This document provides an overview of a workshop on integrating Problem Based Learning (PBL) into standards-based curriculum. The workshop objectives are to provide background on PBL and how to create PBL projects. The agenda includes introductions, a PBL overview, and examples of PBL projects. The document then discusses various components of designing and implementing PBL including developing essential questions, building background knowledge, research approaches, student groupings and final products, and assessment.

1. Putting the Passion in PBL

2. Putting the Passion in PBL
Today’s Objectives:
Participants will gain background
knowledge about Problem Based Learning
and how to integrate PBL into a standardsbased curriculum.
Introductions
PBL Overview
How To Create a PBL
Sharing PBL Examples

3. *Set up at the
beginning of the year
for the class to run
smoothly.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Standards Based
Pre-Standards
*Set up specifically for
student collaboration
and independence
Curriculum
TOPIC
*Teacher Produced
*Collect information
to report out
*Essential Question
*Building Background
knowledge to prepare for
research
*Students generate questions
to answer
RESEARCH
*Teacher directed
*Web-based
research
*Interviews
*Books RESEARCH
*Collaborative
PRODUCTS/GROUPS
*Student driven *Student Choice
*May be student choice
*Includes authentic and meaningful
*May present to classroom
presentation
*Teacher creates groups
PRODUCTS of products not always
*Myriad
using tech
*One group the whole
*Groups form by interest, student
project
*Teacher decision
*One grade at the
end
choice w/ guidance, may change
throughout process
ASSESSMENT
*Student input on rubrics
*Standards based
*Listening & speaking crucial
*Many small assessments
along the way to check
standards are being met

4. Concept
Develop concept based on recurring themes and patterns in the standards.
Essential
Driving
Guiding
• Open ended
• Thought provoking
• Higher order thinking
skills
• Transferrable
• Inquiry generating
• Requires support
• Repeatable over time
•
• Student or teacher
created
• Focused research
• Numerous
• Somewhat open
ended
• May be inferential
• Basic content
knowledge
• Feed the driving
question
•
•
•
•
Make the abstract
concrete
Engage students
Open ended
Higher order
thinking skills
Directly connected
to:
Content
Problem
Project

5. Turn and Talk:
Think about the standards you are currently using,
what overarching concepts and essential questions
can you envision?

6. Second Grade: Structure and Properties of
Matter
Concept: Change
Essential Question: How does matter change?
Based on these big ideas what
would you use as driving and guiding questions in this
unit?

7. Teaching
• Explicit content knowledge
• Skills to be assessed
Building Background Knowledge-For example “Life Cycles”
SIOP Strategy for Background Knowledge

8. RESEARCH
•
Web-based research. Use text and web resources
responsibly
•
Collaborative- teams of students with similar questions
can work together to gather information and data
•
Use community members and other experts-have a
bank of experts on hand for the school or classroom
that can be used throughout the year for different
projects
Community Fair Clip
Surveys and interviews-students gain knowledge about
the topic by creating surveys and interview questions
•

9. First Graders learned about the life cycle of a plant by
exploring and observing seeds, growing their own plants,
and studying the plant environment in Ben Franklin’s Courtyard.

10. Once students learned
what plants need to grow,
they brainstormed ways to
test the variables.

11. Scientific Inquiry Wheel
Inquiry wheel
Students changed one variable and controlled the other 3.

12. PRODUCTS AND GROUPING
Student Grouping:
• Interest Based
• Product Based
• Reflection on collaboration is
ongoing using daily updates and a
final collaboration rubric

13. PRODUCTS AND GROUPING
EAB Final Presentation- iMovie
Student Driven Products-Not always
tech based
Authentic Presentations to more
than just peers

14. Emerald Ash Borer
Power Point Presentations
Brochures
Glogster Online Posters

15. Turn and Talk: What type of final presentations or
products would be most beneficial for your students
to be a part of?

16. ASSESSMENT
Standards Based
• Short Quizzes along the way
• Assess while teaching background
knowledge
• Rubrics created with students using
standards
Listening and Speaking Standards can be
assessed with final presentations
Deconstruction Example

17. • What aspects of Problem Based
Learning do you still have questions
about?

18. Basic Info
• Sarah Rodriguez
– srodriguez@d41.org
• Stacy Slater
– sslater@d41.org
• Slide Share
– http://www.slideshare.net/stacyslater18/puttingthe-passion-in-pbl