Project-Based Learning

Inquiry-Based Learning,Problem-Based Learning ,

Inquiry & Discovery-Based Learning, Cooperative Learning,

Individual & Collaborative Problem Solving

Before You Begin… 'Would you tell me,

please, which way I ought to go from here?'(Alice asked the Cheshire Cat)

'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.

'I don't much care where.' said Alice.

'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.

'-so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.

'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.'

It’s Good to Know Where You’re Going

Goals of Project-Based Learning are:Students will learn:

to look closer into the subject matter for your classto incorporate technology skills into their workto cooperate and collaborate with classmatesto budget their time and resourcesto use high order thinking skills as they propose, research, create and present projects

Project-Based Learning

While each teacher’s approach will vary, PBL should look like this:

Using standards-based curriculum, the teacher will develop a series of inquiry questions which will require students to research the topic, create a project and present the project to the class.

Stages of the Project

Frame the Question

Search for Information

Compile the Results

Create the Artifact

Present the Conclusion

Students should work collaboratively using available technology to research information, organize the information, create an artifact to illustrate the solution and develop a presentation based on the results of their work.

Everything on the preceding page reflects directly to the Curriculum and Technology Standards for South Carolina.

work collaborativelyuse available technology research informationcreate an artifactillustrate the solutiondevelop a presentation

Step 1

The Essential QuestionAsking the right question can set the tone

for success. Sample Question: What was the Industrial

Revolution?

A question like this almost guarantees that students will move information from the source to their project without a thought in between.

Better Questions

How did the improvements of the Industrial Revolution make workers lives easier?

or more specifically

How the cotton gin and the steam engine change life in the South?

These questions require more analysis and synthesis from students and while they don’t guarantee an end to cut and paste, they will make it tougher.

Other Examples

How did Pocahontas live two different lives and what was each like?

What would your life have been like if you were from a poor family before Child Labor Laws were passed?

Practice

Take ten minutes to work in groups of three and produce five good questions dealing with your curriculum.

Step 2

Foundation Questions: What are the things you need to know to answer the Essential Question?

EQ. How did Pocahontas live two different lives and what was each like?

FQ. Who was Pocahontas? When did she live? What was her life like? Where did she live? How did her life change?

And after some research:What was life like for a Powhatan Indian? What was life like in

England in the early 1600’s?

This is a good opportunity for students to use Inspiration software.

Create Foundation Questions

Developing a Search Strategy

Searches do not begin with Google or Bing.

A good search begins with Key Words and Phrases. With the Pocahontas question, what Key words can we plan to try?

Again, Inspiration Software is a big help here.

EQ. How did Pocahontas live two different lives and what was each like?

FQ. Who was Pocahontas? When did she live? What was her life like? Where did she live? How did it change?

And after some research,What was life like for a Powhatan Indian? What was life like in

England in the early 1600’s?

Pocahontas

POWHATAN

England 1600John Rolfe

Algonquian

John Smith

Werowocom

oco Jam

estown Colony

When you List Key Words,Inspiration Helps to Link Ideas

Choose one of your Essential Questions. Take ten minutes to develop Key Words on your own.

Make a list of individual words or phrases you might try.

Now students are ready to Begin their Research…Right?

Part 2

Crediting Sources

Using basic MLA Format for Documenting Web Searches

Works Cited: How to cite Web Sources in MLA style

When you cite a web page, use, in this order, as many of these as you can find.

1. Author or editor's last name, then first name. 2. Title of the article in quotation marks. 3. Web site name, italicized. (Underlining no longer used.)4. Edition or version number. 5. Web site owner or sponsor if available. 6. Date of publication (DD MM YYYY as in 15 June 2009). If not

available, use n.d. for "no date." 7. The word Web and a period to indicate the publication

medium. 8. The date you accessed the site and a period.

The list is long not so that you will include all of it in every reference, but because Web page content and format vary so widely.

Note: often you will not have all of these items. The site name will be available, but the Web site owner or sponsor will be the same or not known. Similarly, there may not be a version or edition number.  

Try these websites to help students cite pages. Student puts in the info, the website

gives a correct MLA Citation.

Good sources for citing Web Pages

http://www.easybib.com/

Does the work for you.

http://citationmachine.net/

Does the work for you.

Practice Time

Take a few minutes to practice with the worksheet.

List everything you can find. Remember that some information will not be available on every web site.

Step 3: Now is the time to begin your search.

Use the Key Words you developed and begin your search. Remember to look for answers to your foundation questions.

Tip: Often it is good to begin with an on-line encyclopedia. Wikipedia is fine and usually reliable. An encyclopedia will give you a good overview so you can begin to understand your topic.

Tip: Your Key Words are not set in stone. As you learn more about your topic, you may add Key Words.

Filter, Distill, Cross-Reference* As you look at web sites, ask the following questions.

Step 1. Is the information at this site related to my Essential Question and useful for answering my Foundation Questions?

If not, move on to another website.

If it is, go to step 2.

Step 2. Is the information from a recognizable expert, organization or qualified person or group?

If so, use it to begin answering your Foundation Questions. If not, move on to another website.

Step 3. Does the information hold up when you cross-reference it with other sites?

If so, keep it.

If not, find a third source to check against.

*from “Inquiry-Based Learning” by David Jakes

Evaluate

As you continue working with your sources, make sure that you have answers to your Foundation Questions. If not, focus the search on those specific unanswered questions.

Creating your Project

Now is the time to synthesize the research into an answer to your Essential Question and to look at creative ways to present the answer(s) to the class.

Products of Research

Student research should result in two products (all the cool kids now call them artifacts)

1. Students should produce a grade-level electronic essay which answers the Essential Question in depth. (PowerPoint, Flipchart)

2. Students should produce a traditional product such as a poster or diorama.

The Final Phase

The last phase of the Project is to present it to the class via the Promethean Board.

I borrowed liberally from the ideas of David Jakes for the best approach to Project-Based Learning and Inquiry-Based Learning.

Alice quote from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The Cheshire Cat by John Tennell in the 1866 publication.

The Sherlock Holmes drawing is from jewishmag.org