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    The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable
    The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable
    The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable
    Ebook335 pages2 hours

    The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable

    By Michael McDowell, Kelley S Miller and Guy Claxton

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    About this ebook

    The Project Habit provides small doable shifts for busy teachers looking to enhance and innovate their practices. It aims to ensure students develop substantial growth in establishing agency in their own learning, developing rigorous academic content knowledge, and contributing that knowledge and skills to solve real-world

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMimi and Todd Press
    Release dateNov 15, 2022
    ISBN9781950089130
    The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable
    Author

    Michael McDowell

    Michael McDowell, Ed. D. was a public school educator for eighteen years serving in the roles of classroom teacher, academic and athletic coach, school principal, assistant superintendent of personnel and instruction, and superintendent. During his tenure as a superintendent, his school district received state and national accolades including the National Blue Ribbon Award which recognized their work for student performance and mental health and well-being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic by the U.S. Department of Education.Dr. McDowell serves on numerous boards, served as a college professor, and worked for non-profit organizations to enhance student learning around the world. Over the course of his career, Dr. McDowell has authored bestselling books, created professional learning programs and workbooks, provided keynotes and workshops, and provided practical tools and resources for thousands of teachers and leaders on almost every continent around the world. A prolific author and consultant, Dr. McDowell is recognized as one of the leading authorities on integrating innovative and impactful practices into schools. Offering keynotes and executive coaching to heads of school around the world, he partners with educational leaders to implement high-leverage strategies that will enhance teaching and learning in classrooms, schools, and systems.

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      Endorsements

      Michael gets learning and teaching. He is in tune with the challenges teachers face in a complex environment. His strategies cut through the politics of distraction to make a difference where it really matters, which is in the classroom. This book has provided me with the tools to build teacher efficacy and better learners in the classroom. In my 10 years as a leader of pedagogy, I haven’t had any other experiences that have gained more traction with students and teachers than Michael’s work.

      Carlo Trimboli, Leader of Pedagogy

      St. Joseph’s College, Banora Point, Australia

      This book is a must-read for like-minded educationalists who put the child at the center of their practice. Whether you are a novice to the world of PBL or you are well seasoned with the phenomenon, this book is invaluable and will guide you through the language of learning, be it through the lens of PBL or the day-to-day practices of being a teacher.

      Eoin Shinners, Principal

      Limerick Educate Together Secondary School, Ireland

      The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable lays out a clear path for educators looking to enhance student engagement and deepen student learning through straightforward, actionable steps. While many educators aspire to implement high-quality, rigorous PBL, designing and implementing a unit can feel daunting. This book provides accessible strategies and examples that allow educators to shift their practice and maintain focus on what matters most, student learning.

      Megan Pacheco, Executive Director

      Challenge Success, Stanford, California

      Shifting how we think and act to enable today’s learners is no easy feat. The Project Habit provides just that, a shift. Deep thinking and rich action.

      Gregory Tyszkiewicz, Coordinator and Primary Teacher

      Our Lady Queen of Peace Primary School, Greystanes, Australia

      Thought-provoking, actionable, and challenging in all the right ways, The Project Habit is filled with useful strategies that can be implemented immediately. Seamlessly tying together Teaching for Transfer, Rigorous PBL by Design, and James Clear’s Atomic Habits, The Project Habit presents a stepwise approach to preparing for and tackling the complexities that arise before, during, and post a project. The book guides educators to consider how to get the best out of students by habit-building the critical skills required for students to experience success and demonstrate real and measurable learning in a well-planned project. This is the ultimate tool to add to a teacher’s toolbox—providing real examples, usable templates, and well-designed habits that every teacher can consider implementing in their classroom.

      Emmie Cossell, Secondary Science Teacher

      Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Sunshine Coast, Australia

      Michael McDowell’s new book, The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable, ought to come with a warning label: Thinking Required. This is no recipe book for easy-to-do projects. Rather, McDowell draws on research and practice to push readers to reconsider everything from project launch to final reflection. (Question everything is #9 on McDowell’s list of teaching habits worth cultivating.) His end goal—deeper, more equitable learning—makes this a challenge worth taking.

      Suzie Boss, PBL advocate and author of Project Based Teaching:

      How to Create Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences

      McDowell and Miller’s The Project Habit successfully bridges the gap between adopting the pedagogical approaches that most impact student learning and . . . making instructional change manageable and sustainable for teachers. McDowell and Miller support educators in moving from motion into action while ensuring their focus remains on building strong learning cultures and enabling students to demonstrate their understanding at the surface, deep, and transfer levels of learning complexity. Providing rich examples, scaffolds, protocols, and templates, The Project Habit will provide teachers and leaders with the support they need to put into action the approaches that work best in learning, whether in the context of project-based learning or the mainstream classroom.

      Kurt Challinor, Lead, Secondary Learning and Teaching

      Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Lismore, Australia

      McDowell and Miller provide a practical, common sense approach to student learning through the lens of project based learning. More importantly, they offer a guide to closing the feedback loop with students, a task that can feel daunting at the best of times. Student engagement and achievement soared in my class when I applied the time saving strategies outlined in The Project Habit. This is a must read for any teacher that wants to engage, teach and refine student learning.

      Stephanie Trott, Social Studies Teacher

      Redwood Middle School, Napa, California

      Copyrighted Material

      The Project Habit: Making Rigorous PBL Doable

      Copyright © 2022 by Michael McDowell and Kelley S. Miller. All Rights Reserved.


      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

      For information about this title or to order other books and/or electronic media, contact the publisher:


      Mimi and Todd Press

      4629 Cass St. #292

      San Diego, CA 92109

      www.mimitoddpress.com

      ISBN: 978-1-950089-12-3 (paperback)

      978-1-950089-13-0 (ebook)

      Printed in the United States of America

      Program Director: Paul J. Bloomberg, Ed.D.

      Publishing Manager: Tony Francoeur

      Production Coordinator: Lisa Cebelak

      Copy Editor: Terri Lee Paulsen

      Line Editor: Rita Carlberg

      Book Designer/Typesetter: Van-Garde Imagery, Inc.

      Indexer: Maria Sosnowski

      Cover Designer: Alison Cox

      Creative Director and Graphic Design: Alison Cox

      Marketing Manager: Jace McCracken

      Office Manager: Leah Tierney

      Online resources are available at mimitoddpress.com/the-project-habit

      Acknowledgments

      While learning is often done in the company of others, writing is a solitary task. My immense gratitude goes to the village that surrounded my family so that I was never truly working alone. The invisible labor of car pools, pizza dinners, and extended playdates is what gave me the time it took to co-author this book. Thank you to the Ex family, Southam family, Chatham family, Martha Clements, and the dear friends in my community who share the joy and labor of child-rearing with me. Much appreciation for the teachers and fellow learners in Napa Valley and beyond who continue to shape a more innovative and equitable vision for education; we learn something from each other daily. Unending thanks to my husband and my parents, lifelong learners who wondered why I hadn’t written a book already. And tremendous gratitude to Michael, who made sure we remedied that problem.

      Kelley S. Miller

      In 2017, when the book Rigorous PBL by Design was published, a great number of teachers, leaders, parents, and students embarked on a new journey of learning. This learning occurred around the world in every context imaginable, and I was overwhelmed by the impact, innovation, imagination, and inquiry that ensued.

      In addition, I was blessed with feedback on how we could go further in our teaching, leading, and learning. I’m indebted to those educators, students, and families for sharing their journey with me in how to improve the learning lives of children. This book is for them and the new learnings we have codified from the original text. Kelley S. Miller is one of those trailblazers. I’m grateful to her for her experience, clarity in writing, expertise in teaching and leading, and passion for pursuing what’s next in education.

      Thank you to Lisa, Alison, Paul, and Tony at Mimi & Todd Press and The Core Collaborative for your grace, clarity, support, and drive. As always, to Quinn, Harper, and Asher. I love you and thank you for your patience and grace.

      Michael McDowell, Ed.D.

      Contents

      Foreword

      Introduction

      The Design and Implementation Conundrum

      Defining Rigorous Learning

      The Case for Actionable Habits to Ensure Rigorous Learning

      Empowerment

      Equity

      Engagement

      The Project Habit

      Setting the Stage for Habits of Practice

      How This Book Is Set Up

      Key Lessons or Takeaways

      Conclusion

      Chapter 1

      Rigorous PBL: Overview

      Defining Rigorous PBL

      A Solid Research Basis for Rigorous PBL by Design

      The Impact of Rigorous PBL

      Thinking Again with Rigorous PBL by Design

      Gearing Up for Rigorous Project Habits

      RPBL Design

      Design Habits Rationale

      RPBL Actions

      Phase 1 (Project Launch) Action Habits Rationale 17

      Phase 2 (Surface -Learning Workshops) Action Habits Rationale 18

      Phase 3 (Deep-Learning Workshops) Action Habits Rationale 20

      Phase 4 (Presentations and Reflections) Action Habits Rationale 21

      RPBL Inspection

      Conclusion

      Review Questions

      Next Steps

      Chapter 2

      Rigorous PBL: Planning

      Habit 1: Make it clear by creating student-friendly learning intentions and success criteria at surface, deep, and transfer levels of learning

      Habit 2: See it (the learning) everywhere by generating multiple contexts and one or more driving questions

      Habit 3: Plan for the right fit by aligning tasks across surface, deep, and transfer expectations; and designing entry events, curveballs, and sequels for transfer

      Deep-Learning Tasks and Assessments

      Priming, Protocols, and Probing

      Transfer-Learning Tasks

      Entry Events

      Curveballs and Sequels

      Habit 4: Lock it (the schedule) in by setting tentative dates for workshops aligned to complexity levels

      Template

      Conclusion

      Review Questions

      Next Steps

      Chapter 3

      Phase 1: Project Launch

      Habit 5: Start with a challenge by setting your purpose with an entry event and getting students clear on what they’re learning and what success looks like

      Single Context

      Multiple Contexts and Co-Construction

      GRASPS Framework and Authentic Situations

      Matrix Problems

      Habit 6: Name the gaps by pre-assessing and discussing the results with students

      Habit 7: Look ahead by creating next steps based on knows/need-to-knows and holding to learning agreements and protocols

      Conclusion

      Review Questions

      Next Steps

      Launch Showcase

      Chapter 4

      Phase 2: Building Knowledge

      Phase 2: Surface-Learning Workshops

      Habit 8: Build the foundation by applying instructional and feedback strategies to support surface-level learning

      Conclusion

      Review Questions

      Next Steps

      Chapter 5

      Phase 3: Deep-Learning Workshops

      Impacting Deep Learning

      Deep-Learning Habits

      Habit 9: Question everything together through structured discussions, deep-level feedback strategies, and formative assessments

      Barriers to Deep Learning

      Overscaffolding to Avoid Desirable Difficulties

      Avoiding Challenging Assumptions

      Practicing Defined Autonomy

      Conclusion

      Review Questions

      Next Steps

      Chapter 6

      Phase 4: Presentations

      and Reflections

      Transfer Snapshot

      Phase 4 Process and Overview

      Habit 10: Return to transfer by implementing transfer-level workshops to apply learning in real-world contexts and address curveballs

      Workshop Type 1: Application-Based Workshops

      Habit 11: Deliver on the challenge by structuring means for showcasing work and giving/receiving feedback and engaging students in project sequels

      Habit 12: Look in the mirror by conducting reflective protocols on academic growth, meeting cultural expectations, and addressing the driving question

      Conclusion

      Review Questions

      Next Steps

      Chapter 7

      Inspecting Our Impact

      Habit 13: Make discourse deliberate by agreeing to shared values and behaviors for shared work and following through on them

      Habit 14: Sprint by adhering to a rapid improvement process

      Habit 15: Choose action by implementing a personalized plan for improving habits

      Encouraging Deliberate Deviations in Our Practices

      Calibrating Deliberate Practice and Deliberate Deviations as a Team

      Conclusion

      Review Questions

      Next Steps

      Summary

      References

      Online Appendix — mimitoddpress.com/the-project-habit

      Foreword

      Any method of teaching can be done well or badly. Didactic instruction can be extreme—mind-numbingly dull and formulaic—or it can be fascinating and enlightening. Project-based Learning (PBL) can be ill judged—creating confusion, frustration, and stagnation—or it can stretch, strengthen, and deepen students’ knowledge, intellectual expertise, and indeed their sophistication as independent learners. Teaching well is a matter of judgment, continually reviewed and adapted in response to its effects. Its success depends on sensitivity to the mood of a class, to students’ existing knowledge, their degree of interest in the topic, the intrinsic difficulties and demands of the topic itself, and the familiarity and comfortableness of both teachers and their students with that method of teaching.

      PBL has been the subject of much polemical and polarized hostility from some teachers and educators. They have seen it done badly, or have tried it out themselves with high hopes, and it has not gone well, and they have leaped to the conclusion that the entire methodology is misconceived, or even downright damaging (especially to already disadvantaged students). But such knee-jerk condemnation is premature. First, they should have wondered: Hmm, perhaps this PBL business is more subtle and demanding than I thought. Perhaps the students didn’t have the sufficient background knowledge to make sense of the challenge I gave them; perhaps I needed to have taught them more before I introduced the project. Or maybe I overestimated the degree of responsibility or complexity that that group of students were able to handle. Perhaps they were so conditioned to being told what to do that they were simply thrown, made anxious or suspicious, by being asked to think for themselves. Perhaps students’ capacity for self-management and collaboration has to be seen developmentally, as reflecting skills and attitudes that need a slowly escalating diet of challenge and skillfully targeted coaching if they are to grow successfully over time. Maybe I should be more cautious next time or choose a more amenable class in which to try out something new. Maybe I have a lot to learn if I am going to do PBL well. Indeed, PBL may have been ‘oversold’ to such teachers by enthusiastic authors and consultants who set them up with naive expectations that were bound to be disappointing and have resulted in disillusionment and cynicism.

      It is true that simplistic and exaggerated claims have been made by both traditionalists and progressives, but we should move quickly on from such slanging matches to more fruitful discussions of appropriateness, moderation, and balance. The issue is not which approach to adopt ideologically but when, with whom, for

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