Educational Resources & Tech Tools 06/23/2016

• Evaluating Project-Based Learning | Edutopia

  There are a few good ideas in here about how to offer feedback to students during a PBL unit.

  tags: project based learning pbl evaluating assessment evaluation edutopia

  • There are many dimensions of student achievement that we need to evaluate in PBL. The end product is certainly important, but if we focus only on that, the meaningful learning that happens throughout the process can be lost as students feel pressure to do whatever it takes to "make the grade."
  • In other words, we want to acknowledge not only what they learned, but how they came to learn it so that they can use these processes in the future.

  • Establish target goals early to provide purpose for the project, while also establishing expectations of the result:

      
    • What is the problem to solve or the product to create?
     
    • What kinds of subject area content need to be included or addressed in the project?
     
    • What expectations do you have for the final product's presentation, publishing, or performance?
     
    • What kinds of collaborative behaviors must be demonstrated by students throughout the process?
     

    Feedback and corrections should happen frequently to keep students on track, improve their work, and set them up for success in the final product. Waiting too long to give feedback may result in work that is too far gone to be fixed or improved.

  • evaluations should have four dimensions:

      
    • Self
     
    • Peer
     
    • Teacher
     
    • Audience
  • oral and written feedback is more personal and specific.
  • Self-evaluation is an especially important piece of the summative evaluation because it taps into higher-level thinking and awareness of the material, process, and final product.
  • Peer evaluations are unique to collaborative projects, and I find that they facilitate a better collaborative process because the teacher considers the student experience. We can use this information to modify the workflow for the next project and hold students accountable for their work (effort, constructive contributions to the team, etc.).
  • allow for audience feedback to evaluate that project's levels of success. Public critiques (such as comments on blog posts) and class discussion help provide wider perspective and may even carry more meaning for the student than teacher feedback.
  • Find a combination of both public and private evaluations that you feel is right for your students or the project.

  • Critique Sandwich

      

    A negative comment about a problem or flaw is presented between positive comments about something done well.

      

    "I Like That. . ."

      

    Require feedback that includes answers to all of these statements:

      
    • I like that. . .
     
    • I wonder if. . .
     
    • Best next steps might be. . .

  • Rose/Thorn/Bud

      

    This critique also addresses the good (rose) and the bad (thorn), but also the potential (bud) for what may be a good idea but needs work.

• Deeper Learning: Improving Student Outcomes for College, Career, and Civic Life.pdf

  This research paper summarizes the positive impacts that PBL has on student readiness for college and beyond.

  tags: pbl project based learning deep learning

  • Students in the deeper learning network schools scored higher on the OECD PISA-Based Test for Schools (PBTS)—which assesses core content knowledge and complex problem-solving skills—than similar students in  DEEPER LEARNINGImproving Student Outcomes for College, Career, and Civic LifePAGE 7non-network high schools. Students in network schools also scored higher on state English language arts (ELA) and mathematics tests.
  • Despite growing workplace demands and expectations, an insufficient number of American students are graduating from high school with the content knowledge and analytical skills needed to be fully ready for postsecondary education, the workforce, and civic life in the 21st Century.
  • Although those born after 1980 in the United States have more education than previous generations, they have weaker skills in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments compared to international peers (Goodman, Sands, & Coley, 2015). They are also less able to apply their knowledge to new situations,
  • As important as it is to deepen students’ academic knowledge and skills, success in today’s world demands more. Students also need to be able to communicate their ideas to a variety of audiences, work with others to solve problems, think creatively, and manage their own learning (Autor, Levy, & Murnane, 2003; National Research Council, 2008; Carnevale & Desrochers, 2003). Deeper learning is one approach to assist students in meeting these new expectations and demands.
  • “Deeper learning” refers to the combination of a deeper understanding of core academic content, the ability to apply that understanding to novel problems and situations, and the development of a range of competencies, including people skills and self-management. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has identified deeper learning as “a set of competencies students must master in order to develop a keen understanding of academic content and apply their knowledge to problems in the classroom and on the job” (Hewlett Foundation, 2013).
  • the deeper learning process produces competencies that include both content mastery and the ability to apply that knowledge to answer questions and solve problems.
  • Students who attended the network schools in the study reported having greater opportunities to engage in deeper learning activities than students in the comparison schools.
  • Better academic outcomes. Students in the deeper learning network schools scored higher on the OECD PISA-Based Test for Schools (PBTS)—which assesses core content knowledge and complex problem-solving skills—than similar students in
  • non-network high schools. Students in network schools also scored higher on state English language arts (ELA) and mathematics tests.Stronger interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Students in deeper learning network schools had higher self-reported levels of collaborative skills, academic engagement, motivation to learn, and self-efficacy. There were no significant differences between network and non-network students on reported creative thinking, perseverance, sense of control, or self-management.
  • However, students from deeper learning network schools were more likely to enroll in four-year institutions and selective institutions.

• Summer Is Prime Time for PBL Remodeling | Edutopia

  This article poses a number of questions that teachers can ask themselves as they design and re-design PBL units.

  tags: pbl project based learning

  • What were the bright spots of the project? Have you asked students for feedback? What will they remember most about their learning experience? What seemed hardest for them? Were they engaged all the way through? If not, can you pinpoint when and why their interest waned? Were you able to scaffold the experience so that all learners could be successful? What would you change if you were to do this project again?
  • What's the right line between teacher direction and student freedom? Is it OK for students to swerve toward new questions -- unanticipated by the teacher -- that grab their curiosity? How open is too open?

  • This formula -- the introduction of a thinking routine to stimulate observations and questions at the beginning of each new topic, the formulation of an inquiry-based investigation from those observations and questions, and the subsequent rounds of writing, critique, and rewriting -- essentially became the working formula for the rest of the school year.

      

  • consider Werberger's questions for thinking about final products: Will students love what they have created? Where will this go when it's done? Will it make the world a better or more beautiful place?
  • As a resource to help with your own project remodeling, think about the teaching and learning strategies you notice in the film, such as Socratic seminars, authentic deadlines, and an emphasis on public exhibitions. Do you see ideas you might want to borrow to improve your next project?
  • How will your next project help students learn to think more analytically and creatively to design solutions to complex problems? How might you remodel a project to help students get better at monitoring and directing their own learning?

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.