For additional information on project-based instruction, please visit our Teaching Strategies page of the MNSU Instructional Design Services.  In order to implement a project-based instruction lesson in your classroom, there are a few planning steps to consider.  Fill in the blanks with your lesson-specific information in order to plan your project-based lesson.

1. Develop clear and measurable learning objectives (including cognitive and behavioral objectives) – based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Participants will be able to {verb} {noun}.
• Students will be able to {verb} {noun}.
• Students will be able to {verb} {noun}.

Ex: Students will explain the fundamentals of human anatomy, cellular biology, diseases, and treatment specifically in relation to diseases of the blood.

2. Identify the learning resources students will need to access at home before coming to class.  These resources are generally what you would normally do in a traditional lecture format class (lecture, videos, etc)

• Reading materials
• Watch instructional video xxx (name of the video) for xx minutes http://www…
• Exercise on worksheets, if any
• Suggest other learning resources

Ex:  Before class on Thursday, please watch instructional video #1.

Learning Resources my lesson will include:

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Technology Resources I will need to create the pre-class learning resources:

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3. Prepare the problem, dilemma, decision, or challenge that students will use to explore the content.  You can either create a project or select one from an existing project bank.  Follow the guidelines below for both selecting and creating a project.

To help you decide whether your project is good for promoting critical thinking, use the Project Idea Rubric or the PBL Essential Elements Checklist.

My project:

Ex: The Blood Bank Project came about when the San Diego Blood Bank commissioned High Tech High students to create video installations for San Diego’s JETT gallery, in order to educate the public about blood diseases and the importance of blood banking. The students also sold the work in order to raise money for the blood bank.

4. Define the procedures for in-class project analysis that your students will be completing. Let students know if they need to bring or prepare anything before class.   The idea is to create an active learning environment where students interact with the content and the instructor acts as a guide.   Activities should scaffold the students into the project.

• Establish ground rules for participation
• Assign discussion groups or roles in the problem-solving process
• Students define facts and significant information surrounding the problem
• Pose challenging questions to further discussion
• Students define objectives and possible solutions

Activities students will complete to analyze or plan the project:

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Technology Resources my students will need to complete the analysis:

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Ex: Working in pairs, students began the Blood Bank project by researching ‘bloody’ topics such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia, the role of blood in religion, and the difference between how blood responds to injuries in real life and in films. This entailed gaining a detailed understanding of blood on a chemical, anatomical, and cellular level. The students produced an animated video illustrating the key information about their topic, and made a painting on plywood, which housed the video.

5. Identify any post-analysis activities that your students will be completing.

• Reflection
• Shift context – students see problem or solution from another point of view
• Follow up discussion
• Shift time frame – “what’s next?”, “How could this situation be different?”

Activities students will complete post-analysis:

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Technology Resources my students will need to complete the post-analysis activities:

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Ex: Make a book about each other’s projects.  Use these as study guides for the final exam.

6. Create the assessments that you will use for determining students’ mastery of the learning objectives.

• Formative/Summative
• Challenging questions
• Interactive quizzes
• Problem solution presentations

Ex: Using what you have learned in this class, design an outreach program for K-12 students to educate them about blood disease.

Assessment(s) I will use in my problem-based lesson:

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Technology Resources my students will need to complete the assessment(s):

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7. Verify that your assessments and activities align to the learning objectives.  Do they allow your students to demonstrate that they have achieved the learning objectives?

Resources

• Resources for Getting Started with Project-Based Learning
• Why Project-Based Learning (PBL)