Technology and Problem Based Learning

Day 2

To Start• Join Wiki if you have not yet done so• Copy/paste your reflection from yesterday onto

discussion board– You may write more if you have finished this already

• Tweet one thing you learned using the hashtag #tpblkids

Next, we will:• Finish sharing the standards you’ve selected…as of

now…..• Review Template• Review Rubric

In Pairs….

• Deconstruct Rubric– Highlight, underline, etc.– Modify where not clear

• Share out with whole group

More Examples of PBL

“More Fun Than a Barrel of ... Worms?!”

“Geometry in the Real World: Students as Architects”

“March of the Monarchs”

“Soil Superheroes”

“Animal Poaching”

21st Century Skills

21st Century Learner . . .

. . . will use technologies that haven’t been invented to do jobs that don’t exist.

. . . networked

. . . multi-tasker

. . . digitally literate

. . . craves interactivity

. . . strong visual-spatial skills

. . . tethered to the internet

. . . wants to learn things that matter

. . . wants to be challenged to reach own conclusions

Looking deeper at . . . . . . digital literacy . . .

• information creation• innovation• activism• global citizenship• responsibility

“Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives” Palfrey and Gasser, 2008

Why 21st Century Skills?

Growing consensus that schools need to be accountable for more than “basic” academics.

“Creativity is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.”

-Sir Ken Robinson, 2006

“The top 10 jobs for 2010 weren’t even created in 2004”- Diana G. Oblinger, President EDUCAUSE

“The Global Achievement Gap”

Our teens leave school equipped to work only in the kinds of jobs that are fast disappearing from the American economy.

Why even our best schools don’t teach the new survival skills our children need – and what we can do about it.

-Tony Wagner, 2008Harvard Graduate School of Education

Seven Survival Skills for Teens Today(Global Achievement Gap, 2008 by Tony Wagner)

Critical thinking and problem-solving Collaboration Agility and adaptability Initiative and entrepreneurialism Effective oral and written communication Accessing and analyzing information Curiosity and imagination

Instruction for 21st Century Skills Relevant to student outside the classroom Student is highly engaged Student has a choice and voice in his/her learning Student takes ownership for own learning Includes higher order thinking - creativity and

innovation Learning tasks elicit evidence of learning

“It is a world in which comfort with ideas and abstractions is the passport to a good job, in which creativity and innovation are the key to the good life, in which high levels of education - a very different kind of education than most of us have had - are going to be the only security there is.”

-New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, 2006

21st Century Skills are…Life savers

Allowing us to rediscover or recharge our PASSION about teaching!

In the ocean of assessments, paperwork, and day to day routines…GREAT teachers must possess the vision to see above the crest of turmoil and mediocrity to see what is possible.

Implementing 21st Century Skills into your lessons will revitalize YOUR interest and your students’ interests!

Having “Passion for Teaching” is really more about what YOU get out of teaching.

Overview of 21st Century Skills

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=119

1. Learning & Innovation Skills

• Creativity & Innovation

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

• Communication & Collaboration

Creativity & Innovation• Demonstrating

originality and inventiveness

• Developing and communicating new ideas to others

• Being responsive to new and diverse perspectives

• Acting on creative ideas and making useful contributions

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

• Making complex choices and decisions

• Understanding the interconnections among systems

• Framing, analyzing and synthesizing information in order to solve problems and answer questions

Communication & Collaboration• Articulating thoughts and

ideas through speaking and writing

• Demonstrating ability to work effectively with diverse teams

• Ability to make compromises to accomplish a common goal

• Assuming shared responsibility for collaborative work

2. Information, Media & Technology Skills

• Information Literacy

• Media Literacy

• ICT Literacy Information,

Communications and Technology

Information Literacy• Accessing information

efficiently and effectively and using information for the problem at hand

• Understanding the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information

Media Literacy• Understanding who

media messages are constructed using which tools

• Examining how individuals interpret messages differently

• Understanding the ethical/legal issues surrounding the use of information

ICT Literacy• Using digital technology,

communication tools and/or networks appropriately

• Using technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information

3. Life and Career Skills

• Flexibility and Adaptability• Initiative and Self-Direction• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills• Productivity and Accountability• Leadership and Responsibility

A Question to Consider…

How well prepared are our students

in using21st century

technology skills?

• Discuss at your table group• Share

ICT Literacy Maps Project Ideas

A series of ICT Literacy Maps illustrating the intersection between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy and core academic subjects including English, mathematics, science and social studies.

The maps contain concrete examples of how ICT Literacy can be integrated into core subjects making the learning of these relevant to the demands of the 21st century.

http://www.p21.org/ict-literacy-maps

ICT Literacy Maps

21st Century Learning:What does it involve?

1. Emphasize core subjects2. Emphasize learning skills3. Use 21st Century tools to develop learning skills

(computers, internet, other technology) 4. Teach and learn in a 21st Century context

(relevance to students’ life, authentic learning experiences, bring world into classroom, go out into the world)

5. Teach and learn 21st Century content6. Use 21st Century assessment that measures 21st

Century skills(classroom assessments and standardized tests)

Framework for 21st Century Learning

Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes

Life and Career Skills

Learning and Innovation Skills

Information, Media and Technology Skills

Core SubjectsEnglishReading/Lang ArtsWorld LanguagesArtsMathematicsEconomicsScienceGeographyHistoryGovernmentCivics

21st Century Themes(21st Century Content)

• Global Awareness• Financial, Economic,

Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy

• Civic Literacy• Health Literacy

Learning and Innovation Skills

• Creativity and Innovation Skills (ISTE 1)

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills (ISTE 4)

• Communication and Collaboration Skills (ISTE 2)

Information, Media & Technology Skills

• Information Literacy (ISTE 3)

• Media Literacy• ICT Literacy (Information,

Communications, and Technology)

ISTE 5 - Digital CitizenshipISTE 6 - Technology operations and concepts

Life and Career Skills

• Flexibility and Adaptability• Initiative and Self Direction• Social and Cross-Cultural

Skills• Productivity and

Accountability• Leadership and Responsibility

Possibilities for incorporating 21st Century Skills . . .

• Project or Problem based learning• School-wide projects where students explore

passions• Internships• Student driven action research projects• Authentic service learning • Creative alignment of educators• Other . . . .

Explore On Your Own

• Partnership For 21st Century Skills• http://www.p21.org

– Tools and Resources-Educators– 21st Century Skill Maps– http://www.p21.org/tools-and-resources/educato

rs#SkillsMaps

Essential Questions

• Ask to stimulate ongoing thinking and inquiry• Raise more questions• Spark discussion and debate• Asked and re-asked throughout the unit (and

maybe even the year)• Demand justification and support• “Answers” may change as understanding

deepens

Sample Essential QuestionsContent/Topic Essential Question

Nutrition What should we eat?Novel-Catcher In The Rye

What makes a story timeless?What “truths” can we learn from fiction?

Musical Scales What distinguishes music from “noise”?Bill of Rights Which constitutional principals are timeless and

which should be amended if outdated?Where is the balance between personal freedoms and the common good?

Psychology Why do people behave as they do?Reading How do effective writers hook and hold their

readers?

Biology Is biology destiny?Math What are the limits of arithmetic?

More Sample Essential QuestionsSubject Essential Questions

Literature What makes a great story?What is unique about the mystery genre?How do great mystery writers hook and hold their readers?

Civics/Government

How and why do we provide checks and balances on government power?In what ways does the constitution attempt to limit abuse of government powers?

Visual Art What do masks and their use reveal about culture?In what way does art shape culture as well as reflect it?

Science How does an organism’s structure enable it to survive in its environment?How do the structure and behavior of insects enable them to survive?

Social Studies Why do people move?What factors cause today’s global migrations?

Mathematics If axioms are like the rules of the game, which ones should we use to make the game work best and when should we change the rules?

More Essential QuestionsConceptual

CategoryExample Essential Question

Concept Obesity What is an ideal weight?

Theme A Balanced Diet What should we eat?

Theory Diet affects life span How does my diet affect my life?

Policy Government taxes or bans on sugary drinks/alcoholic beverages

Should the government have a say in what people eat and drink?

Assumption Three meals a day is best How much and how often should we eat?

Issue/debate Value of synthetic vitamins and genetically altered crops

Is natural better?

Perspectives American Egg Board “The Incredible Edible Egg; American Heart Association: Control Cholesterol

Whom can we believe about dietary matters?

Sample Essential Questions

• How much license does a writer of non-fiction have to make a point?

• To what extent to the costs outweigh the benefits of deforestation of the rainforests?

• Why and how to artists break with tradition? What are the effects?

• “No pain, no gain”. Agree?

More Essential Questions

• How do we know what to believe in what we read?

• What makes a good artist great?• How true is it that genius is 90 percent

perspiration and 10 percent inspiration?• How can we enhance any artistic

performance?

Question Stems

• What are different points of view about…..?– What is the jihadist’s story of 9/11?

• How might this look from _____’s perspective?• How is______similar to/different than______?• What would it be like to walk in _____’s shoes?

– What motivates a suicide bomber?• How would you feel if you were____?• How might ____ feel about ____?• How do I truly know _____?

Narrow Your Focus• Review your standards. Select 1-3 content

standards• With a partner, begin to frame your

Essential question (this is not your “problem” yet. This is your instructional focus question).

• Write your content standard and essential question on chart paper

Gallery Walk

• Post your chart in the hallway• Walk through and read each other’s Standards

and Essential Questions• Comment/Make Suggestions on the EQ

Organizing the PBL Classroom: Time Management

Scheduling Projects• Avoid bottlenecks within courses: schedule projects and end-of quarter

assignments at different times.– Projects should not replace end of quarter tests or papers; if that happens, then a

lot of things are due at the same time, and it’s counterproductive.• Avoid bottlenecks between courses: coordinate project schedules with

other teachers.– Almost everybody does projects at the same time. Students complain that they

have five projects due in the same week.• Teachers should talk to one another and space projects out over the

course of the year. This would result in higher quality projects.• Use block scheduling, if possible, to increase flexibility.• Block scheduling is extremely important, as is having flexible classroom

space and computers. You may also use a system of permanent passes so kids can go down to the library and move around the campus.

Holding to Timelines• Build in a 20% overrun

– When planning a project, set a certain number of days and build in a 20% overrun.• Be prepared to introduce alternative instruction when the project schedule

bogs down– You’ve got to keep a flexible project schedule. The weather may not cooperate.

Students may complete things faster than you expected. – Sometimes kids think they are done and you don’t. Ex: you may have to give

extensions to get expert interviews or because of technology breakdowns. Ideally the project is the outgrowth of other kinds of learning, so you can always reinforce subject matter learning when you can’t work on the project.

• Learn how to adjudicate scheduling decisions: when to enforce and when to extend a time line. – The schedule you lay out is never the schedule you follow. It takes experience to

know how much flexibility to give students and when to bring down the hammer. If projects take forever, kids lose interest and focus. You have to know when to tighten up and maintain deadlines and when to loosen up and say, let’s take another week.

Getting StartedOrienting Students• Get students thinking about the project well before they begin

– Before starting a project, get students thinking about it so they’ll be ready to plunge in when it’s time. For example, a project conducted in April on the physics of music but the teachers began talking about it in January.

– The earlier students start thinking about it, the more prepared they are.• Give students a rubric that communicates what they are responsible for

– The best way to grade project work is to have a rubric. The rubric should be known in advance by the kids. Then, when working on project, they know what they are searching for and trying to accomplish. They have a standard they can apply to their own work and to the final evaluation.

– Students should be involved in developing/refining the rubric. Students should be able to restate a rubric in their own words.

– Reach agreement with students on grading criteria before the project begins– The more teachers and students agree on grading criteria before the project

begins, and the more transparent the grading criteria is to students – so they really understand what the characteristics of an excellent project are – the better.

Promote Thoughtful Work in the Early Stages of a Project

• Build in the use of a research plan for recording the what, why, where, when, how decisions

• The first day of the project is a warm-up. Students brainstorm questions and complete a research plan. They don’t go to the library until they know why they are going there.

• Before they go anywhere outside the classroom, have their time organized for them. “Here’s your research topic for today. I’m going to check your notes at the end of the period.”

• Use negotiation, as needed, to start students on productive tracks• Have a private meeting with each group to get them started while

the rest of the class is involved with a reading assignment. Discuss each group’s research questions with them. Students often don’t know what a good research question is. You have to tell them if they have written a question that is really hard to research

Organizing Student Time

• Require frequent checkpoints and products to facilitate a sense of mission

• At the beginning of a project, we require a product to be completed out of each work session. If it’s a research period of one and one-half hours, we’ll require them to make an oral group report about what they’ve learned. Or we ask them to write an action plan. After they get used to our expectations, we will let them go for a couple of periods before asking for a report.

Establishing a Culture that Stresses Student Self-Management

• Shifting Responsibility from the Teacher to Students• Involve students in project design• Re-engineering the learning environment means moving from the sage

on the stage to the guide on the side. It means creating a more collaborative environment with students where projects are a mutual responsibility. You have to rethink your whole relationship with students and become more of a facilitator and coach.

• Bring the problems to the students to decide rather than solving the problems yourself and bring the solutions to the students. Make the design of the project itself part of the curriculum. It looks like you are giving up control, but you aren’t. You still have ultimate control of things, but you’ve decided what decisions students are able to make, and you are hold them accountable for making them

Avoid Making Decisions For Students

• “Unlearn” the idea that teaching is about your content; it is about their thinking.

• Most of the content students get is dismissed/lost as soon as they graduate (or pass the test).

• Help students think through the project work and decide what it is going to look like

• Do not make all the decisions yourself.

Establishing a Culture that Stresses Student Self-Management Principles

• Take advantage of opportunities to foster time management skills• Be patient as students develop adult time management and organization skills. • We don’t generally teach students how to manage time. In fact, traditional

teachers and classrooms set up structures so that students don’t need to know how to manage their time – it’s managed by the teacher and the bell schedule.

• Take advantage of opportunities to teach students how to learn• Part of your new role is not just to teach content, but to teach students how to

learn content. The high achieving students already know this. They know when they go to the library they have to get more than one book. They know not to choose topics like John F. Kennedy because there is too much information available.

• Your role now is to work with students who have never tackled a difficult question and teach them the research and study skills.

Establishing Standards for Student Work

• Use examples of professional work to establish standards– Students won’t know what high standards are unless they see it.

• Determine how to derive models of excellence. – You may use the work of previous students. – You can use professional work: blueprints done by real architects or

poetry written by a local poet. You have to have models or students don’t know what they are working toward.

• Use examples of previous students’ work to define what high quality work looks like

• Show them examples of what was done the year before. It boosts the quality of projects – students want to do better than the students from did last year. – They rarely copy; they want to do better than last year’s group!

Establishing Standards

• Combine standards with scaffolding to help students reach milestones.

• Projects often fall apart because teachers don’t pay enough attention to scaffolding for students. A great deal of thought needs to be given to how to support students through coaching and mentoring.

• Students need to have milestones and benchmarks, perhaps even templates. It’s best if they see examples of quality work before the project starts.

Managing Student GroupsEstablishing the Appropriate Grouping Pattern• Heterogeneous grouping is a compatible pattern for problem-based

learning• When it is time to work in groups on a project, think about why

you’re grouping and what the group needs to accomplish.• If you allow students to choose their own groups there will be

some strong, mature groups and some wacky, immature groups. – The strong groups wind up running the show. I don’t want this to happen– Leadership should rotate and be shared.

• If students want to work with their friends, you may consider having them apply to work with one another. – Look at their choices and made up the groups.

Managing Student Groups• Match the grouping pattern to the context and need for expertise

associated with the task• One type of grouping strategy – say, kids who are friends and want to work

with each other – works well on a task• that requires a great deal of time out of school.• A different type of group is necessary if the task is complex• and requires a diverse set of skills – say the researching of a complex topic

and the creation of multimedia and• written reports. Think about the skills necessary to accomplish the task at

hand when forming a group.• Consider forming groups so that novice students can learn from

experienced students• You first have to think about the purpose of forming groups.• Generally it’s better to control group characteristics. • Generally that three- or four-person groups work best.

Handling Problems Within Groups• Incorporate realistic consequences for non-participation• You may want to consider sometimes allowing groups to fire individual

members. That’s like a business – the project takes precedence over everything. Once they are off the team they have to do more traditional learning activities. If a student is not working in a group, take them out of the group. This can help the current project you’re working on, but the same problem may arise with the next project.

• Tighten up time and tasks to get a group back on track– You can’t just tell a kid, “You have to start working.” They’ll feign work while you’re

there and then stop. “If you ask them why they aren’t working, they may tell you. They may not. It’s a fine art of working with and motivating an individual. You just have to use all the tools you can.

• You want want to convene the group and ask them, “How are we going to get you guys going again. I’ve been watching you for two periods and I haven’t seen anything happening.”

Managing Student Groups

• Use group process techniques to promote full participation

• It’s inevitable that not everyone in the group will carry their own weight. – You may provide opportunities for individual and group

reflection and critiques about process and product. I don’t want to find out two months later that someone isn’t working. Try to use peer pressure: Groups have to get up and talk about where they are and what they’re finding out.

– If someone isn’t pulling their own weight, then it emerges.• Use many checkpoints to ensure people are on track.

Keeping Track of Each Group’s Progress

• Establish frequent but short conferences to discuss progress

• Use planning sheets, group folders, and other concrete devices to record evidence of progress

• Make group progress a public matter

Coordinating with Other Teachers

• Coordinating with a partner requires daily contact

• Work with your principal to determine if you may have time for planning at faculty meetings

Communicating with Parents• Communicate with parents early• Be honest and forthright with parents

– When talking to parents about projects be honest about the tradeoffs you made about the breadth and depth of content covered. Students don’t cover as much content if they learn the content in depth. Parents want some kind of a mix between breadth and depth.

– Parents don’t want their kids learning to be restricted to a bunch of facts. They want their kids to think and reason.

• Tell them how you structured the unit to provide both breadth and depth and what you were willing to leave out.

• Establish procedures and events to promote parent involvement

• Find ways to involve parents in projects or to enlist their help

Assessing Students And Evaluating Projects

• Use a variety of assessment methods• Include both individual and group grades• Emphasize individual over group performance

Troubleshooting Projects

• Monitor project progress with an eye toward glitches and misdirection

• Look for opportunities to intervene with mid-course instruction

Common Elements of Effective Projects

• Standards are at the center of the project• 21st century skills are developed throughout the

project• Important questions focus the project• Ongoing assessment informs the students and

teacher• Varied instructional strategies engage all

learners• Meeting the needs of students with varying

needs and abilities

21st Century Skills• Which of these skills will you incorporate

into your unit?• Think, Pair, Share• Write on your Essential Question Chart• Revisit your EQ, rewrite if necessary• Gallery Walk

– Respond to colleague’s posts

Unit Template

• Complete A, B, C on template

Reflection

• Reflect upon today’s learning• What you want to make sure we cover

tomorrow• Other

ConstructivismStudents construct their

own understanding and knowledge of the

world through experiments,

experience & reflection.

Inquiry-BasedLearning

Students construct understanding based on a“need or want to know.”

Problem-BasedLearning

Students developsolutions to specific

and complex problems.

Project-BasedLearning

Students work in groups seeking multiplesources of information

and creating authentic products.

Projects provide opportunities for students to construct their own knowledge

What’s the difference between inquiry-based and problem-based learning? Discuss at your table group. Share.

The Tubric

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2CAmW7c-Ow