Why and How You Should Implement #PBL in your Virtual Classroom

I have written many posts on Project Based Learning and have recently written a book about using it in the classroom. None of them cover the value of a PBL during a nationwide shutdown of schools to prevent the spread of disease. With all of the talk about distance learning and how are teachers going to manage classrooms and instruction for the next 3-4 weeks, people are too focused on trying to do what is done in the classroom virtually. We can't repackage what is already done into a digital format. That is a recipe for disaster. We have to embrace the change in environment and adjust our pedagogical practices to create successful learning opportunities for our students. Here are some thoughts on how you can do this.


Why:

1. Your curriculum is so much more flexible now

One of the things that will hold teachers back is the feeling that they are at  specific point of the curriculum map and they need to build virtual lessons around that specific point. That boxes you into a corner and will lead to very stunted lessons. Look at this as an opportunity for students to dive deeper into areas you have already covered or shift to new areas that will grab a student's attention. Doing what you were already doing will not get students engaged. Look for something new.

2. Students are not going to sit and listen to you talk to them for 40 minute classes

The absolute worst thing you can do at this point is have students log in and listen to you for 40 minutes. Nope. Don't do it. I read once that YoutTube measured that the average watch time of a video is around 4 minutes. After that, people move on. Now, I'm not suggesting that you only talk to your students for 4 minutes, but I will ask you keep in mind that students have a world going on around them and listening to their teacher for long periods of time on a device is not the best way to go about instruction.

3. Students are going to explore learning on their own anyway

Students are going to be bored. They will have their video games and other things to keep them busy, but a full day over and over again with the same thing will get tiresome. Students will need the structure and the guidance. They will love discovering new things and will want to share it with people outside of their home.

4. Create independent life-long learners

Students need to be able to identify things they want to learn and figure out how to learn it. That is what adults do every day and that is not something that everyone has naturally. Helping students find information to help them learn things they are interested in is a great job for teachers right now.

5. Students ain't got the time for this

Please do not think that students will have all of this structured time to sit in a seat and do school at home. There are so many crazy dynamics at every single house that it is foolish to think kids will have large junks of time to sit and listen to teachers for 7 hours over the course of a day. Lessons needs to be created that allow students far more independent time to explore and learn with smaller windows dedicated to checking in with the teachers to share their learning.

6. Portfolios are more important now than ever

Now is a great time for students to start a portfolio of their learning if they don't have one. We use SeeSaw at school, but a Google Drive folder or even a manila folder, are perfect for storing the work that students create so they can share it later. Whatever you use, a portfolio offers the ability to store artifacts that they created to demonstrate their understanding of different parts of the curriculum.


How:

Approach 1

• Identify a part of your curriculum that you want students to explore in depth on their own. 
• Provide them some links to resources that can help guide students to finding the information they will need for a deep dive and encourage them to explore other resources they find on their own. 
• Give students the freedom to create some sort of artifact that demonstrates their understanding based on the research they did in class. 
• Use virtual class time to check in with students and hold office hours to guide students who might be struggling to find information or create their artifact. Everyone should check in, but keep this time short and sweet and only request those students who truly need the extra support stay a bit longer for check in. 
• Have students post shots of their work in progress. These snapshots will provide a little insight into what they are researching and the artifacts they are creating. 
• Have students present their work to the class when the deadline has passed. 
• Do not worry about grades! Going ungraded during this time seems crazy, but students will do the work and try more complex artifacts if they are not afraid of failure. 

This is a good option if you are under pressure to have your students stick to the specific curriculum.

Approach 2

• Ask your students what area of your content have they always wanted to learn about in class. 
• Tell students they can make a proposal about what they want to learn, how they are going to learn it at home, and what artifact they will create to demonstrate their understanding of the content. 
• Use virtual class time to make appointments with students to discuss their proposals and help them fine tune it. 
• Set a reasonable timeline for students to complete their research, learning, artifact creation, and presentation. 
• Use the virtual classroom time to check in with students throughout the project. Have students share what they have learned and show some artifacts. 
• Set up presentation times for students during virtual class time so they can share what they have learned with the entire class. 
• Do not worry about grades. Let the kids explore, learn, and share. 

This is my preferred approach because it gives the students educational freedom to explore what interests them. It is what learning is supposed to be at its core and we want to promote this aspect of learning as much as possible.

When it comes to tools you can use to accomplish this, there are plenty out there, but I am guessing your district has some in place that are perfect for this. 

Google Classroom is a great tool to use to share all of the information the students will need and keep a running chat of questions and answer students might have. 

Google Drive could be used as a portfolio for students to keep the work and research that can be easily shared with teachers. 

SeeSaw is a wonderful portfolio tool for students to share their artifacts with the classroom and allow for feedback from the teacher. 

Adobe Spark is a free tool that is perfect fo digital creation. Static images, websites, and short video are perfect for students looking to create digital media at home. 

These are just a few thoughts on why and how to use PBL in your classroom. Please do not hesitate to reach out here, on Twitter (@TheNerdyTeacher) or through email (OneNerdyTeacher@gmail.com) if you have any questions. 

Sending you virtual hugs and high fives during this trying time,

The Nerdy Teacher