The Five Ws of Direct Instruction During PBL #HackingPBL

Over the next month I will be publishing 5 posts as sneak peaks for our upcoming book, Hacking Project Based Learning, which was written with Ross Cooper (@rosscoops31) and will be released this winter.

During a recent chat, a teacher shared his hesitance to approach Project Based Learning (PBL) or inquiry-based learning stems from his belief that some information requires direct instruction. This disclosure stood out to me, as I never thought of PBL and direct instruction as a one or the other option. To the contrary, strategic, differentiated instruction is critical to student success. I have found, teachers are more likely to embrace PBL when they become skilled at seamlessly integrating it with direct instruction, as this is when they realize these two approaches are not mutually exclusive.

Here is what I take into consideration when infusing PBL with direct instruction.

Is The Classroom Culture Ready For PBL? #HackingPBL

Over the next month I will be publishing 5 posts as sneak peaks for our upcoming book, Hacking Project Based Learning, which was written with Ross Cooper (@rosscoops31) and will be released this winter.

When you observe the classroom of an accomplished project based learning (PBL) teacher, the joyful rhythm and the organized chaos can be awe-inspiring. It may feel as though the magnificent sight of a fine tuned PBL experience occurred through an act of magic, however, it is actually the product of a carefully crafted classroom culture. A really cool idea and a well planned project can fall flat, if the culture of the room is not prepared. As a classroom teacher, coach, and now an administrator, I believe an intentional focus on the inner-workings of the classroom environment make a huge impact on the success of any undertaking. So, whether you are trying PBL for the first time, looking to polish your current PBL endeavors, or assisting others in their approach to PBL, here are five critical questions to ask about a classroom culture:

Reimagining Learning Spaces with Design Thinking #HackingPBL

The following post is written by Ross Cooper (@rosscoops31) and originally appeared on his blog, rosscoops31.com. The post is part of #HackingPBL series we are curating in anticipation of our upcoming book, Hacking Project Based Learning: 10 Easy Steps to PBL and Inquiry in the Classroom, coming this winter. 

Before I left the classroom a few years ago, there were a few items on my bucket list I never got to accomplish (and I would have accomplished them had I taught for just one more year)…One of these missed opportunities was a complete redesign of my classroom.

You see, the final year I taught fourth grade, my students and I started our work in science by learning about the scientific method through the creation of original egg packagings with a process called design thinking. In short (ok, very short), students didn’t just engineer creative products, but they did so with empathy for the consumer in mind. And, they then assessed the effectiveness of their homemade creations based on what they determined to be the indispensable features of an exemplary product (while visualizing themselves in the shoes of the consumer).

Busting 5 Myths of Inquiry-Based Learning #HackingPBL

Over the next few months I’ll be publishing 5 posts as sneak peaks for our upcoming book, Hacking Project Based Learning, which was written with Ross Cooper (@rosscoops31) and will be released this winter. A major tenet of project based learning is inquiry and this post helps address some myths related to inquiry in the classroom.

The energy in Mrs. Bauer’s sixth grade science classroom is almost palpable. Groups of three to four students are out of their chairs leaning over their tables to get a closer look at a petri dish placed in the center. In the dish, two small insects scurry around. The students carefully move the dish and it inhabitants to get a closer look. Questions and proposals fly in the air and students rapidly jot notes in their science journals.

Teachers like Mrs. Bauer make inquiry based instruction seem second nature. However, over the last ten years, my work as a classroom teacher, coach, and now administrator has made clear there are some common myths circulating about inquiry in the classroom.

Is it time for a messy conversation?

As humans, we tend to avoid confrontations. They make our pulse quicken and our sweat glands kick in, and they are all around uncomfortable. Our fear of messy conversations keeps us from challenging the status quo. Instead we admire problems and discuss theoretical solutions. The unfortunate truth: we need to wade through sticky situations to make positive change. 

Having a messy conversation does not mean picking a fight. We have all worked with the person who feels it is their god given role to play devil’s advocate… about everything… all the time. A consistently negative approach and pedantic tendencies will not win any battles (or friends).

Two years ago, I wrote about one of my favorite books: Fierce Conversations. I still highly recommend this text, as it provides a quality framework for engaging in tough discussions. However, I was recently speaking with another new administrator, and I realized that there is some strategic reflection necessary before deciding whether or not a Fierce Conversation is appropriate.