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Keep It Real With PBL, Secondary
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Keep It Real With PBL, Secondary
A Practical Guide for Planning Project-Based Learning

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January 2020 | 208 pages | Corwin
Let's Get Real About PBL

The book's companion website features an updated guide to help teachers integrate technology into PBL experiences for online and blended learning instruction.

Does project-based learning (PBL) feel just out of reach in in your secondary classroom? Is project-planning an overwhelming project in and of itself? Dr. Jennifer Pieratt, a consultant and former teacher, knows firsthand how challenging designing projects can be, especially for secondary teachers with large caseloads and short class periods to engage in meaningful teaching and learning.

In this hands-on, interactive guide, Pieratt supports secondary teachers through the iterative process of planning authentic project-based learning experiences. Using backward design, she gives teachers ready to use strategies for identifying the best concepts to tackle in PBL experiences, brainstorming realistic projects, facilitating meaningful learning, and creating formative and summative assessments. The book is visually accessible in style and features

  • #realtalk soundbites that tackle the challenges to implementing PBL
  • Tips and resources to support the project-planning process
  • Planning forms to guide you through planning your projects
  • Key terminology and acronyms in PBL
  • Exercises to help you reflect and process throughout your project plans

    Master PBL planning with this clear, efficient, and easy-to-use guide to creating enriching experiences for your students! 

  •  
    List of Resources on the Companion Website
     
    Acknowledgments
     
    About the Author
     
    Introduction
    Letter to Secondary Teachers

     
    How to Use This Book

     
     
    Chapter 1: The Why and What of Project-Based Learning
    An Overview of Project-Based Learning (PBL)

     
    Why PBL ?

     
    Intro to HQPBL

     
     
    Chapter 2: The Role of the Teacher in PBL
    The Paradigm Shift

     
    Instructional Best Practices

     
    Adult Agency

     
    PBL Teacher Profile

     
     
    Chapter 3: Project Brainstorming
    Where to Look for Ideas

     
    Collaborative Brainstorming

     
     
    Chapter 4: Planning PBL for Your Year
    Big Picture and Big Ideas

     
    Make Content Connections: Planning Interdisciplinary Projects

     
    Pacing Your Project

     
     
    Chapter 5: Planning With the End in Mind
    Drafting Enduring Understandings

     
    Crafting Driving Questions

     
    Final Products

     
    Culminating Experience

     
     
    Chapter 6: Benchmarking Your Project
    What Is Benchmarking?

     
    Identifying Deliverables

     
     
    Chapter 7: Assessment in PBL
    Best Practices in Assessment Apply to PBL

     
    How to Build Your Project Rubric

     
    Planning for Formative Assessment

     
    Student Engagement in PBL Assessment

     
     
    Chapter 8: Planning Daily Learning in PBL
    Create Your Big-Picture Project Calendar

     
    Daily Learning

     
    Differentiating Project Plans

     
     
    Chapter 9: Classroom Management in PBL
    Establish a Central Location for Project Resources

     
    Make the Project Process Visible

     
    Use Group Contracts, Protocols, and Roles

     
    Consider the Workshop Method

     
     
    Chapter 10: Launching Your Project
    The Hook

     
    Project Guidelines

     
    The Knows/Need to Knows

     
    Project Groups

     
    Home Communication

     
     
    Chapter 11: Next Steps
    Prototype Your Project

     
    Keep Building Those Reflection Skills

     
    Seek Out Collegial Feedback

     
    Plan for Exhibiting Student Work

     
    Collect Community Connections

     
    Scaling and Sustaining HQPBL

     
     
    Appendix Overview
     
    Appendix A: Complete Project Plans
    A1—Sixth-Grade Humanities

     
    A2—Ninth-Grade Humanities

     
    A3—12th-Grade Entrepreneurship

     
    A4—Assessment Tips and Tricks From the Trenches

     
    A5—Sample Detailed Integrated Scope and Sequence

     
     
    Appendix B: Blank Project Planning Templates
     
    Glossary
     
    References
     
    Index

    Supplements

    This is the book PBL educators have been waiting for! Whether you are starting out on your PBL journey or have been at it for years, this book is full of helpful ideas, tactics, and exemplars—the kind of book that never even makes it to the shelf because you are constantly using it. Jennifer Pieratt knows how to help educators realize their own potential to facilitate powerful PBL experiences for all students. This book is a window into her years of expertise and experiences.

    Emily Liebtag
    Vice President, Advocacy, Getting Smart

    For someone new to teaching or to project-based learning, this workbook simplifies the process without letting go of essential elements that make the project a valuable educational experience.

    Marcia LeCompte
    Retired Montessori Teacher
    Dufrocq Elementary School, Baton Rouge, LA

    This book is an excellent tool for any educator wanting to implement project-based learning in their classroom. It provides a step-by-step guide that takes you through the thought process—from posing the question for the project, to the planning that is involved before implementing the project, the process for implementing the project, assessment of the project, and the background resources needed to begin the process.

    Ellen Asregadoo
    Teacher
    Public School 190, Brooklyn, NY

    It is inspiring to see how our students can make a positive impact on our world when we as educators empower them through project-based learning. This book provides the necessary structures, supports, and encouragement to shift to these dynamic practices so that we can better serve all learners. I have witnessed firsthand the incredible transformation when educators shift practice to embrace the complexities of real-world challenges, and I am excited that this resource will help to spread these powerful learning opportunities to better serve all learners.

    Devin Vodicka
    Superintendent and Chief Impact Officer
    AltSchool, Oceanside, CA

    In her introduction to Keep It Real With PBL, Jenny Pieratt describes her commitment to be direct with teachers about developing engaging and strong PBL experiences for their students. She has done just that, combining her deep experience from varied perspectives—PBL teacher and colleague, coach, consultant—to provide a straightforward but detailed path to developing high quality PBL opportunities for learners. Jenny is at once optimistic and realistic, encouraging and pragmatic. While this book is designed for teachers just starting out in PBL work, experienced PBL teachers will benefit from the thoroughness of Jenny’s descriptions of planning and implementing strong PBL experiences—and will almost surely be introduced to useful new resources as well.

    Rick Lear
    Former Senior Director for School Design and Implementation, New Tech Network, Former Interim Executive Director, Envision Learning Partners
    Key features
    This is a practical guide that will provide simple and easy-to-use formats to aide in authentic Project-Based Learning experiences for secondary learners. Each chapter will focus on the context for each of the steps author Jennifer Pieratt has identified through backwards design. The guide will include vignettes and templates on the following: 
    • Brainstorming
    • Project Planning
    • Assessment/Rubrics
    • Benchmarking 
    • Student Self-Assessment
    • Calendar/Daily Learning (Pacing) 
    • Launching Your Project 

    Sample Materials & Chapters

    Chapter 1 - Keep it Real with PBL, Secondary


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