?” under the theme of “How does access to clean water and sanitation affect a culture?” Students participate in labs related to the hydrologic cycle and water quality. Students design and build a local watershed to model the movement of water across land. Students also research and explore print, video, and audio resources for news and information about local / global water pollution / impact by and on humans.Students share what they have researched with each other, then create an artifact (infographic, video, slideshow, animation, comic strip, etc) intended to educate peers and younger students about water quality and its importance. Ideally, finished products would be shared with others in an authentic setting.Standards:Ohio Science Standards (Grade 7)CCSS English Language Arts (Grade 7)

In this problem-based, blended learning mondule, students will investigate what is the single - most defining trait that makes  us human? Is it our highly developed speech, our imagination, creativity, or our upright walking posture?  Humans have mastered fire, developed tools, art, music, recorded our history, and accomplished a countless number of other things. In this module, students will explore genetics concepts regarding inheritance, natural selection, biology of the human brain, and our hominid evolution over the last two hundred thousand years. Students will utilize guided research, and independent work to formulate an argumentative essay, and substantiating their claim with evidence from their research. When the argumentative essay is completed, students will create a project from a choice board that demonstrates their understanding of one of the concepts of our humanity.