1 of 34

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND PE

AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO ADDING CRITICAL DEPTH TO PE

2 of 34

YOU CAN DO MORE WITH PE

3 of 34

INTRODUCTION

  • Started teaching in Sydney, Australia
  • Moved to Beijing in 2014
  • Started www.21-pe.com in 2015

4 of 34

  • Beijing, China
  • IBPYP and Ontario Curriculum
  • Grades 1 and 2: once a week, with an additional performing arts class, (1:1 iPads)
  • Grades 3-5: twice a week (G3- 1:1 iPads, G4/5 1:1 MacBooks)

5 of 34

OVERVIEW

  • What is PBL?
  • Got an example unit?
  • Why should I try PBL?
  • How do I plan a PBL unit?
  • Q&A

6 of 34

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING?

  • The project is the unit
  • Inquiry emphasized but traditional approaches have their role as well:
    • Basic literacy, numeracy, physical skills, etc.
  • Our society runs on projects

7 of 34

THIS IS NOT PBL

  • Product emphasized and graded.
  • Does not accurately resemble projects in the real-world – we need authenticity.
  • ”Dessert products” – Doing a project
  • “Main course” - PBL

​

8 of 34

GOT AN EXAMPLE UNIT?

Adventure Challenge

  • Team-based challenges
  • Focus on interpersonal relationships, social and emotional intelligence, etc.

9 of 34

GOT AN EXAMPLE UNIT?

  • Let’s make our challenge REAL!
  • Physical literacy
  • COVID-19
  • Online Learning (1 week? 6 weeks?)
  • While still hitting my learner outcomes
  • Backwards design:
    • Create a website where people can engage with student work.

​

​

10 of 34

FIRSTLY…

  • Provocation activity
  • Pose a challenging problem or question:
    • Driving question
  • Open-ended
  • Broad
  • Multiple solutions

​

11 of 34

12 of 34

SUSTAINED INQUIRY

  • Students can explore the unit independently at their own pace
  • PowerPoint – the unit is in their hands
  • https://www.21-pe.com/powerpoints

​

​

13 of 34

SUSTAINED INQUIRY

14 of 34

AUTHENTICITY

  • 4 things to ensure authenticity in PBL:
    1. Context matches what happens in the real world
      • Trying to solve a real problem

2. Tasks and tools match the real world

      • Group planning, team dynamics, scheduling, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Wix website design

3. Impact on the real world

      • Website is live, parents are encouraged to move by their own kids, physical literacy

4. Personal connection

      • Students/the world, greatly impacted by the pandemic (COVID and lack of movement)

​

15 of 34

STUDENT VOICE AND CHOICE

  • Physical literacy area?
  • How will you teach others?
  • What is your plan?
  • What equipment do you need?

16 of 34

REFLECTION

  • Every lesson allowed for reflection
  • Not just the end, but throughout
  • Discussions:
    • Class
    • Team
    • Individual
  • Why? How? What?

​

​

17 of 34

CRITIQUE AND REVISION

  • Groups presented to each other
  • External feedback

18 of 34

PUBLIC PRODUCT

  • https://djcooney.wixsite.com/becomemovers
  • Real product
  • Real audience
  • Empowered students

​

19 of 34

20 of 34

WHY SHOULD WE TRY PBL?

  • PE is in an identity crisis and is in a battle of relevancy in a crowded curriculum
    • Crum (2017), Kretschmann (2014)

21 of 34

WHY SHOULD WE TRY PBL?

  • Physical education and physical activity are terms that have largely been interchangeable.
    • Pill, (2007)

22 of 34

WHY SHOULD WE TRY PBL?

  • PE is largely influenced by two dated ideologies: (Crum, 2017)
    • Biologistic – teacher-led fitness training
    • Pedagologistic – Entertaining break

23 of 34

WHY SHOULD WE TRY PBL?

  • PE is in decline in all regions of the world. / Pandemic of inactivity.
    • UNESCO (2015)

24 of 34

WHY SHOULD WE TRY PBL?

  • PE needs a paradigm shift

​

25 of 34

WHY SHOULD WE TRY PBL?

  • Because why not.
  • PBL is flexible and can tailor to needs
  • 4C’s of 21st century skills

26 of 34

“…project-based learning significantly outperformed traditional curricula, raising academic performance across grade levels, socioeconomic subgroups, and reading ability.” – Terada (2021)

27 of 34

HOW DO I PLAN A PBL UNIT?

  • The Cult of Pedagogy: Episode #139:
    • How to Create a Project-Based Learning Lesson
  • Be flexible but be aware of your subject constraints

​

PBL Model

Learner Outcomes

Holistic PE Model

Facilities / Schedules

PBL unit

28 of 34

HOW DO I PLAN A PBL UNIT?

  • Backwards plan:
    • Public product in mind
  • Milestones:
    • How will your students get there?
    • What tasks will they complete to get to the public product?
    • How will you provide feedback at each of these milestones? (Informal/formal formative assessment)

​

​

Milestone #1 Provocation

Milestone #2 Formative (Informal: Exit Ticket)

Milestone #3 Formative (Formal: Self-Assessment)

Milestone #4 Formative (Formal: Peer critique)

Milestone #5 Public Product

Summative Assessment

29 of 34

CHALLENGES / CONSTRAINTS

  • Time:
    • Inquiry takes time
    • Cover learner outcomes
    • Cover all domains of well-being:
      • Physical
      • Cognitive
      • Affective
  • It’s different

30 of 34

TIPS

  • Doesn’t need to be PBL all the time
  • Can use other approaches:
    • Traditional / hybrid / inquiry, etc.

31 of 34

TECH TOOLS

  • Microsoft Teams
  • PowerPoint
  • Wix
  • iMovie
  • Seesaw
  • Numbers

​

32 of 34

OTHER EXAMPLES

  • Invasion Games – Basketball and Handball:
  • Body Systems – Wellness Channel:
  • Adventure Challenge – Become Movers:
  • Seussical Musical:
    • Collaboration between Art, Music, the Homeroom and PE.
    • Online musical with a Dr. Seuss theme.
    • Zoomical

​

33 of 34

GIVE IT A GO

  • Choose a unit
  • Think of a public product
  • Create a driving question for it
  • See where your unit planning goes from there.

34 of 34

​

​

​

​

​

​

​