Introducing Projectopoly

Project based learning is engaging. It ignites curiosity and connects students with their community and the world beyond. It reflects the common phrase, “real world learning.” The strategy is flexible for both students and teachers, and encourages students to learn by doing. It is ideal for developing the Competencies identified in the Ministerial Order on Student Learning.
However, it is also poorly defined, demanding of time and technology and challenging to implement well. All told, in my opinion, developing your repertoire in this instructional strategy is totally worth it. PBL promotes critical thinking, memory, creativity and decision making skills in a way not easily achieved via any other pedagogical strategy.

​At this point, let me be clear: I am NOT saying that teachers should teach all content using Project Based Learning.  But I am saying that all subject areas have content and students that would benefit from PBL strategies being integrated into the classroom. As Jane L. David concluded in her Educational Leadership article 

​“studies suggest that project-based learning, when fully realized, can improve student learning. However, the research also underscores how difficult it is to implement project-based learning well. Together these findings suggest caution in embracing this practice unless the conditions for success are in place, including strong school support, access to well-developed projects, and a collaborative culture for teachers and students.
Yet, teachers can use the key ideas underlying project-based learning in some measure in any classroom. Using real-life problems to motivate students, challenging them to think deeply about meaningful content, and enabling them to work collaboratively are practices that yield benefits for all students.”  
Educational Leadership: Teaching Students to Think: Project-Based Learning . (2016). Ascd.org. Retrieved 16 May 2016, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb08/vol65/num05/Project-Based_Learning.aspx

What areas of content in your subject might lend themselves to this type of learning? 

Introduction to Project Based Learning

​If you are interested in learning HOW to use Project Based Learning (PBL) in your classroom, some excellent resources include: 

• The Buck Institute for Education
• ERLC PD video  and check their listings for sessions which occur several times each year.
• Educational Leadership    
• Edutopia
• 21st Century Educational Technology and Learning
  

• Rockyview Schools
• AdvancED   
• New Tech Network
• Teach Thought        
• Internet 4 Classrooms
• Harnessing the Web
• Mathalicious

Previously used PBL Units 

​As project based learning gains popularity, more and more teachers and school districts are adopting the idea in their own way. This is a HUGE benefit to the rest of us. There is merit in looking at units that other teachers have created and used with their students. We can learn from their experiences and tweak the content to suit our particular students. Some sites with several units developed by other teachers: 

•             PB Works
•             High Tech High
•             Real World Math
•             Indiana Collaborative for Project Based Learning
•             Social Studies projects (k-12)
•             Science projects (k-12)
•             English Language Arts projects (k-12)
•             Math projects (k-12)

How PHRD Connections can help you

​Once you have made the decision to try a PBL unit with your students, how do you keep all of the various components of project based learning organized? How do students know where they are on the journey?

Introducing Projectopoly
Projectopoly is a game board designed to assist teachers with tracking multiple student projects. It is accessible through the PHRD Connections website. 
The 20x20 board can be printed and laminated for re-use. Project titles, due dates and progress timelines may then be added with erasable markers for each project.
​Within the board are spaces for entry events, group selection, roles and contracts, three benchmark assessments, meetings with the teacher, critical friends opportunities to gather peer feedback  and self-reflections.

The board has been designed for use with any project based learning experience. Not all of these experiences will require all sides of the board. If your project uses only one or two interim benchmarks, then skip over the unnecessary spaces. 

​There are other documents in the PBL folder, including a variety of planning and tracking documents for both teachers and students to increase possibilities for success.
There is also a great Teaching Guide for PBL called, Work that matters. 

Another thing you can find on PHRD Connections, via the Resources tab, are project plans from other PHRD teachers, including: 

• G1 Science: Building Things (Leprechaun Houses)
• G3 Science: Animal Life Cycles
• G3 Science: Hearing and Sound
• G5 Science: Weather Watch
• G5 Science and Social Studies: Interactions
• Math 7: Perimeter, Area, Volume
• SS 7: Pre Confederation: Immigration
• SS 7: Post Confederation: The Metis 
• SS 8: Renaissance Europe: Model Cities; Knighthood Training; Renaissance Scrapbook
• SS 8: The Spanish and the Aztecs
• Science 7: Interactions and Ecosystems
• Science 8: Optics
• Biology 30: Endocrine System

What are you waiting for? As the Global Digital Citizen Foundation says, “Take the PBL Plunge.”

Cheryl Frose