Global Collaboration, Project Based Learning the Common Core State Standards

Editor's Notes

• #2: DIANE: Introduce ourselves here and give contact info at the end
• #3: TIM—If you’re on this webinar, we hope it’s because you share some of these concerns, but more importantly share the belief that working in a project-based learning format that supports common core will help us to address them. We can be alarmed by these numbers, but…
• #4: TIM—Yes, there was a time when American education was the “best in the world,” but like many of those claims about the mid 20 th century, they have more to do with America’s unique position after WWII. Take a look at the history of what Americans have been saying about education at home (I really like the work of Sam Wineburg in History/Social Studies), and you’ll see that we’ve been in “crisis-mode” for over a century. We did pretty well on the basics, and on sorting the cream from the crop for a long time, but we’ve NEVER been good at truly educating all our children.
• #5: TIM—But then, that’s not really very cheery news, either, is it. Globalization is driving a trend that forces us, as educators and as a society, to compare what we’re doing to what is happening in other countries. It means jobs, and it means innovations. But it doesn’t mean a race to catch up in terms of percentiles so that we get those things.
• #6: TIM– So this is the question that is driving us more and more at BIE, and it’s a question iEarn has been asking globally for a long time. The question is not just how can we use common core to do that, but what can we find in common core that establishes some common bonds between our objectives, and the objectives of our students . It’s not just how we can align to Common Core, but how can we align what we want for our kids as offered in Common Core, with what they want out of their education? BIE NF Anthony Cody has been essential in helping me to see this, so a shout out to Anthony, in case he’s listening. With that, let’s take a look at Common Core. Diane…
• #7: DIANE --From John Kendall, McRel-Introducing Common Core State Standards: CC101 ASCD webinar
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• #9: DIANE--Links to the standards are available on handouts downloaded when joining the room.
• #10: TIM—Again, there’s noting radically new here in terms of long term objectives, though the standards ARE higher. The point we want to establish is that these our objectives our students CAN share, too. Right now, we’re concerned that too much of our rhetoric about “failing schools” is organized around a supposed or perceived opposition between students and the teachers who work to educate them. It looks something like the slide here.
• #11: TIM—But I think we know that while students and teachers come to class every day because they are required to do so by law (truancy laws, contracts), but that’s not why many WANT to come to class WHEN they want to. What do WE have in common with our students? That’s a better question to ask, isn’t it?
• #12: TIM—For those of you who have worked with Common Core already, or are exploring it, HOW do you see yourself using it to build learning bridges between you and the students you teach? How can it be not only a set of expectations for them, but a set of expectations for what you’ll do, together? Chime in with whatever thoughts you have here. Use your “hand raise,” or just type in your thoughts. We’re really interested to hear from you on this.
• #13: TIM--This is BIE’s visual on our “Essential Elements” We’ve added “ Significant content ” this year to align with Common Core, but let me just go through the others quickly. I’ll start with 21 st C skills . Most of them are not new skills, what’s new is that they’re in demand more often in the 21 st Century. We focus on Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration. Sometimes Creativity creeps in, too. These are best supported by In-Depth Inquiry organized around a Driving Question that leads students to answers they Need to Know, not just because they’re part of our standards, but in order to work together on the project, and ideally because they really want to know these things. That’s where Voice and Choice comes in. Students don’t just need a choice between a PPT and a poster., they need a chance to tell their own story, in their own voice. To do that well, however, they’ll need a lot of Revision and Reflection , which means a lot of Formative Assessment for Learning from us, their peers, and others. It works even better when the project involves a Public Audience throughout, not just at the end. When you’ve got all 8 of these elements firing, you’ve got common ground for high-quality work. So, how does Common Core support that?
• #14: TIM Here’s “the essentials” BIE sees in the CCSS ELA & Literacy standards. NOTE: BIE offers CCSS aligned rubrics for 21 st Century Skills such as Communication, Collaboration, and coming soon, Critical Thinking
• #15: TIM—and here’s where we see the Essentials in the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Along the Scope and Sequence of grade levels there will be a lot of “significant content” to explore, but these essentials will keep coming back in any well-thought project.
• #16: If you’d like to do a little “In-Depth Inquiry” of your own, you can find this article, and others, on BIE’s website under the Tab. But that’s enough about BIE for a while. Let’s see where iEarn sees alignment with it’s own essentials. Diane…
• #17: DIANE -- The added dimension of project based learning through global collaboration..(We like blue!)
• #19:   TIM--BIE has collected over 400 project plans with our partners in grades K-12. These are searchable by grade level and subject area, drawn from several good online project libraries. We’re going to showcase two of them.
• #20: TIM--Complete Documentation on this Project is available at: http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/project/Guide.cfm?upid=3427&tsele1=1&tsele2=106 , and documentation on how it aligns with common core has been posted as well. Basically, this project used the popular show “Amazing Race” to get students chasing down folktales from around the globe.
• #21: TIM--Although done in the classroom without benefits of platforms like iEarn, the project nonetheless meets our criteria for “common ground for a better world.” Students are given opportunities to meet Common Core standards while establishing cross-cultural competencies through folktales. Taking it to the next level…
• #22: TIM--Their writing could benefit from peer editing with others around the world who have “subject matter expertise” in the tales relevant to their own cultures. This would be a great addition of a public audience, and easy to do with iEarn. The “purposes” of the texts may become more complex/interesting, while the Production and Distribution of the work will have much greater effect.
• #23: TIM—Even better, they could share cross-cultural perspectives through iEarn platforms, as done with iEarn’s Folktales/Storytelling Project at http://media.iearn.org/projects/folktales This would lead to a much deeper level of inquiry.
• #24: TIM--Complete Documentation on this Project is available at:   http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/project/Guide.cfm?upid=3391&tsele1=2&tsele2=103 , and documentation on how it aligns with common core has been posted as well.
• #25: TIM--Community gardens are a popular vehicle for exploring all sorts of topics, from kindergarden butterfly gardens all the way up to sustainable local agriculture projects at America’s leading universities (share Ross and Amherst stories). Here, the focus is on a very early “task” in setting up such a garden: using math to determine what will fit. Note, that the project has been LIMITED in scope to what the standards allow, FOR now, but might easily continue to address other mathematics standards in Grade 3, such as Operations (multiplication and division) or Numbers and Fractions. There are opportunities to connect cross-culturally here, too, perhaps through iEarn’s “Tub Gardening” project at https://media.iearn.org/projects/gardens
• #26: TIM--In this project, we also see opportunities for cross-curricular integration, as Writing and Speaking skills are taught and assessed during the math project. It’s a BIG leap, but as we move to this “common ground,” we as teachers need to learn to see how we can collaborate with our students—and others around the world--in our project design so that standards get met where they naturally occur in our curricula, but in a way that brings us together rather than reinforces our common perceptions.
• #27: TIM--And that raises an important parting thought: no matter how good at Project Design you may be, you can’t do it ALL in one project, and neither can your students. Look at your scope and sequence, and scaffold your projects to align with projects that occur naturally with the content and skills you need to teach.
• #28: TIM--We’d LOVE to have more globally focused projects to share with our audience! Consider developing and editing your project with PBL DIY, and share your project with our community! Stay tuned, too, for PBLu.org, a professional development support site for PBL on-line, coming next year.
• #29: DIANE--We’ve mentioned some iEARN projects, now let’s take a closer look. See if you can track BIE Essentials in these as well!
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• #38: DIANE--Questions? TIM--Visions for Application in Your Classroom? How can YOU use Common Core to Create Common Ground for a Better World?
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• #41: DIANE: Introduce ourselves here and give contact info at the end?