Unleash your creativity and inspire your students while increasing engagment
With project based learning students will learn to collaborate with one another, communicate, and express themselves with creativity
WARNING:
I am a bit of a spaz and I get really hyper about teaching and project based learning. My students always know when I come in extra pumped, a big project is on the horizon. NEVER be afraid to try something new.
Tools to Unleash your Inner Beast
MUST READ professional development to help foster your creativity:
Teach Like a Pirate and Outrageous Teaching by Dave Burgess
Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Teach Like a Pirate and Outrageous Teaching by Dave Burgess
Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF PROJECT BASED LEARNING
* You must be excited about the project or your students will not get creative or use higher level thinking.
* You have to believe in your project and be an entertainer. If you are unsure about doing a project your student will produce sub-par work.
* Growth mindset is a must! Squash negativity and praise creativity. Always praise and emphasis what is done well.
* Feature student success! Featuring success is rewarding to those who work hard and inspires others to put in more effort.
* DO NOT OVER USE A TOOL! Project based learning is fun because it is a break from the book, hands-on, creative, and always different
* If I made a baseball card in my class that would be the one and only time I made a baseball card for the year
* You could use a cinema hook more than once but you have to have a creative difference.
* If project based learning becomes repetitive or a chore you will lose your students.
* Do not OVER WORK your students creativity
* If you complete a very large scale project based learning EX: Cinema -follow up with a light project next- maybe a Webquest.
* You have to believe in your project and be an entertainer. If you are unsure about doing a project your student will produce sub-par work.
* Growth mindset is a must! Squash negativity and praise creativity. Always praise and emphasis what is done well.
* Feature student success! Featuring success is rewarding to those who work hard and inspires others to put in more effort.
* DO NOT OVER USE A TOOL! Project based learning is fun because it is a break from the book, hands-on, creative, and always different
* If I made a baseball card in my class that would be the one and only time I made a baseball card for the year
* You could use a cinema hook more than once but you have to have a creative difference.
* If project based learning becomes repetitive or a chore you will lose your students.
* Do not OVER WORK your students creativity
* If you complete a very large scale project based learning EX: Cinema -follow up with a light project next- maybe a Webquest.
Tools to use in your classroom!
#1. Teaser Hook: Do you use Remind.com? If not sign up today!
*Teaser is used to get your students to buy into the work. Creative projects always = work and you want your students excited.
*Remind is great for reminding students about tests, homework, deadlines.
*Remind is perfect to contact an individual student if you are grading and notice their work is missing.
*Teaser is used to get your students to buy into the work. Creative projects always = work and you want your students excited.
*Remind is great for reminding students about tests, homework, deadlines.
*Remind is perfect to contact an individual student if you are grading and notice their work is missing.
#2 Spark My Interest: Show what you learned in a more structured format to ease your students into creativity.
* Sign into Adobe Spark with your Google Account
* Select Spark Video and the program is very user friendly
*Positives: User friendly, students voice tells the story, text can guide the story, pictures can be imported, video can be imported, songs can be selected from a bank or be imported. GREAT for students getting comfortable with digital storytelling.
* Negatives: Voice is recorded in 10 second frames so you need to plan what to say so sentences are not cut off, the features are very constricting to more advanced students who want more editing ability.
* Select Spark Video and the program is very user friendly
*Positives: User friendly, students voice tells the story, text can guide the story, pictures can be imported, video can be imported, songs can be selected from a bank or be imported. GREAT for students getting comfortable with digital storytelling.
* Negatives: Voice is recorded in 10 second frames so you need to plan what to say so sentences are not cut off, the features are very constricting to more advanced students who want more editing ability.
Example: French Revolution Project: Students have to answer the Common Core question and class objectives through events in the French Revolution. All students had to use Adobe Spark but I did allow the advanced students to use Adobe Premiere if they had a paid account.
#3. Not your Average Research Report: Rather than writing a research paper, have your students complete the research and create a webpage.
* Adobe Spark page allows your students to put their research into a webpage format with ease and it is FREE.
* They are able to add text, pictures, video, even buttons in which they could link a quiz.
* As the teacher you are able to link all their pages on a Google doc and share it with the class so they can view each others pages.
* Adobe Spark page allows your students to put their research into a webpage format with ease and it is FREE.
* They are able to add text, pictures, video, even buttons in which they could link a quiz.
* As the teacher you are able to link all their pages on a Google doc and share it with the class so they can view each others pages.
#4. Ditch the Poster Board: Ditch the paper and markers classroom budget. Create visually attractive informational posters with Canva.com
* Canva has the ability to create any size project
* Templates can be used or free form layout
* Teach your students about layout and color that translates into creating real world visual aids.
* Students can print or simply turn in digital copies of their work.
* Templates can be used or free form layout
* Teach your students about layout and color that translates into creating real world visual aids.
* Students can print or simply turn in digital copies of their work.
#5. Research and Review: Students can create baseball cards on influential people and then use the cards to review the information prior to test day.
* I came up with this idea and used Canva.com and index cards to create cards
* Then I was introduced to an electronic baseball cards creator!!
* I came up with this idea and used Canva.com and index cards to create cards
* Then I was introduced to an electronic baseball cards creator!!
#6. You showed a MOVIE: But it has a higher level thinking purpose. Showing a movie can give a good visual, but also be a great spring board to looking deeper at material. Students often think of a movie as a wasted day where they don't really need to pay attention. Answering questions while watching becomes tedious as well as more work for you. So make the movie a base to deeper understanding.
* You can show students a movie and then have them look at fact Vs fiction
* Google Slide Show is a perfect digital media for the information
* This can also be used in literature to compare and contrast the text to a movie
* We often talk Hollywood and why major changes are made: violence and sex often sell more movies
* Google Slide Show is a perfect digital media for the information
* This can also be used in literature to compare and contrast the text to a movie
* We often talk Hollywood and why major changes are made: violence and sex often sell more movies
#7. Cinema Hook: Create a movie to show learning
*Set the project perimeters to the objectives you covered in class = check for understanding and higher level thinking.
* Have them answer the Common Core Standard you were working on in class.
*Talk about camera angles and cross-curricular the arts= I always show examples of camera angles from Hollywood movies
* Have students create storyboards and scripts so you are teaching them to prepare and connecting with writing across the curriculum.
*Set the project perimeters to the objectives you covered in class = check for understanding and higher level thinking.
* Have them answer the Common Core Standard you were working on in class.
*Talk about camera angles and cross-curricular the arts= I always show examples of camera angles from Hollywood movies
* Have students create storyboards and scripts so you are teaching them to prepare and connecting with writing across the curriculum.
The Roaring 20s: Students were all a specific 1920s historical figure and paired up in groups of three and had to cover a topic of the 1920s while being their historical figure of the 1920s. Students were responsible for leaving the viewer with some facts about their historical person as well as teaching the 1920s topic and answering the Common Core standard.