If you are thinking of using Project-Based Learning (PBL) in the classroom, here’s one idea to consider. Below, I share how our team created opportunities for students to be upstanders and raise awareness of an issue that matters to them. While the example is from my teen Humanities classroom, the principles of having students bring their interests into the classroom would be the same with any subject or age-level.
Read on for some details on our final assessment and a free website evaluation mini-workshop that had great results in our classroom.
The Background
We are just wrapping up a ‘We And They’ unit with our teens (12-14) that focused on injustice and discrimination from the past and the present. It has been an eye-opening experience for them and – at times – they have become quite outraged at the inhumanity of certain historical events. We had guest speakers present and answer their questions about the Armenian Genocide (2nd generation survivor) as well as the Bosnian Genocide (eye-witness). Of course, we want students to leave this learning experience with hope in their hearts, rather than anger, so our goal has always been to show that upstanders can make a difference.
Below, I share some resources for our final assessment. These have been key in helping students be inquirers, take action, and use their voices for change.
Empowering Learners Through Choice
Students will finish the unit by choosing 1 of 2 projects.
Whichever options students choose, they will have to carry out research, evaluate sources, list their sources in MLA format (my school’s preference), and produce texts that are suitable for their intended audiences.
Website Evaluation Workshop
For evaluating sources, we use the ABCD method. As I have students arriving and leaving at all stages of the academic year, I make sure to review these skills through a mini workshop. For students who arrive after we’ve completed the workshop together, they can access the workshop online. If you’d like to know more, click here.
PBL Options
The first of the projects involves creating a public service announcement to raise awareness of an issue they care about (related to the Pyramid of Hate (below) and the Pyramid of Alliance). They can use any medium they wish from paper and pen to whatever technological tools they have at their disposal. As we are back to online learning, no doubt most will choose a digital medium.
The 2nd option is to submit an entry to one of the competitions on the My Hero website (where every entry is acknowledged and rewarded). This site features heroes from all countries and walks of life – most have been submitted by the public as part of the ongoing My Hero project.
There are several contests to choose from at any given time of the year, but they can all be categorised under story, art, film, or audio. I’m hard-pushed to think of a type of media that doesn’t fit under these categories so it offers a lot of choice. The difference between this project and the previous one is that students’ main focus is more on an individual or organisation rather than an issue alone.
The site can be pretty overwhelming, but they have ways of supporting teachers and students. As soon as I contacted the My Hero team with a question, they assigned me an educator to assist in getting started.
When I told her the goal of the project, she immediately created a page featuring upstanders from the profiles available on the site. This makes it much easier for students to see models of what they might aim for.
I’m looking forward to seeing what students produce. When we talked about it earlier this week, they were excited to get started and immediately started sharing ideas about what they might research.
This kind of ‘open’ learning always seem to motivate my teens, and I’m sure it’s because they can connect it to their personal interests and experiences. There is enough structure for them not to be overwhelmed balanced with the possibilities their experiences and interests offer.
If you’d like more details or support in implementing a project like this, connect in whatever way you feel comfortable. Leave a comment below, or join our Facebook group to discuss ideas.
Meaningful learning that allows students to connect to their own interests?
We’ve got this.
