Terry Smith - Project Based l...

Terry Smith - Project Based Learning

www.smithclass.org

My 4th Grade Class: I host Internet projects, I join Internet projects, and I seek out connections - or the connections find me. The effort is to establish or connect with a community of learners. It's all very dynamic and sometimes disorganized. I use learning centers, projects, the Internet, kid blogs, web quests, video, audio, the outdoors, and also standard classroom materials in reading, math, science, and social studies.

Classroom-to-Classroom Projects	Multi-School Projects	In-Class Projects
Internet Chess	Monster Project	Weekly Newspaper
Hannibal - England Rowsley Primary and St. Oswald's video conferencing email pals	Landmark 2008 Project	Hiking - twice each year
Hannibal - Japan Video share:music and language; Legends, Top Ten Project, Cartoon Project	1001 Tales to the Alien King Our Start Wiki Page Mrs. Lowe - Australia	Learning Centers - small daily projects, student-led
Hannibal - Taiwan Native Peoples, World Problems Project, Food Project, Butterfly Project	Voices of the World	Monster Movies - and general use of video
Hannibal - Pakistan Plants Project, Stamp Project	Classblogmeister Connections with numerous classrooms in the USA and around the world	Playground Perimeter
Hannibal - Naches, WA Mrs. Black Math, Book Share, Iditarod	Alaskan Iditarod Race	Our City Podcast - and general podcasting
Hannibal - Bridgeport, CT Mr. Greenberg Math, Magic, Storytelling, video conversation	Journey North: Monarchs	Web Quests - Questgarden.com
Hannibal - Moosejaw, Canada
Hannibal - Laingsburg, MI

Guiding Principles:
Caring, Confidence, Effort, Responsibility, Common Sense, Teamwork, and Problem Solving. These are actual signs on the wall in the front of my classroom, and I refer to them throughout the year as as I see these concepts happening in class, or as a reference to what we should be doing in a certain circumstance.

Classroom Management:

Planning, planning, planning and more planning. Kids love projects and kids love to be kids, so it's really easy (as you know) for kids to get off task, which can lead to pandemonium if not directed properly. I use teams/groups whenever possible. I explain and re-explain projects until I'm sure kids have an idea what is going to happen. Once kids become accustomed to the freedom and responsibility of doing projects, they learn more about how to manage themselves.

Standards: I blend in objectives. Web quests, for example, have a section for stating the standards being addressed. I do the same with the Monster Project, Landmarks, Journey North - that is, I know which standards are being addressed in the lessons and activities. It's really not hard to identify the objectives being "covered" in projects for administrators who are focused on testing. I don't use technology for test practice. I try to stay aware of the scope of whatever might be coming at my kids on standardized tests, but I do not (will not) teach to the test, and my kids generally do okay - up to their current capabilities.