PBL

It has been my intention this year to fully chronicle my new adventures in project based learning (PBL) in a high school STEM program. It’s hard to believe that in a few short weeks our first semester will be over, and we will be half way through the year. It feels like we just started, and I am just now writing a post!

Last Friday we wrapped up a five-week project called Tools of Tomorrow. It was the first time we had ever tried a school wide project. The results for our students were amazing to see. It was so exciting to see our students ready to present to investors and inventors. They were all dressed up and coordinated within their groups. They set up computers and models and excitedly shared their innovations. The atmosphere kind of felt like a high tech science fair – only better. It was amazing!

Tonight, I am honored to be part of a panel to discuss STEM and project based learning with #STEMchat hosted by The Maker Mom. I hope you’ll join us on Twitter from 9-10 pm EST to hear about what PBL looks like and how it can enhance STEM programs.

Here are the other panelists who will be participating:

• @Venspired, Krissy Venosdale is passionate educator, STEAM advocate, Space Camp alum and maker of inspirational classroom posters. Learn more about her at Venspired.com.
• @BetaMiller, Andrew Miller, is an educational consultant with ASCD and the Buck Institute for Education as well as a regular blogger for Edutopia.
• @SaraFHawkins, Sara Hawkins, is an attorney, robotics coach, and mom to a STEM Girl. She blogs at Saving for Someday.
• @LaurieEDU, Laurie Kreindler, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of IT’S ABOUT TIME®. You can read her writings at Education Insider™.
• @ItsAboutTimeEDU, IT’S ABOUT TIME®, is the leading provider of SF-backed, project-based STEM curricula and edtech for K-12 and college students across the country.
• And @KimMoldofsky, also known as The Maker Mom and founder of #STEMchat. You can also follow at @STEMchat, which is the default account if landed in Twitter “jail.”

I look forward to chatting with you this evening!

Today was the big day. As my freshman chemistry students made their way to my door, I handed them a copy of their schedule and welcomed them into our classroom to find their assigned seats. Wait – that’s not right because it’s way too traditional, and I am part of a nontraditional project based learning (PBL) program this year. So what really happened?

After students arrived and received their schedules, we gathered all of our CDAT* freshman into a large classroom in order to introduce our very first project: Lowe’s Toolbox for Education. On Friday, each group will pitch their idea for the grant (a way to improve our school using $5,000). Tomorrow, each student is bringing 10 ideas and will begin working with their groups to narrow down their final idea and pitch. (Students will have work time in their science, language arts, and tech classes.) Thursday students will put on their finishing touches, and Friday groups will have 30 seconds to pitch to their classmates and teachers. The best part? We’ll be submitting the best group idea for the grant. I am so excited to see where this project takes us, and it’s such a great introduction into what we are all about.

*CDAT is the name of our STEM academy – Center for Design And Technology. Our guiding principles are authenticity, creativity, and efficiency. You’ll be hearing a lot more about the program throughout the year.

A month ago, school wound down. Like other years, I started going through all of my supplies, papers, and books, purging out what I no longer needed. And just like many other years, I began packing up what remained of my classroom for a move. But this year, something was different. Instead of moving down the hall, upstairs, or into a brand new building, I am moving to a new school.

After eight years in my current position, I decided I was ready for a change, a new challenge, and a new adventure. As I packed up everything from my classroom and crammed it into my car, I was full of excitement, sadness, and wonder. I can’t wait for my new position! I can’t believe I am leaving great friends and a respected position behind. Am I making the right decision?

As I walked out the doors of “my” school for the last time, I was reminded of why I made this decision. I thrive on challenge, and I love to find innovative ways to educate students and engage their passions. I was starting to get too comfortable. I was no longer stretching forward as much as I had been eight years ago. It is time to start something new.

This fall, I will be teaching high school as part of a STEM academy. It’s a school within a school model. Our entire high school is going to project based learning (PBL), but the program I am joining, CDAT, has been doing multiple subject integrated project based learning for four years. The school I am joining was just certified as a Georgia STEM school, the first public high school to earn this distinction. One of the other exciting things about my new school is that it is the high school my middle school students feed into. This means I will have the opportunity to teach many of my former sixth grade students again as high schoolers. I am really looking forward to this.

I have already had a chance to work with my new team planning a couple of our projects for the fall. I am really looking forward to working more as part of this team. It’s going to be an amazing adventure. My goal will be to share how we do project based learning with you, so stay tuned for more on this amazing journey!

And were you wondering what I will be teaching? I’m joining our STEM academy, and I will be teaching chemistry, engineering, and a introduction to technology course this fall.