Project-Based Learning Archives - Page 3 of 4

Apr 14 2020

How to Make PBL a Reality in a Distance Learning Environment

By John Spencer Podcast, Project-Based Learning 5 Comments

If you think about your most powerful learning experiences, there's a good chance at least one of these experiences involved a project. This is where you learned how to research, how to ideate, how to work with others, how to engage in productive struggle, and…

Feb 03 2020

How PBL Helps Students Become Better Consumers and Better Creators

By John Spencer Project-Based Learning No Comments

I'm sitting in my office next to a dozing dog, staring at the cursor on my computer. This is it. I'm in the final leg of my dissertation. I've outlined chapters four and five and now I simply need to write it all out. This…

Aug 20 2019

10 Things That Happen When Students Engage in Project-Based Learning

By John Spencer Creativity, Project-Based Learning 12 Comments

We often hear about the need for students to learn how to program in order to be ready for STEM fields and the Information Economy. It’s what we’ve been hearing for over a decade. However, there’s a fascinating piece from the Washington Post that explores…

Aug 13 2019

Why Trust Is Vital to Peer Feedback

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast, Project-Based Learning 7 Comments

I still remember a moment in my fifth year of teaching when I invited my colleague, Javier, to observe a lesson I was teaching. "Colleague" doesn't quite describe it. Javi and I ran a project-based service learning together. We developed a fully tech-integrated curriculum together…

Jun 04 2019

It’s Okay to Do That Same Epic Project Next Year

By John Spencer Podcast, Project-Based Learning 2 Comments

It was twelve years ago when I sat down with a journal and began debriefing my first full year of going project-based. I had a list of what went well, what went poorly, and what things I wanted to try out the next year. As…

Apr 12 2019

Research Is Critical for Student Design Projects

By John Spencer Creativity, Project-Based Learning One Comment

This article is part of a longer series on design thinking, a flexible framework for empathy-driven creative work. You might want to check out other articles in the series first. The Importance of Research in Design Thinking The LAUNCH process starts with awareness, where students…

Aug 31 2018

Five Structures for Helping Students Learn Project Management

By John Spencer Creative Collaboration, Creativity, Podcast, Project-Based Learning 14 Comments

If we want students to think like artists, entrepreneurs, and engineers, they need the chance to design real projects. But this also requires students to learn how to engage in project management. The following is a short video on the project management process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7yZutiwRso&t=26s …

May 13 2018

5 Myths About Classroom Management in PBL

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast, Project-Based Learning 6 Comments

I want to make something clear before we dive into this topic. I made huge mistakes in classroom management as a teacher. I let certain disruptive behaviors go unchecked because I was tired and I didn't want to put out another fire. I had moments…

Apr 07 2018

Research Should Be Fun (Why Research and PBL Are a Great Combination)

By John Spencer Creativity, Project-Based Learning 3 Comments

I remember the first time we did a PBL unit and I asked students to fill out a survey on their favorite and least favorite parts. Overwhelmingly, students described dreading the research process. Similarly, when we first used design thinking, students asked me why we…

Mar 23 2018

What can food trucks teach us about project-based learning?

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast, Project-Based Learning 5 Comments

When we think of innovative companies, it's easy to imagine an open-air tech startup with ping pong tables and free drinks and huge windows and chairs so modern you're not sure how you're supposed to sit in them or look at them. Sometimes I look at…