This document describes project-based learning with a global focus (PBL[g]). PBL[g] aims to develop global competence and perspective consciousness in students. It presents complex, real-world problems that require collaboration across cultures. Students demonstrate their learning through products for authentic audiences. A specific PBL[g] project described involved students in New Jersey, China, and Australia documenting stories about World War II using digital tools. Students enhanced their technology skills and gained a more international perspective on WWII through interacting with peers in other countries. The project had positive impacts on students, teachers, and communities involved both directly and indirectly. Recommendations are made to further assess global competencies developed and increase the scale and integration of future P

1. PBL[g]!
Mike Searson, Melda Yildiz and Janis Jensen
School for Global Education and Innovation
Kean University

2. Teaching and Learning: A Shift in Thinking
Teaching
 Teacher is primary source of information and has a monopoly on content
along with the textbook
 Classroom activities are centered around what the teacher does and asks of
students and typically involve simple, short-term tasks done in class or for
homework
 There is often a focus on memorization and rote learning reflected in the
types of tests given to students
 Teacher is the main audience for students to demonstrate knowledge and
skills
Learning
 Teacher is a co-learner with students; together they seek, share,
adapt and invent new knowledge, and assess the process of learning as
well as the products they have created
 Learning process for teachers and students is collaborative , based on
active inquiry and focused on content, skills, learning strategies and
habits of mind needed for student success in 21st
century learning
environments

3. Project-Based Learning
Embraces the concept of learning, and in addition, contains most of the following
elements. The PBL model:
• Presents complex questions around key content understandings that stimulate
students’ “need to know” and keep them engaged throughout a project through
activities that build the knowledge and skills needed to address the question.
• Fosters in-depth learning and authentic student collaboration on projects worth
doing that require knowledge of core content and also allow for transfer of
knowledge and skills across content areas. Projects have a real world purpose and
emulate real world tasks and challenges.
• Promotes the use of innovative learning strategies by integrating supportive
technologies, inquiry- and problem-based approaches and higher order thinking skills.
• Provides multiple means for ongoing demonstration of student learning and growth
and allows for customization of learning and assessments honoring student voice and
choice
• Enables students to demonstrate learning through the creation of products/
performances for authentic audiences through completion of a final project or
summative assessment.

4. Project-Based Learning [g]!
PBL [g] is a value-added component to PBL that addresses the
development of global competency by including awareness of
cultural dimensions and ongoing opportunities for cross-cultural
interactions, mediated by the use of technology, as an integral
part of the learning process itself.
The PBL [g] model is based on the belief that that: the world is
interconnected: all peoples are interconnected economically,
socially and environmentally and have a shared future.
Accordingly, learning experiences are designed to develop
global competency and empower participation in that future.

5. PBL[g]! Developing Global Competence and
Perspective Consciousness
Global competence is the capacity and disposition to understand,
and act on, issues of global significance.
(Boix-Mansilla & Jackson, 2010 Draft: Educating for Global Competence)
 Knowing the World
 Investigating the World
 Recognizing Perspectives
 Communicating Effectively
 Taking Action
 Perspective Consciousness
• “State of the Planet” Awareness
• Cross-cultural Awareness
• Knowledge of Global Dynamics
• Awareness of Human Choices

6. PBL[g]! Developing Global Citizens
Students are active and engaged citizens that turn their ideas and
findings into appropriate actions to improve world conditions.
Through PBL[g]! , students:
• Recognize their capacity to advocate for and contribute to improvement
locally, regionally, or globally.
• Identify opportunities for personal and collaborative action to address
situations, events, issues or phenomena in ways which can make a difference.
• Assess options for action based on evidence and the potential for impact,
taking into account varied perspectives and potential consequences for others.
• Act creatively and innovatively to contribute to improvement locally,
regionally or globally both personally and collaboratively.

7. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Knowledge and
Understanding Matters
PBL[g]! supports:
• Deep knowledge acquisition and understanding of seminal content
and skills within academic disciplines in cross-cultural
environments.
• Capacity to use disciplinary methods of inquiry creatively and
productively in cross-cultural environments.
• Ability to understand prevailing world conditions, issues, and
trends through disciplinary-based and interdisciplinary learning and
others’ perspectives on situations, events or phenomena.
• Substantive engagement, over time, with the world’s complexities
and interrelatedness and the development of the cross cultural
collaboration skills needed to collectively and ethically solve
problems.

8. Making the case for PBL[g]!
• Instead of learning from others who have the credentials to “teach” in this
new networked world, we learn with others whom we seek (and who seek
us) on our own and with whom we often share nothing more than a
passion for knowing.
• In this global community, we are at once all teachers and learners—
changing roles as required, contributing, collaborating, and maybe even
working together to re-create the world, regardless of where we are at
any given moment.
• These learning transactions require a shifted understanding of traditional
literacies and the skills they employ, as well as new literacies and practices
that learning in networks and online social communities demands.
21st
Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn
(R. Brandt, 2010)

9. Marc Prensky’s Essential 21st
Century Skills
Goal: To be able to follow one’s passion(s) as far as one’s abilities
allow. In order to do that, no matter what the future brings,
individuals must master the following skills:
 Knowing the right thing to do
– Behaving ethically
– Thinking critically
 Doing it with others
– Taking leadership
– Communicating/interacting with individuals and groups
(especially using technology)
– Communicating/interacting with machines
– Communicating/interacting with a world audience
– Communicating/interacting across cultures
Marc Prensky is a speaker, writer, consultant, and game designer in the critical areas of education and
learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning and Don't Bother Me, Mom, I'm Learning.

10. The New Economy Requires New Skills
Science and Knowledge Economy
- Scientific and technological literacy
Resource-Challenged Economy
- Critical thinking about sustainable economies
Globally Interdependent Economy
- Global competency
Demographically Diverse Economy
- Cross-cultural leadership skills
Innovation-Driven Economy
- Learning how to learn and to adapt to rapid
change

11. What does it look like using state standards?
Mathematics: Use data generated by a mathematical model of a situation or event
in the world to make and defend a decision.
Science: Investigate how solutions to global problems, such as scarcity of water,
are being addressed by scientists collaboratively among nations.
Social Studies: Formulate a position on a human right’s issue informed by research
that reflects the perspectives of other cultures.
Technology: Collaborate with learners from other cultures using electronic tools to
understand their perspectives about ideas or concepts studied in different
content areas related to a global problem or issue.
Create a web based publication that analyzes the ethical impact of a product,
system or environment on society
World Languages: Co-create a product with students from the culture (s)of the
language studied for posting on a social network, educational, or personal
webpages to advocate for a solution to a global problem or issue.

12. Project-Based Learning using 21st
Century Themes

13. What does it look like? Specific Projects
• Two billion people live in homes that are not connected to the electric
grid. Students integrate solar and LED technologies to produce model
lighting systems for use in developing countries.
• Millions of people around the world do not have access to clean water.
During this project schools collaborate to design water purification
systems for use in developing countries.
• Students around the United States and other countries collect samples
from local ponds to answer the question: Are the organisms found in
pond water the same all over the world?
• Students developed a "flow" versus "batch" process for bio-diesel,
collaborating with two towns in South America, who are now using this
process to generate a portion of their fuel needs.

14. Assessing Global Competence
(Ed Steps Project , 2010)

15. PBL[g] represents projects that are
• Global-centric
• Authentic and relevant
• Rigorous and engaging
• Promote rich discourse among project
participants

16. PBL[g]
Minds-on, hands-on engagement among
international cohorts of students and
teachers in authentic projects that address
relevant and mutually defined issues and
concerns.

17. Sample project:
Digital Video, Participatory Culture & The
War!

18. PBS—Public Broadcasting Service
•Largely funded by Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, through government
sources and private donations

19. Ken Burns--a documentary filmmaker who has
produced a number of PBS documentaries
•The Civil War
•Baseball
•Jazz

20. In 2007 PBS airs Ken Burns
“The War”
•Focuses on World War II; albeit, from a US
perspective

21. NJN (New Jersey Network) is a local
PBS affiliate

22. Previously, Kean University’s Center for Innovative
Education had worked with NJN on a number of emergent
media initiatives
• Middle school Digital Storytelling project
• “Global Grover” for early childhood
educators, based on the Sesame Street
character

24. Kean worked with NJN to prepare for airing of Burns
“War” documentary
•Students and teachers would be trained
to use emergent media tools to tell family
& community WWII stories; Funding to
support program sought.

25. Schools include 4 high schools in New Jersey, one in
China, one in Australia
•Participants provided emergent media tools:
MacBook, iPod, digital voice recorder, Flip
video camera, appropriate software and cases

27. Our tools:
laptops, digital cameras, iPods, voice recorders, small
Flip video cameras

29. Training provided by Kean staff, Center for Digital
Storytelling & Apple Computers

30. Students given access to many
community leaders
•Present and past governors
•WWII veterans
•Filmmaker

31. In New Jersey, students invited to participate in and
document statewide launch of “The War”
•While non-committal to an “interview,” NJ
Governor agrees to a “podcast”;
•Co-Producer of “The War” also interviewed

38. Teachers encouraged to work
projects into existing curriculum

39. Many of the projects utilized a
“digital storytelling” approach
•Efficient use of technology
•Combines digital images with audio
•“Ken Burns” effect

40. Project takes place over most of
the 2007-2008 school year

41. Resulting products take many
forms
•Digital stories
•Short movies
•“Cablevision” programming

42. A social network (Ning) created to allow students
and teachers involved in project to share work and
perspectives

44. QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

45. Important opportunities for international
perspective building
•Essence of Ken Burns’s documentary is
that WWII helped shape modern United
States

46. Yet, some have argued that WWII (and WWI) were
essentially European conflicts that drew the rest of
the world into war

47. QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

48. QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

49. QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

50. Note the key points made in
movie made by Chinese students
•An “amalgamation of two conflicts…
the Sino-Japanese war…the other
beginning in Europe”
•and “resulted in the deaths of over 60
million people…nearly two-thirds of
those killed were civilians”

51. These are points not well
understood by US students
•Who could tell it better to them than
fellow students from China?

52. Initial findings…
•(US participants)

53. •“I feel that students overall
technology skills were enhanced by
this project.” (N=5)

54. •“I feel that participating faculty/staff
technology skills were enhanced by
this project.” (N=5)

55. •“I believe this project enhanced
students’ overall knowledge of WWII.”
(N=5)

56. •“As we worked on this project, teachers
from other subjects areas, e.g., history,
participated” (N=5)

57. •“The external community, e.g., parents,
administrators, was supportive of the
project.” (N=5)

58. Impact on school and community
•Those “engaged” in the project

59. •Notes:
1.The term “direct” refers to students, faculty, staff who were directly involved in projects, e.g.,
produced videos.
2.The term “indirect” refers to students, faculty, staff who viewed projects after they were
created.
3.Larger numbers in “indirect” category reflect districts that have broadcasted media over cable
TV.
4.“Grand total” may be significantly larger as numbers for general public viewership (through

60. Recommendations for future
projects:
•Assessment of global competencies
•Increase cohort size
•Assess integration of project into formal
curriculum
•Involve pre-service teachers where possible
•Require student/teacher participation in
social network