Interested in project based learning? You will definitely want to check out the new book in the Hacking Learning series, Hacking Project Based Learning: 10 Easy Steps to PBL and Inquiry in the Classroom. Authors Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy share their experiences as former classroom teachers and current administrators. This book is packed with actionable, ready to implement tips for teachers just getting started with PBL – or those who are ready to take it to the next level.
Project Based Learning
Hacking Project Based Learning is broken down into ten hacks to show readers how PBL will work in any classroom. It includes real stories from teachers in elementary, middle and high school. These stories illustrate how the concepts in the book connect to classrooms. I love books that feel actionable and doable and this book accomplishes that goal. It combines big ideas with strategies you can use right away. This book even includes sections titled “what you can do tomorrow.”
My takeaways from Hacking Project Based Learning:
- Formative assessment and timely feedback is essential during PBL and students should be actively part of this process
- There are strategies to address the issues you might feel get in the way to PBL success (each hack has a section on handling “pushback”)
- PBL doesn’t look the same in every classroom and should look different every year as you work with new groups of students
This book would be a great choice for your own reading list. It is also a strong option for a book club with a PLC or grade level team. There are lots of ideas for teachers thinking about kicking off their first unit PBL unit. You will also plenty of rich information for teachers looking to go deeper into this practice.
Check out Hacking Project Based Learning: 10 Easy Steps to PBL and Inquiry in the Classroom Amazon in paperback or Kindle.
If you dive into this book you share your journey implementing the hacks with the hashtag #HackingPBL!
