By: Pam Hill, EdD.

Rigor, Relevance, and Engagement

Participant Outcomes:

1. Define Problem Based Learning, Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships.

2. Identify the need for PBL.

3. Determine how I can use PBL with my students.

• Students complete a traditional sequence of courses to earn the high school diploma.

• Students are either college or vocationally bound.

• National graduation rate is 71% with 56% Black and 54% Hispanic.

(Manhattan Institute -Policy Research)

• High school completion is a very important predictor of youth's life prospects.

Our History…..

http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning

What it Project Based Learning?

85% of jobs will require high tech skills• #1 job Tissue Engineers• #2 job Gene Programmers• #3 job Pharmers • #4 job Data Miners• #5 job Frankenfood Monitors

21 Century Careers:

“Projects” vs. Problem Based Learning

Projects1. Loose set of

activities.2. Supplements the

curriculum.

3. Broad assessments.4. No management structure.

Standards-focused PBL1. Focused, inquiry based. 2. It is the curriculum.

3. Aligns specific outcomes with assessments.

4. Uses authentic, project management tools.

Plan each lesson with simultaneous outcomes

Personal competencies1 Habit of Mind/EQ

Skills

1 –2

life

ski

lls

Content

2 – 3 standards

Ways students can show what they have learned…

Test or quiz PresentationRole Playing

BCR or ECR Seminar Demo

Ways students can show what they have learned…

Test or quiz

Presentation

Role Playing

BCR or ECR

Seminar

Demo

Pappas’s Rigor/Relevance Quadrants

Acquire knowledge.

DOL 2

Quad A

Use acquired knowledge tosolve problems.DOL 2

Quad B

Extend and refine knowledge.

DOL 3Quad C

Use knowledge in complex ways.

DOL 4Quad D

Using the Driving Question to Focus the Inquiry Process

• Brainstorm multiple perspectives or points of view on the question

• Anticipate ‘need to knows’ and teachable moments

• Track knowledge gaps with formative assessments

Artifacts of assessment• Document the “process” of learning

• Evaluate skills and habits

Artifact examples: library record searches minutes of meetings

journals self-reflections

observations interview notes, etc.

Use rubrics to evaluate skills and performance

• Fulfill conditions for good assessment.

• Provide a tool for precise feedback.

• Increase fairness while decreasing grading time.

Evaluate and Reflect• Evidence shows robust

correlation between reflection and retention.

• Using a cycle of inquiry helps to prepare for the next project and develop an inquiry-based classroom.

• The methods: whole class debrief; fishbowl; survey; self-report.

A wealthy philanthropist has donated500 acres of land to AA County to build a new community. The only stipulations are:

•Must contain 300 homes (100 seniors, 100 families, and 100 singles)•Recreation areas including areas for disabled children•Be environmentally minded since it is in the Chesapeake watershed•Community support must be gained•Rules for the community must include sidewalks, noise control, and aesthetics

Now, let’s try a PBL experience!

Each group will work on one of these components just as real workers do.