PBL 101: An Introduction to PBL
Workshop Description
Gain the knowledge and skills to plan and facilitate rigorous, standards-based projects.
Develop a project for use with your own students.
Schools and districts can schedule exclusive workshops just for their staff members. Get in touch to learn more!
Who should take this workshop?
All educators who are committed to Project Based Learning. It's an ideal starting point for teachers and instructional coaches. (Plus, school & district leaders praise the benefits of experiencing this workshop firsthand!)
This course is our pre-requisite for ongoing support and advanced workshops.
Workshop Outcomes
- Develop a personal vision for how Gold Standard PBL serves students and their communities.
- Plan Gold Standard projects that teach meaningful learning goals and are relevant to students and their communities.
- Include well-curated resources, effective learning experiences, and purposeful assessments to ensure that all students are appropriately challenged and supported as they move through the project path.
- Engage students in learner-centered practices driven by sustained inquiry throughout the project.
- Balance structure and flexibility in the project facilitation, using varied forms of evidence to ensure that all students grow in relation to learning goals.
The essentials
- Instruction: Led by a member of PBLWorks' National Faculty – seasoned teachers, administrators, school coaches, and PBL experts
- Workshop Size: Up to 35 participants
- Workshop Length: 3 days
- Pre-requisite: none
What you will do in 3 days
In PBL 101, you learn all about Gold Standard Project Based Learning and, most importantly, how to get started in your classroom. You'll walk away with a draft of a standards-based PBL unit, ready to implement with your students.
Day #1
Setting a Vision for PBL
During the first day, you will establish a vision for PBL as an equity-centered pedagogy that helps all students thrive. You will build the foundation of a project grounded in your knowledge of your students, your community, and the content and skills you teach.
Day #2
Developing Your Project
You will develop the story of your project and outline your plans for sustaining inquiry and supporting student learning from start to finish.
Day #3
Bringing Your Project to Life
You will build on your plans by learning how to ensure successful outcomes for all students through effective formative assessment. You will also gain strategies for project management that will support student agency and shared power in your classroom.
Here's a glimpse at the on site workshop in action...
Why 3 consecutive days? Some of you might think it's a tall order to find the time for our workshop, but we believe it's essential. The work you will be doing is deep and challenging and can be transformative for your practice. Three days creates the space for active, hands-on project planning, peer collaboration and feedback, and reflection on learning that leads to sustained change.
"I enjoyed the chance to completely immerse myself in the learning – and to work towards designing my project at the same time." – PBL 101 Participant
A few more things to know about PBL 101
PBL 101 models the PBL process. You'll be experiencing the same style of learning that you're designing for your students. The workshop models many features of Project Based Learning — from an engaging entry event to a final public product.
You'll experience a mix of learning activities. The workshop is a blend of direct instruction, video analysis, hands-on work, resource sharing, and peer collaboration and feedback.
You get access to a host of online resources. Online resources — including an in-workshop companion and post-workshop learning modules — provide continued support beyond the workshop days for your PBL design and implementation in the classroom.
You'll understand how PBL supports educational equity. Every workshop and every service we design reflects our mission to prepare all students for academic, personal, and career success.
It's part of a sustained learning journey. Real change happens over weeks, months, and even years, not overnight. After PBL 101, you can continue on your learning path by accessing online resources and coaching, as well as planning for support services to deepen your PBL practice.