PBL Template to design any project
Are you a PBL beginner? Use this PBL template to walk your students through the nuts and bolts on how to design their own PBL experience! In a way this is just a PBL design template or blueprint that teachers and students can use over and over again to design any project-based learning experience. This particular project works well for those students or teachers who are new to project-based learning, inquiry or passion projects. If you are a seasoned PBL teacher, this could be a great stepping stone to more student-led PBL experiences in the classroom
ROADMAP
Stage 1 - Topic Brainstorming
Your project "topic" for this experience is a new skill that you would like to learn such as designing a food garden, publishing a digital book, starting a Roth IRA, or troubleshooting and fixing a broken vacuum cleaner. Complete some or all of the topic brainstorming activities offered here to determine the skill you would like to learn. Choose a brainstorming medium that helps you visualize and organize your ideas such as lists, videos, mindmaps, slides, sketches, tables/charts, etc.
Write down at least five skills, sports, hobbies that you currently do well. Then share those five skills with a partner and have that partner share their five skills with you. Use your partner's skills as inspiration for your own project. Is your partner skilled in something that you would like to learn how to do yourself? Add some of your partner's skills here and if one of them inspires you, choose that skill as the focus of this experience. If not, move on to the next topic brainstorming exercise.
Build on a Skill
Consider building off of a skill that you already have. For example, maybe one of your hobbies is knitting, but you would specifically like to learn how to do more complex stitches such as the raspberry stitch. Brainstorm skills that you already have and what you might do to elaborate on or improve upon that skill. Brainstorm using a medium of your choice. If you do not want to elaborate on a skill that you already possess, move on to the next topic brainstorming strategy.
Question and Observe
Observe the world around you for inspiration. Take a notepad and make observations and ask questions about what you're seeing. Use those observations and questions to help you determine a skill you'd like to learn for this experience. For example, you wander outside and notice the reptile shop. You go into the store and immediately start asking yourself questions about how to raise a snake. With a little more observation, questioning, and brainstorming you determine that you would like to learn the skill of caring for a corn snake.
Stage 2 - Driving Question
The next step is writing a driving question. The driving question is the foundation of your project-based learning experience. It summarizes the entirety of your PBL in one question. As you brainstorm driving questions consider the purpose of the experience, goals, desired outcomes, the action(s) that will be taken, those involved in the project-based learning experience, and a relevant audience.
Develop Driving Question
Brainstorm and write a driving question. Frame it as a question, and include action, action-taker, impact, and target audience. Example: "How can I create a digital workbook that teaches teenagers how to invest their rmoney?" The skill is how to invest, the product is a workbook, the audience is teenagers, and the purpose is to teach.
Stage 3 - Community Expert Plan
Community experts are an important component of project-based learning. You will connect with and utilize at least one community expert for this experience. Your expert might help you learn the skill you are working on, offer resources that you may not have access to, and, more. Use this section to develop a community expert plan.
Community Experts
Identify Experts: Brainstorm community experts using a medium of your choice (ex: mind map, list, chart).
Develop a Community Expert Log Sheet: Keep track of the community expert(s) that you'd like to work with. Include their names, contact information, and points of contact. Use a management system of your choice (ex: spreadsheet or table)
Outline a Community Expert Plan: Who will you reach out to? What communication method will you use (ex: email, phone, in-person, video call, etc.)? When will you connect with experts, and what will you say?
Contact Community Experts: Begin connecting with community experts. Tell them about yourself, what you're doing, and how you'd like to work with them. Arrange interviews and/or meetings with these experts and document significant dates here (list, calendar, planner, etc.)
Stage 4 - Authentic Learning Activity Plan
An important part of project-based learning is having authentic learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful as they relate to your topic. What authentic learning experience(s) could you organize or plan that would add value to this experience?
Authentic Learning Activities
Brainstorm authentic learning activities that would add value to this PBL experience using a brainstorming medium of choice (ex: mind map, table, list). Examples: Have a work session with one of the community experts that could teach you the skill, visit a facility or organization that could offer insight, register for a webinar or conference that is related to the skill, etc.
Plan authentic learning activities. What will you do and how is it relevant or valuable to the PBL as a whole? Where will you go? How will you get there? How much time will the activity take? Document your plan here using a medium of your choice.
Stage 5 - Innovative Final Product Plan
You will create an innovative final product to demonstrate and showcase the learning experience. Choose how you will demonstrate learning from the following options or choose a different final product medium that works well for you.
1) Video Tutorial
Ideate: Learn how to do the chosen task/skill, video record a tutorial (lesson), edit the video using a video editing program of your choice, and publish the video. Your tutorial should be a step-by-step narration. Teach your audience. Brainstorm the details of the video tutorial itself, not the content that the video will include, using a brainstorming method of your choice.
Plan: Create an outline of your video tutorial content.
2) Live Seminar
Ideate: Offer a live seminar where you will instruct a group that is interested in learning the skill that you developed. For example, if you learned the basics of knitting, you would teach a “Knitting 101” seminar. Brainstorm the details of this option using a brainstorming medium of your choice. Where will the seminar take place? Will it be in-person, virtually, or both? If it will be virtual, what platform will you use and what equipment will be required? How will you advertise for the seminar? What materials will you need? Will you offer supplemental materials to your guests?
Plan: Outline the seminar content. What will you say? How will you teach your audience how to master the skill?
3) Vlog
Ideate: Rather than have a final product that demonstrates what you've already learned, create your final product as you're learning. Show the learning experience in progress. Do this by creating videos of the learning experience and publishing them in Vlog format (on Youtube, live on Facebook, on IGTV, etc.) Brainstorm the details of the Vlog here using a brainstorming tool of your choice.
4) Choose Your Own
Ideate: Brainstorm your final product plan using a brainstorming method of your choice.
Plan: Organize and plan the details of creating your final product of choice.
Stage 6 - Authentic Presentation Plan
You will share your final product and new knowledge with an authentic audience, one that is relevant to your topic or purpose. Your authentic presentation will depend on the final product you choose to create and your target audience. Use this section to help outline an authentic presentation plan.
Authentic Presentation
Who is your target audience? Brainstorm an audience that is relevant to the skill at hand. Who would benefit from learning about the skill you have to teach?
How can you reach your target audience? This will depend on your final product.
Document your authentic presentation plan. Your authentic presentation should reach your target audience.
Stage 7 - Research
What questions do you have about the skill? What do you need to know to learn this new skill? Use this section to map out a research plan.
Research Questions/Categories
Questions/Categories: What do you need to know in order to learn the skill? For example, if I were learning how to knit I would need to know what materials I'll need, how to use each tool, different types of stitching, the difference between knitting needle sizes, and more. Write down a minimum of 10 questions that you have about the skill or essential research categories. You will use these questions/categories to guide the learning experience.
Stage 8 - Task List
Now that you have designed your project-based learning experience, list and organize tasks that need to be completed to produce quality project outcomes.
Organize Project Details
Plan a timeline of to do's
Stage 9 - Progress Feedback
Evaluate progress as you go. Gather feedback from your peers, instructor, and even community experts if you'd like. You will also self-evaluate at least once during the project process. You can ask for feedback anytime, especially at times when you're feeling stuck. Evaluation periods have been outlined in this project stage. Feel free to use the rubric attached here as an evaluation tool.
Feedback Checkpoints
Project Plan Peer Review: Share a rough draft of your project plan with your class or a small group of peers (community expert, final product, and authentic presentation plans). Ask for feedback and make adjustments to your plan if necessary. Summarize the peer review session and outcomes here.
Final Product First Draft: Share the first draft of your final product with your peers for feedback. Make adjustments based on their suggestions. Summarize feedback and suggestions here.
Self-Evaluate Second Draft of Final Product: Self-evaluate the project experience as a whole. Summarize your self-evaluation here.
Third Draft Final Product: When you are at the stage of finalizing your final product, share the current draft with your instructor for feedback. Summarize feedback and suggestions here.
Stage 10 - Evidence of Learning
Add evidence of learning as you complete each element of your project-based learning plan.
Showcase Learning Experiences
Community Expert Communication: Add videos, photos, short reflections, or any other pieces of evidence to share experiences that you had with your community experts.
Authentic Learning Experiences: Add videos, photos, a written reflection, or any other medium to showcase authentic learning activity experiences.
Final Product: Add evidence of your final product using a medium of your choice. Write a short reflection on the final product creation experience. Evidence examples include a link to your vlog, a short snippet of your video tutorial, photos of your seminar, etc. You can choose how you will share evidence of your final product.
Authentic Presentation: Add evidence of your authentic presentation. You can choose how you will share evidence. You can share photos, a written reflection, a video, or something else.
Stage 11 - Reflection
Reflect on this project-based learning experience as a whole. You can write a reflection in essay format, create a video or audio reflection, or even reflect verbally with a peer, your instructor, and/or community experts. You choose.
Reflect on the PBL Experience
Reflect on the experience using a medium of your choice (ex: essay, video, audio, etc). What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome those obstacles? What are you the proudest of? What strengths did you bring to the experience? What are the implications of this experience and the outcomes of the experience? How has this experience impacted the community as a whole? How will this experience continue to impact the community? How can you apply this experience to your life or your future?
Stage 12 - Extension Options
What more could be done to continue your work? How could you build upon the experience, learn more, gain more skills? Browse the extension options/suggestions provided here.
Host a Hobby Fair
Ideate: Organize and host an exhibition event where all students showcase their new skills. Brainstorm event ideas here using a medium of your choice.
Plan: Determine a date, time, and whom to invite. Invite community experts to the event! Create invitations, organize presenters, promote the event to the school and/or local community. Decide if you will have refreshments, gather volunteers to help run the event, etc. Create a planner, calendar, or some other method of planning this event.
Final Product: Add evidence of your final product (ex: photos, slides, video)
Reflection: Summarize and reflect on the experience. What went well? What challenges did you face? What was the most important takeaway from the experience? How did this experience impact your community?
Theme Project
Ideate: Extend your original project. You can do this in a variety of ways. One way would be to learn several more skills under the same hobby or skill umbrella. For example, your original project was to learn how to use an Instant Pot for cooking. Extend your project to learn how to use a variety of cooking equipment such as a food processor, air fryer, slow cooker, etc. Use the same authentic experience you used for your original project, just expand it to include the additional skills that you learned. Brainstorm project ideas and details here.
Final Product: Add evidence of your final product (ex: photos of the event, a slideshow, video footage, etc).
Reflection: Summarize and reflect on the experience. What went well? What challenges did you face? What was the most important takeaway from the experience? How did this experience impact your community?
Choose Your Own
Ideate: Brainstorm ways to deepen learning by extending this PBL experience. Use a brainstorming method of your choice (mind map, sketch, brain dump).
Final Product: Add evidence of your final product (ex: photos, a slideshow, video footage, etc).
Reflection: Summarize and reflect on the experience. What went well? What challenges did you face? What was the most important takeaway from the experience? How did this experience impact your community?
Stage 13 - Final Evaluation
Share your project experience as a whole with your class, instructor, and/or community experts. Collect evaluations from each. Use the rubric included here as your evaluation form or create your own evaluation. Communicate with your instructor about the evaluation tool that you will use.
Final Assessment
Self-Evaluation: Self-evaluate and summarize your evaluation here.
Peer Evaluation: Collect peer evaluations and add some of their feedback and suggestions here.
Instructor Evaluation: Summarize your instructor's evaluation here.
Community Expert Evaluation: Have your community expert(s) complete evaluations and summarize them here.
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