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Project Based Learning

PBL

 

Are your students building knowledge and skills for the modern world through deeper learning?

 

PD for teachers, school, and district leaders

Grow student thinking and learning aligned with your content standards and/or skills using the TeachThought PBL Model.

Our Workshops

Available Online or On-Site

Professional development (PD) for teachers, school, and district leaders is an essential component of effective Project Based Learning (PBL) implementation. ThoughtStretchers Education helps educators understand the principles and best practices of PBL and provides them with the tools and resources they need to design and implement high-quality PBL projects in their classrooms.

To help educators effectively integrate PBL in their classrooms, we offer a range of Professional Development (PD) options for teachers and school and district leaders. Whether you’re a teacher looking to design and plan quality PBL projects, a school leader looking to support PBL implementation, or a district leader looking to measure and grow the impact of PBL, our PD courses are tailored to meet your specific needs and can be delivered on-site or online.

PBL Workshops - Foundations of PBL On-Site or Online

3 Day Workshop

Teachers learn how to design and plan quality PBL, build meaningful assessments, and employ strategies for the management of the process. Participants will engage in increasing levels of peer critique throughout the workshop.

Deliverable: The creation of a project for classroom implementation. Online schedules may be personalized for delivery to meet your needs.

2 Day Workshop

Teachers learn how to design and plan quality PBL and build meaningful assessment practices. Participants will engage in increasing levels of peer critique throughout the workshop.

Deliverable: creation of a project for classroom implementation. Online schedules may be personalized for delivery to meet your needs.

1 Day Workshop

Learn the basics of PBL and how it can help you and your school move students from consumers to creators to contributors.

Deliverable: This workshop usually allows for project ideation and sets participants up for project development as the next step. Online schedules may be personalized for delivery to meet your needs.

Growing SEL With PBL

Meaningful PBL focuses inquiry on content and effectively cultivates Social and Emotional Learning skills simultaneously. During this workshop, educators will create their own PBL project integrated with SEL competencies by experiencing the PBL process as learners and leaders of learning. Teachers from all levels and content areas will partake in a PBL experience with protocols and structures instantly transferable to any classroom. This comprehensive workshop cognitively and experientially engages and supports teachers to confidently transition to SEL-infused PBL, inspiring students to change their world.

Deliverable: The creation of a project for classroom implementation with specific SEL strategies embedded. Online schedules may be personalized for delivery to meet your needs.

PBL On Demand

This can be a great option for small schools or groups with limited budgets. Our PBL On Demand Videos are meant to help you build foundational knowledge and understanding on your schedule with the option to build on that learning with follow-up coaching conversations!

Presented by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education, architect of the ThoughtStretchers PBL Model, and Foundations of PBL Workshop designer and facilitator. Each of the three parts can be viewed asynchronously with the option for a live/synchronous follow-up video chat session to explore your questions and reflections and deepen your understanding.

Personalize your experience by selecting one, two, or all three parts along with a live coaching conversation, or choose the purely asynchronous option. Visit our PBL On Demand page to learn more.

*These options are to be viewed as starting points, contact us for personalized plans to best fit your needs.

Read: 5 Characteristics Of Project Based Learning That Works

Advanced • Leadership & Coaching • Continued Growth & Support Options:

District or School Partnership – Sustainably innovate and transform your school(s) with a multi-year plan that aligns with your Mission/Purpose and Vision and includes expertise from the wide spectrum of ThoughtStretchers Education leadership and facilitators.

Next-level PBL – Already built a PBL foundation? Take your PBL to the next level with more sophisticated project design, assessment, and culture.

Read: 5 Examples Of Project Based Learning Protocols

Internal Sustainability Coaching – Develop internal resources to sustain and grow PBL by leveraging internal teacher-leaders and coaches.

Getting High-Quality Presentations from Students – Are you ready to ramp up communication in your classroom? This workshop will empower teachers with resources and strategies to foster communication skills and get the most out of student presentations. Teachers will leave with an actionable plan for high-quality presentations.

On-Site Support Visits – Our PBL coaches work in partnership with your teachers and leaders to refine and tune projects and PBL understanding, observe teaching and learning to provide feedback, and reflect and revise for future project implementation.

Leader Scheduled Virtual Visits – A great way to reduce travel costs, these sessions allow our PBL coaches to do much of the same work as on-site visits via online video conferencing.

Teacher Scheduled Virtual Office Hours – Teachers or leaders can connect with their PBL Workshop Facilitator for help as the needs arise instead of having to wait until the next scheduled PD day.

Developing Sustainable PBL

1 Day On-Site Workshop – Engaging with the PBL process, school leaders and stakeholders will design a sustainable PBL implementation plan for their school or district. Using this approach leaders will develop a deeper understanding of the basics of quality PBL and how to align this work around Mission/Purpose and Vision. Recommended as a starting point prior to capacity building Foundations of PBL Workshops for teachers. This workshop is most impactful when including key administrators and teacher-leaders as well as community business and industry partners and even students.

Read: 7 Questions To Guide Your PBL Implementation Plan

Having talked with most of the people present, we all felt the PD went extraordinarily well–far exceeding expectations. The information you presented was impactful and helped us deepen our perspective and thinking about the process here at St. Laurence. Further, we all felt that your personality and approach are a tremendous fit for our community and are very excited to have you back to work with our full staff. After 20 years in education, I often have wide ranging feelings about PD and presenters. But it was truly a great experience Drew.

-Brian, Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction

This PBL workshop really helped me understand the process of PBL because we were immersed in the process of PBL and doing the things we were being taught to apply throughout the whole three days. We created our own need to know lists, Dori did an amazing job using questions to drive our learning, we also were able to instantly put to practice everything we were learning about after the inspiration given by our facilitator.

-Jaycie, pre-k or elementary school teacher

I really enjoyed this workshop as a 3rd year teacher because it opened my horizon on new things to do in the classroom. John also demonstrated most of the things he talked about which made it even better to remember.

-Ebonie Thomas, middle school teacher

I have already reached out to our district coordinator and requested more workshops from TeachThought PD.

-Elizabeth MacQuigg, middle school teacher

You will leave this workshop overflowing with ideas, technologies, and strategies that you can implement in your classroom on Monday morning!

-Thomas, HS teacher

Thank you for changing the way I teach!

-Jana McCarthy, elementary teacher

Thank you so much for giving us (the teachers) the tools to make real education happen! Finally!

-Amy Guier, middle school english teacher

This is a must-attend workshop. It really changed my perspective on what exactly I should be teaching through my content.

-Philip Ellis, high school science teacher

We were constantly engaged in group activities and discussion/dialogue. Excellent trainer with a lot of knowledge and understanding about PBL, it took me out of my comfort zone!

-Shafaq Imran, teacher

Thank you very much. I have a new "light" on how to get my students to think on their own and at a deeper level.

-Morgan Payton, middle school ELA teacher

The content is excellent and the presenter was highly effective.

-Jim Whitaker, high school social studies teacher

This is effective and worthwhile professional development.

-Emilie Clemmens, math teacher and curriculum coordinator

I enjoyed the workshop. I am able to use what I learned in my classroom!

-Tonya Jones, elementary teacher

Well designed learning presentations and activities...wonderful enriching learning activity.

-Marlene Burek, Manager of Special Education

Fantastic job facilitating a super helpful workshop. I hope to have an opportunity to attend a TeachThought PD again soon!

-Leann Turner, agriculture sciences teacher

Excellent training, built confidence in teachers to further become facilitators of student learning!

-Ron Lockhart, high school math teacher

I found this to be more informative and useful than any other PD I've participated in.

-Deborah Shirley, Elementary Teacher

Get in touch:
502 373-0040
drew@thoughtstretchers.org

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