• Setting The Standard For Project Based Learning: A Proven Approach To Rigorous Classroom Instruction, May/2015

Setting The Standard For Project Based Learning: A Proven Approach To Rigorous Classroom Instruction, May/2015

Author(s) John Larmer, John Mergendoller, Suzie Boss
ISBN10 1416620338
ISBN13 9781416620334
Format Paperback
Pages 240
Year Publish 2015 May

Synopsis

When you want to ensure students are engaged in learning, see the relevance of lessons, and develop college and career readiness, project-based learning (PBL) is an essential approach every teacher should know. But simply “doing projects” is not enough. Instead, you need this book's rigorous approach to PBL. Using a classroom-tested framework, the authors take you through the steps of planning, implementing, and assessing projects that ensure you

  1. Increase student motivation and interest.
  2. Include student voice and choice in the learning process.
  3. Prepare students for high-stakes tests and lifelong learning.

Real-world examples from all grade levels and content areas give you ready-made ideas to consider immediately. Plus, there's advice on how school leaders can use PBL in informal settings and systemwide.

 

About The Authors:

John Larmer is editor in chief at the Buck Institute for Education. He authored and/or edited BIE's project based curriculum units for high school government and economics and was a contributing author of the Project Based Learning Handbook. He is a writer and editor of BIE's PBL Toolkit Series, including the PBL Starter Kit for Middle and High School Teachers, PBL in the Elementary Grades, and PBL for 21st Century Success: Teaching Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity. He codevelops professional development workshops and materials for teachers, including 21st century skills rubrics and project exemplars. John presents at conferences and has consulted on PBL curriculum development for the National Academy Foundation, the Oracle Education Foundation, and Pearson Education.

Prior to joining BIE, John was a senior program associate at WestEd in San Francisco. For ten years John taught high school social studies and English. He was a founding teacher at a restructured small high school, and a member of the National School Reform Faculty and school coach for the Coalition of Essential Schools. John received MA degrees in Educational Technology and in Educational Administration from San Francisco State University, and a BA in Political Science from Stanford University.

 

John Mergendoller joined the Buck Institute for Education in 1989 as its founding research director and was named executive director in 2000. An international advocate for project based learning, he has worked with educators throughout the United States and in China, Taiwan, Brazil, Greece, Romania, the United Kingdom, and many other countries to help them learn about and implement high-quality PBL.

Before joining BIE, he was a senior program director at the Far West Laboratory (now WestEd), a federally funded regional educational laboratory. At Far West, he also established and managed the At-Risk Student Program and the Secondary School Improvement Program. His publications span educational technology, science education, middle grades reform, and project based learning.

John holds an MA and a PhD in Psychology and Education from the University of Michigan, an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a BA in Letters from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study cognitive development at the University of Geneva.

Suzie Boss is a member of the Buck Institute for Education's National Faculty. She is a writer and educational consultant who focuses on the power of teaching and learning to improve lives and transform communities. She is the author of several books on education and innovation, including Bringing Innovation to School: Empowering Students to Thrive in a Changing World and Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age. She is a regular contributor toEdutopia and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including Educational Leadership, Principal Leadership, the New York Times, Education Week, and Huffington Post. She is a frequent conference presenter and consults internationally with schools interested in shifting from traditional instruction to technology-rich, project based learning.