After a recent live Twitter chat, I received a message from a member of my PLN asking for help. Here is the specific message: “I feel that many of the resources available to help teachers fine-tune their projects are too clunky. How do I help them evaluate their practice? I am honestly looking for a ‘hacky’ way to evaluate project versus PBL.” From the coaching perspective, I am wary of using the word “evaluate.” The fear of “getting it wrong” is a major symptom of PBL Paralysis (read more about PBL Paralysis here), which can keep teachers from taking instructional risks. However, interest in continually reflecting on and refining…

Over the next month I will be publishing 5 posts as sneak peaks for our upcoming book, Hacking Project Based Learning, which was written with Ross Cooper (@rosscoops31) and will be released this winter. During a recent chat, a teacher shared his hesitance to approach Project Based Learning (PBL) or inquiry-based learning stems from his belief that some information requires direct instruction. This disclosure stood out to me, as I never thought of PBL and direct instruction as a one or the other option. To the contrary, strategic, differentiated instruction is critical to student success. I have found, teachers are more likely to embrace PBL when they become skilled at seamlessly…

Over the next month I will be publishing 5 posts as sneak peaks for our upcoming book, Hacking Project Based Learning, which was written with Ross Cooper (@rosscoops31) and will be released this winter. When you observe the classroom of an accomplished project based learning (PBL) teacher, the joyful rhythm and the organized chaos can be awe-inspiring. It may feel as though the magnificent sight of a fine tuned PBL experience occurred through an act of magic, however, it is actually the product of a carefully crafted classroom culture. A really cool idea and a well planned project can fall flat, if the culture of the room is not prepared. As…

Two years ago, I joined the administrative team at Eyer Middle School. On my first day, principal Michael Kelly (@principalmkelly), filled me in on the work the school had done to improve grading and assessment practices. He shared some research with me, and as a self proclaimed book nerd, I happily dug into the texts. Less than a year later we embarked on an original experience, as we put an end to marking periods and created a continual grading period pilot in our sixth grade. You can read more about the pilot at principalmkelly.com, but the specifics are not the focus of this post. I am writing this post, because…