This website is designed to work along side the online Project based Learning course which is offered to the Catholic Schools' faculty and staff. To view the online PBL course click "PBL Online Course". You can log-in as a guest by clicking "Office of Catholic Schools", then "OCS - PBL". This course is offered free to all faculty and staff within the Archdiocese. To sign-up contact Mark Viner at 773-463-2458/markviner@sbcglobal.net

Download and view the winning proposals for the Video Mini-Grant Integration Projects

View finished Mini-Grant Projects:

St. Lawrence O'Toole School: Energy Conservation

Additional Mini-Grant Projects will be available for viewing soon

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Sample projects from Edutopia

Video provideded by Edutopia (GLEF)

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

Video provideded by Edutopia (GLEF)

http://www.edutopia.org/first-peoples-project

Edutopia's Core Concepts

Intergrated Studies

Project Learning

Technology Integration

Assessment

New Skills for a New Century: Students Thrieve on Cooperation and Problem Solving

Articles related to PBL:

Project-Based Learning: What is it?

Project, Problem and Inquiry-based Learning

Project Based Learning: A Primer

PBL, what is it? The following quotes are from PBL websites:

http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/
"A project based learning method is a comprehensive approach to instruction. Your students participate in projects and practice an interdisciplinary array of skills from math, language arts, fine arts, geography, science, and technology."

From the Davidson County School

"Project based learning is a model for teaching. It involves an in-depth study and investigation of a real world topic or problem (also called Problem-Based, Inquiry Based, Project Oriented, or the Project Approach). Students use knowledge from several disciplines to develop realistic products. Teachers use the "constructivist" approach by allowing the students to construct their own knowledge as they work. A key characteristic of project based learning is that the project does not focus on learning about something. It focuses on doing something.

Why Teach with Projects?

1. Students become naturally motivated because they feel that the project is meaningful.
2. The project actively engages all students.
3. Students feel ownership of project.
4. Students enjoy learning as they are given the opportunity to "construct" their own knowledge as they develop their project.
5. Develops teamwork.
6. Improves higher order thinking skills.
7. Students focus on an end project (goal oriented).
8. Students enjoy learning.
9. Students learn through failure as well as success.
10. Raise student achievement."

It is recommended that participants of the PBL online course subscribe to Edutopia. Edutopia: The George Lucas Educational Foundations

To view PBL Videos from Edutopia: Go to http://www.glef.org Click on Video, browse by topics, choose Project-Based Learning.

Recommended Books:

BIE Handbook: Buck Institute of Education (2003). Project based learning: A Guide to standards-focused project based learning for middle and high school teachers. Oakland, CA: Author.

Boss, S., Krauss, J., (2007). Reinventing Project-based Learning: Your field guide to real-world projects inthe digital age. Eugene, OR: ISTE.

Marzano, R. J., Pickering D,J., &Pollock, J.E., (2005). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Prentice Hall.

Moursund, D. (2003). Project-Based Learning Using Information Technology, Second edition. Eugene, OR: ISTE.

Newell, R.J. (2003). Passion for learning: How project-based learning meets the needs of 21st-century students.

Contact Mark Viner at markviner@sbcglobal.net or call 773-463-2458