Over 50 PBL Tools to Create More Student-Centric Experiences
So you want to engage your students in Project-based learning, inquiry and passion projects but don’t want to have it be a free for all. How can we guide our students through their personal projects without getting in their way? We’ve put together a list of PBL tools, tips and tricks to guide you and your students through each stage of a project-based learning experience.
According to Forbes, learnability is the #1 skill needed to succeed in the workplace. So what are you doing to help your students flex this muscle? You can start by giving your students the space to figure out how to acquire and make sense of knowledge, how to ideate and plan, and most importantly, how to apply that knowledge in their own unique way. Give them the space to figure it out on their own.
When you turn a totally teacher-driven project into a student-driven one, there are a lot of unknowns and students still need guidance. Students need the tools to inquiry, go deep, investigate thoroughly, empathize, and create something new. These transferrable skills require processes and frameworks - otherwise our students may not go deep enough.
If we want to leave the HOW up to our students, we can help them with the WHAT. Below is a list of PBL tools and resources to help students along.
PBL tools for a deeper learning experience.
This list of PBL implementation strategies gives students enough structure to learn how to learn for themselves without taking away their agency.
1. Motivate Them
First, you need to understand the whole student, so give them the opportunity to act on their interests, goals, and curiosities. Everyone has driving forces and long-term goals. If students can uncover what these are, they are more likely to go deeper, iterate, and improve on their work because they care. And you can uncover strengths and challenges together. It can be as simple as a conversation or brainstorm. To start any project-based learning assignment there needs to be some level of choice. Students should be able to follow interests or passions under an umbrella of curriculum. The list of project-based learning tools and implementation strategies below help students uncover their choice.
GUIDING QUESTION: WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? WHAT ARE YOUR DRIVING FORCES? LONG-TERM GOALS?
Strategies/ Tools to Empower Learning.
QFT - use the question that holds your interest the longest
Create a pinterest or padlet moodboard
Mind map (Mindmeister/ Post-its/ draw/ collage/ doodle)
Make a list (evernote/ keep/ Google Jamboard/ Miro)
Create a Wonder Wall
Use Spinndle’s Interactive Templates - Create a Driving Question, Identify Interests
2. Scaffold Their Investigations
Sourcing and applying information is a key skill we want to scaffold for students. Identifying what's sources are reliable and being able to navigate the breadth of info. is a more important skill than regurgitating content handed to them. How can you give them the tools to navigate on their own? Perhaps students need to decide what the right form of investigation is for their research (survey, interview, participation, research, observation etc.). Students also need to come up with a question list that will help them answer their driving question. Students need to keep their research organized.
GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN YOU FIND AND MAKES SENSE OF INFORMATION?
PBL Implementation Strategies to Scaffold Questioning.
Make a “know/ Need To Know” chart
Survey/ Interview (Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Google Sheet)
Research - find information (Google Scholar, TIME for Kids, National Geographic Kids, Newsela, Knowhere etc.)
Organize resources - Padlet, Pinterest board
Graphic Organizers - organize/ summarize your data
Observe or participate in events/ group
Spinndle’s Interactive Templates - Plan Investigation, Empathy Map, Assemble a Focus Group, Create a Driving Question, Identify with End-Users, Determine Problem Statement
3. Show them how to Plan
Students need to learn to prioritize, focus on the right things, stay on task, and actually work towards achieving their goals. How can you get your students to break down their big goals into smaller, result-oriented "doable" jobs?
GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN YOU BREAK DOWN YOUR GOALS INTO TANGIBLE TIMELINES & TASKS?
PBL Strategies to Support Planning.
Ghantt Chart - to show the roadmap of what you will do and when
SMART goal template
Delegate tasks and due dates (Trello/ or other Kanban board)
Build-out calendars or to do lists
Organizational Chart - outline larger goals and smaller tasks to meet those goals (Google doc/ sheet)
Formal Proposal on Canva/ Google Doc
Spinndle’s Interactive Templates - Set Goals, Determine Objectives, Plan a Timeline of ToDo’s
Spinndle’s Project Roadmaps - Complete with scope, manageable stages, and tasks
4. Create A Space to Improve on Work
Allow students to apply their new knowledge in new ways. Give them space to try, iterate and try again. New experiences = more development. And experiment - students need a safe space or sandbox to try or test their work/ideas/new knowledge. Have you carved that out, or are you only requiring students to "turn in" polished work?
GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN YOU APPLY YOUR NEW KNOWLEDGE IN A NEW WAY?
PBL Tools to Help Students Apply their Knowledge
Storyboard sketch
S.C.A.M.P.E.R method (pen & paper/ mural)
Crazy 8’s design sprint method
Mash-up technique (mural or post-its)
Round-robin technique - write out a bunch of “How Might We…” questions
Documents, presentations, pamphlets, canva , video record or photographic evidence of process
Screenshots of your calendar time boxing - or other strategies you use to keep you on task
Spinndle’s Interactive Templates - Ideate Solutions, Sanity Check Your Idea
5. Promote Knowledge Sharing
We learn by interacting with others. Teachers learn from other teachers. Entrepreneurs learn from other entrepreneurs. With additional access to ideas and knowledge, we get faster answers to questions, and broader perspectives and support. Leverage the knowledge flow of your students.
GUIDING QUESTION: WHO CAN HELP ME BROADEN MY PERSPECTIVE, IDEAS, AND KNOWLEDGE?
PBL Tools to Promote Knowledge Sharing
Do a Needs Assessment. What do you “Need to Know”? Make a list of questions you still have about your work. Ask for feedback.
Seek mentorship and feedback from peers continuously.
Pin or make a bank of strategies or ideas that you think could support your work.
Use Spinndle’s co-learning platform
5. Time for Constant Reflection & Assessment
Reflection or formative assessment of work provides a basis for improvement. What worked in the past? Take small steps forward and evaluate again. Get students to document their learning at every step. This allows them to process the experience. It forces them to slow down, take their time and evaluate their work. It also allows you to support (not grade ) students along the way.
GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN I EVALUATE MY WORK AS I WORK?
PBL Tools and Strategies to Promote Reflection
Share your work with others at every step for constant insight and feedback
Document your learning at every step - process your experience so you can build on it
Self-assess on skills practiced
Use Spinndle’s self-reports and progress tracker
Use Spinndle’s ready-made project guides to keep students organized, productive and on track. Pre-made guides are provided for problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, passion projects and more. Simply customize to fit your next project!
“Spinndle helps my students organize their passion learning projects themselves, by giving them a step-by-step process with clear choices along the way.
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“Previously, a project was given to me with many rules: what I can do and how I do it. My Spinndle project was completely different. I was given the opportunity to create something out of nothing. I changed the way I learned.”
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