SHOW NOTES
How to Grow As a PBL Teacher
The main idea of this episode is how teachers can grow as PBL teachers.
- The host uses the example of Southport Elementary School, a Title 1 school in Indiana. Southport Elementary had the highest growth in the state on standardized tests.
- A common misconception is that high test scores are a result of “skill and drill,” but research does not support this.
- PBL research shows that Title 1 students can excel with PBL because of the additional context and connections the projects provide.
- Southport Elementary increased student engagement, rigor, and context by using PBL.
- The episode emphasizes the importance of teachers taking on a growth mindset to help their students develop one as well.
- The host, Ryan Steuer, suggests three main actions for teachers to grow as PBL teachers:
- Action 1: Establish your values. Steuer recommends a protocol from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. This protocol has teachers select 10 core values, narrow it down to five, and then post those values somewhere as a reminder.
- Action 2: Gain comfort with the spectrum of control. Ryan points out the importance of student ownership but cautions against giving students complete control too soon. He presents a spectrum of control, from teachers having all the control to students having all the control. He then uses an analogy from Trevor MacKenzie, the author of Inquiry Mindset, of a swimming pool, where the shallow end represents teacher-driven instruction and the deep end is student-driven.
- Action 3: Change at different speeds. Ryan acknowledges that teachers will change at different rates and recommends thinking about changes in three categories: what to change immediately, what to change eventually, and what to change in the long term. Examples of immediate changes include seating arrangements. Examples of eventual changes include the length of direct instruction and developing group contracts. Examples of long-term changes include grading processes and giving up traditional grading practices, such as assigning zeros.
Resources
Join 4,000+ classroom teachers by signing up for a weekly email with three main resources (blog, podcast, and YouTube Video).
Magnify Learning – www.magnifypbl.com
RESOURCES & LINKS RELATED TO THIS EPISODE
JOIN THE PBL MOVEMENT ONLINE COMMUNITY
SIGN UP FOR THE MAGNIFY LEARNING NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PBL SIMPLIFIED FOR TEACHERS PODCAST
SCHEDULE A PBL TRAINING WITH MAGNIFY LEARNING
CHECK OUT RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST
ASK RYAN A QUESTION FOR THE PODCAST
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Some of the links above are affiliate links which means we get a small commission on anything you purchase using that link (at no more cost to you). As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.