Since you’ve gone through PBL training, you know it’s about more than just projects. You also know that if you plan to just lecture and hand out worksheets, students will disengage from the content you’re trying to share with them. They just aren’t interested in listening to someone go on for 45 minutes about (insert TEKS standards here). And since they are the ultimate decision makers in whether they engage their brains in the learning process or not, our goal is to find ways to make them WANT to learn. Make it personal, if you will.

What you will find, though, is they will surprise you with a higher level of success when presented with a challenging, engaging, and empowering opportunity that ties to the standards they are expected to master. Take a look at Edutopia’s video discussing the “Five Keys to Rigorous PBL” and consider ways to rethink your classroom learning environment.

Remember the Five Keys:

1. Real-World Connection

2. Core to Learning

3. Structured Collaboration

4. Student Driven

5. Multifaceted Assessment