Ways to support project-based learning<\/h1>\n

Some people have the mistaken idea that PBL is just when you point students in the direction of a project and say, “Go for it!”<\/p>\n

Um, no.<\/p>\n

If your students have a culture of doing project-based learning and are very independent, it makes sense to give them a lot of freedom — but that’s just not the case for many of our students.<\/p>\n

If you have students who are younger, or need more support and structure here are some ideas and examples. It always makes sense to err on the side of having too many supports rather than too few.<\/p>\n

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Teachers are also noting that because of the role shift of PBL \u00a0that they have more time to meet one on one or in small groups with students for differentiation. This is a great way to use your teacher time in PBL– to help students more personally at their level.<\/p>\n

For example, because you’re not lecturing the whole time, you can become available to sit one on one with students. Because of this I was able to have more meaningful one on one writing conferences and even scribe for a student who was struggling. I could also to drop in comments on Google Docs to each student as they were writing. Immediate feedback, motivation and accountability with students!<\/p>\n

Ask for help<\/h2>\n

Running a PBL classroom is exciting and challenging! If you can get people helping you, the better off student groups will be (as long as they let students lead the way!). The guidance counselor, special educators, para-professionals and allied arts teachers, are all great resources and can bring a different and important lens to the work. And as always, your friendly neighborhood librarian is likely just itching to get asked to lend a hand with the research phase!<\/p>\n

I’ve also used parents in this role. If a parent wants to volunteer, partner them up with a student who could use some sustained adult guidance. That attention is often just what a student needs to improve and focus.<\/p>\n