Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, but how do you get started with Project Based Learning?

Overwhelmed by advice? Not sure you want to build a papier mache whale in your multipurpose room like you saw in someone else’s school that your principal pointed out to you? Here’s a slightly more distilled version of advice to get started from the school of hard knocks.

The Projectile Project – let’s do launch

Launching the first, very small project of the school year – a light lead-in to project based learning that was a hit, although not literally. Yet.

Thank God for the second time through…

What’s the sweet spot for years at a grade level?

Expecting the Best

Shifting the culture of the classroom from critique to coaching.

8th Grade Graphing Skills: less rubbish than I thought

Do kids learn and retain skills from one year to the next? Leveraging Monty Python’s “Ministry of Silly Walks” to find out (and teach the concept of distance vs time graphs).

Pre-testing academic vocabulary interactively

It’s more fun all round to get students talking science using concept cards, than giving them a pre-test. Here’s what we did, and some interesting conceptual confusions students have about force and motion.

Boys, feelings, bullying and redemption in “Luke and Jon”

Two useful truths for the upcoming school year emerge from this beautiful book about two pre-teen mis-fits set in Peak District in the north of England.

Wisdom overheard on the Oxford bus…

Some intriguing little nuggets on dealing with a ‘bad’ class the English way….

Egg Head Helmet Project’s a um, smash…

Some good news, and ideas for weaving projects into curriculum – before, during or after the relevant units?

Do-It-Yourself first! Projects, labs, assignments..

Such a duh, but so hard to do. Here’s why it’s so worth it as a key step to implement new activities and projects.