Nineteen Ways To Successfully Launch
By Jeff Crockett and Cyndi Burnstein
Thirty-one high school teachers at Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (P-CEP) and Hamtramck High School implemented PBL units, engaging 1662 students, supported by a 2009-10 MDE Models of Demonstrated Proficiency Grant. Our challenge: How could two demographically dissimilar districts, 45 miles apart, provide staff development, purchase a diverse array of technology, implement nineteen projects and share results within a 9-month time frame to over thirty staff
who had never worked with each other before? The short answer is that both the teachers and administrators in our collaboration passionately believe in Project Based Learning. In exchange for funding to support their projects, teachers agreed to document their projects using a formal PBL structure, which included a driving question, instructional goals linked to Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) standards, strategies developed to meet diverse needs (Universal Design for Learning), and assessment. Each project is described below.
PROJECTS AT P-CEP 1. American Culture and Baseball Project – Darrin Silvester, Kelly Mandeville
Is American culture reflected in baseball? 66 students learned about baseball and its connection to American culture through an online
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LEARNING (PBL)
PROJECT BASED
Moodle course, web research, reading non-fiction, conducting an interview and developing a presentation. All students completed a project and increased average journal entries from 3-4 sentences to full pages.
2. American Foreign Policy 1945-Present – Carrie Chobanian, Beth Savalox How can the past inform the present? 100 students made video recordings of interviews with Viet Nam veterans. A second group of 100 students studied local war memorials and developed plans for a new community memorial. A high level of engagement was observed. $800 raised for Blum’s Landing (a retreat for Michigan vets). 40 lap blankets were made for vets.
3. Blog Portfolios – Dayna M. Lang How do my skills and talents help define me? What image do I want to project to the business and college world for future endeavors? 95 students created a Digital Portfolio, representing a student’s best work. 92 students posted their writing pieces and monitored their growth in writing during the year.
4. Book Trailers – Cyndi Burnstein, Mary McCarthy Can students create and share videos to demonstrate their understanding of choice literature? In groups, 105 students selected a YA book to read together and created a 2-minute video trailer to advertise their book. The school librarian taught students about filming, editing technology, and copyright issues. All 105 freshmen submitted a trailer that included images, titles, sound, music, and credits.
5. Concert and Symphony Orchestra – Cathy DePentu How can you take a piece of music, a few friends, no teacher and
Winter 2010/11 | MACULJOURNAL
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