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We are Crew, not passengers.

2/12/25 Innovation Lab High School

Raven Crew PBL

Make sure your table groups have people from multiple departments

• Circle up-Raven Loop
• Expeditionary Learning Training

Today’s Agenda

Raven Loop!

Which image most connects to your ability to be flexible ?

or

Where are you when someone ask you to make changes in plans?

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Scope and Sequence Overlap

Where is a place in each scope and sequence of the course you brought that could lead to an expedition or PBL?

What are the Mastery skills that help students complete expeditions and PBL?

Full disclosure: We don’t have a definition for expedition v PBL YET. The goal is to have one by the end of of our next PD.

Breaking down The Barriers!

What are the schedules, systems, and structures that we already have in place at ILHS and how can we leverage them?

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Barriers that we have identified in the past include:

• No overlap
• How can there be an expedition with my class?
• How do electives fit in, and not get lost
• How to do this when we don't have all in the same grade/level across classes
• Adjusting an existing scope and sequence to be flexible so you can work with other teachers or curriculums

Breaking down The Barriers!

How can we use the existing schedules, systems, and structures of ILHS to support expeditions in your class?

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How can we use the existing schedules, systems, and structures of ILHS to support expeditions in your class?

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• Flex Wednesday
• Good learning v Essential learning in Crew
• Already built into the calendar
• Build into end of semester project
• Blocking periods
• Intersession - built between semesters
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Breaking down The Barriers!

What are the schedules, systems, and structures that we already have in place at ILHS and how can we leverage them?

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How can we use the existing schedules, systems, and structures of ILHS to support expeditions between classes?

• Simple list of skills taught in course, so other teachers know what can be used for final product
• Call out skills from other classes when giving DOL options
• Class provides service for another class
• Crosswalking document
• Universal skills not standards
• Centralized theme
• KISS for others to understand
• FLEX Wednesday

Identify a topic/unit on your curriculum map a new project could happen.

• Come up with a problem or Essential Question the project will answer.

Three 10 minute rotations

• Talk to one another. Look at your course map that you brought with the project you identified last week, and where do you see overlapping ideas?
• You may have to talk to more than one person.
• Example: Industrial Revolution in US History talks to Environmental PLTW → expedition on greenhouse gasses.

THE GOAL: Identify a topic and subject, an Essential Question, and the skills you’ll be assessing.

Is there an expedition/project you and a colleague identified for your classes to work on?

Is there a topic you would like the students to go into more depth with a large project?

OR

There are resources on slide 13 to help plan, navigate, and scaffold large projects and expeditions.

The goal for the next PD is to build an outline of what these projects will look like with the class/subject you’re partnering with.

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What is an expedition?

In Expeditionary Learning (EL), an expedition is a learning experience that students conduct instead of sitting in a classroom. Expeditions are a key part of the EL educational system, which aims to develop students' character and intellect through real-world experiences and challenging work.

Here are some characteristics of EL expeditions:

• Authentic: Expeditions integrate academic content with real-world experiences.
• Multidisciplinary: Expeditions can integrate different subjects, such as science and social studies.
• Experiential: Expeditions involve students in hands-on learning, such as conducting experiments, fieldwork, or research.
• Challenging: Expeditions are meant to be adventurous and meaningful, and encourage students to take on leadership roles.
• Collaborative: Expeditions encourage students to work together and ask questions.
• Integrated: Expeditions can take place in a variety of settings, including classrooms, the wilderness, or virtual spaces.

EL also aims to build character and develop essential skills in students, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and life skills.

Project Based Learning

• Students produce an artifact to demonstrate their understanding of the course content.
• PBL is often multidisciplinary and longer than problem-based learning.
• Students are directly involved in the process and often work in groups to solve a real-world problem.

TLDR: There is a concrete/tangible product: A book, poster, etc

Problem Based Learning

• Students present a solution to a real-world problem that's clearly defined and authentic.
• used in a single subject and is shorter than project-based learning.
• Students work in an inquiry-based way to explore solutions and often share their outcomes with the teacher.

TLDR: There is an answer/proposal on how to solve the problem (CIP)

Expeditions

Will include concepts of PBL

• Make a tangible difference in the community
• Often give students more autonomy to choose the direction of their inquiry and how to address a problem
• Interview community members and search outside the classroom for the answer.

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TLDR:

Expeditions are comprehensive projects, diving deep into a topic with multiple facets, while PBL projects focus on specific skills or content areas.

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Choice board of resources

Creating Guiding Questions

Let's review. A good driving question meets the following criteria:

• Engaging for students. It is understandable and interesting to students, and it provokes further questions and focuses their inquiry process.
• Open-ended. There are several possible answers, and it cannot simply be Googled.
• Aligned with learning goals. To answer it, students will need to learn the targeted content and skills.

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Creating Guiding Questions

Driving Questions that explore a philosophical or debatable issue, or an intriguing topic, such as:

• Is there “liberty and justice for all” in our society?
• Could there be life on other planets?
• What should be our policy on immigration?
• What does it mean to be a man?
• Does it matter what we eat?

Pros: Highly engaging to students; the kind of question they’ll keep talking about when they leave the classroom. Often resemble “essential questions” found in Understanding by Design and the Coalition of Essential Schools, which teachers may be familiar with.

Cons: Harder to write; may feel like advanced PBL practice because the task and product are not spelled out. Typically found more often in upper grade levels and certain subject areas (e.g., humanities) more than others (e.g. math, world languages, career/tech).

Driving Questions that specify a product to be created or a problem to be solved—to which the students’ role may be added, such as:

• How can we help protect an endangered species in our area?
• How can we reduce bullying?
• How can we create a guide to our community for new immigrants?
• How can we, as historians, create podcasts that tell the story of our city?
• How can we, as medical interns, diagnose a sick patient?

Pros: Easier to write. Helps focus younger students on their task in a project. Roles define the kind of thinking we want students to do (as historians, scientists, etc.), add a real-world element, and can be good for career exploration.

Cons: Can feel less engaging for students; sometimes simply states what the teacher wants students to do. Roles may feel fake to some students; older students in PBL especially may prefer being themselves.

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