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PBL Path offers One to Two-day Workshops on the design principles of Place Based Learning and Project Design. We offer Professional Development Opportunities to provide ongoing support and growth in PBL implementation, as well as On-Site and Virtual Coaching to sustain PBL implementation. PBL Path also offers the service of Curriculum Development in the creation of projects aligned with the Design Principles. One to Two-Day Workshops
Place Based Learning and Project Design Ever wonder how your students, collaborating with local experts, can determine what matters in your community, and shape curriculum to align? This workshop shares a planning process for how your school or classroom can take an idea and turn it into an authentic project with high impact for your community by applying the design principles of culturally embedded, Place Based Learning. We’ll demystify the process of aligning projects to learning standards and Indigenous and cultural ways of knowing. We’ll share examples that illuminate how relevant, Place Based Learning provides an engaging instructional approach for building leadership, critical thinking, creativity, communication and social entrepreneurship skills in students. This hands-on workshop takes you through the planning process resulting in the development of a community-centered, standards based, student directed project that honors and integrates culture and produces tangible results for student learning and the community.
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“When it comes to college education, there is a growing opinion that the focus should be on robust, real-world learning experiences…” From: PBL Trends, Doug Williams. Education Insider, 11/17/15
This workshop explores how PBL can increase student retention and early and ongoing success in college by designing coursework that relate directly to the world they live in. We will guide participants through a planning process to design effective PBL coursework aligned with your learning outcomes. You will have an opportunity to explore syllabi exemplars of college level courses designed to reflect the project approach. We will share examples of how PBL provides opportunities for students to develop communication, collaboration, creativity, innovation, critical thinking, design thinking and social entrepreneur skills. Research at the university and college level indicates that students are more engaged and create higher quality work when they collaborate with community partners.* Also, discipline specific community partners help students build their networks in their course of study, as well as providing authentic feedback on the products they produce. We will explore strategies for designing and implementing client and community based projects where the learning outcomes are dependent on meeting a community or stakeholder’s needs. The workshop will culminate with each participant or team creating a course outline and draft syllabus around a project idea.
*Lee, J. S. , Blackwell, S. , Drake, J. , & Moran, K. A. (2014). Taking a Leap of Faith: Redefining Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Through Project-Based Learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 8(2).
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The leadership workshop immerses instructional leaders in the cultural shifts, structural necessities and teaching and learning nuances unique to a school that uses Place Based Learning as the primary pedagogy. We’ll explore the answers to questions such as: “What is our vision for PBL at our school? How does PBL align to current initiatives? How do we create a master schedule to include PBL? How does teaching and learning look different in a PBL school? How do we introduce PBL to our students and families? How do we leverage and sustain community partnerships?” Having the experience of starting several PBL schools, working on district-wide PBL initiatives and converting schools to PBL, the PBL Path team will guide leadership through the process with consideration for your unique circumstances and a collaborative mindset.
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All sessions are customized to meet the unique needs of participants, the community and the cultural context.
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Professional Development Opportunities
Support for Implementation of Place Based Learning
⊞ Performance and Standards Based Assessment
When students are immersed in place based projects, the products and services they create to demonstrate understanding are far more authentic, yet how do we assess this authentic learning? This session will unpack how to build an assessment plan and create tools that are standards aligned, student and community partner-friendly and targeted for growth and reflection.
⊞ Integrated Curriculum Development and Project Design
In this session we will look at the natural intersections across content areas that lend themselves to creating an integrated project. You will be introduced to a planning process to create integrated projects with authentic community connections.
⊞ Standards Mapping
Make the standards an asset to your teaching and your whole school community by building a blueprint for connected learning. Using Indigenous knowledge, the Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, National Council for the Social Studies Standards and/or cultural standards, we will build a year-long, integrated map that is iterative, responsive to your students needs and clustered for place based opportunities.
⊞ Building Community Partnerships
In this session, we apply the process of story mapping as outlined in Community Story Mapping – The Pedagogy of the Griot (2015). Community story mapping uncovers the story (past and present) and the hidden assets of the community. It identifies areas to align projects with authentic community needs and issues and builds bridges to strengthen and sustain community partnerships.
⊞ Creating a Transformative Culture for Learning
A transformative school culture is not only characterized by close relationships among the adults in the building, they also feature close connections to the families and the surrounding community. Student voice is also an integral part of building a transformative culture for learning. In this session, we will identify and build on assets of the staff, students, families and community members. We will explore strategies to build the culture that encourages a growth mindset among all. You will be guided through a process to create a plan for transforming your school culture in support Place Based Learning.
⊞ Pathways to College and Career
It is estimated that 30 percent of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions today are low income, first-generation college students. However, 89% of these students will not earn a bachelor's degree six years out from high school. In this session, we will explore how PBL, and other effective strategies, positively influences the early college preparation of first-generation college students by increasing self-efficacy, motivation and self-management skills related to college preparedness. This session targets ways to surround students with community support and strengthen the high school academic program using PBL. We will explore effective ways build partnerships with local community colleges and universities to support first-generation college students. Participants will be introduced to the, “Walking the Path - College Orientation Course for High School Students.” The coursework is designed to increase college access to Native students and other underrepresented students.
⊞ Leveraging Historical Sites and Museums for Designing Powerful Place Based Learning Projects
Historical sites and museums provide powerful partnerships to design and implement robust, engaging, and relevant projects. These sites provide a historical context that connects youth to their community and brings history alive.
In this workshop we will explore the design principles of Place Based Learning and discover how you and your students can leverage historical sites and museums in the design of projects. Based on our many successful partnerships (most recently with the Whitney Plantation), we will discuss strategies for creating partnerships and designing expeditions at sites in your community. We will explore powerful community products students can create, aligned to standards and in service of their community.
On Site and Virtual Coaching Support
Sustain Implementation of Place Based Learning Provide on-going coaching support for administrators, coaches, teachers and community partners to support and sustain Place Based Learning. Support is contextualized to the needs of our clients.
Curriculum Development
Align Curriculum and Resources to Place Based Learning PBL Path can assist your school in the development of community-centered, culturally embedded projects aligned to standards.
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