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Creating Life-Long Learners
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Creating Life-Long Learners
Using Project-Based Management to Teach 21st Century Skills

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July 2015 | 168 pages | Corwin

Wanted for the global workforce: thinkers (and those who can teach them)

Where K-12 instruction once centered on content and memorization, today’s educators want, most of all, to teach their students to think critically and perceptively. What better way than with project-based learning (PBL)? Author Todd Stanley provides a teacher-friendly, step-by-step approach to implementing PBL, focusing on the 21st century “three R’s”: readiness, responsibility, and relevance.  

Educators will be prepared to put this practical methodology to work right away, as they learn how to

  • Use project and classroom management skills to create a positive, productive learning environment
  • Develop curriculum around ten different project types
  • Link projects with today’s standards
  • Teach students how to effectively collaborate and bring out the best in each other

Readers will find an abundance of ideas and clear guidance, along with new strategies for instilling the skills students need for tomorrow’s workforce.

"If you are looking for a way to produce higher level thinkers, you really need to read this book. It is a recipe for successful life long learners." 
Tamara Daugherty, Teacher
Lakeville Elementary School


"Student lead project based learning fuses today’s classroom with the demands of the fast paced future. Students need to be able to interact and problem solve not just with each other, but also within the community and with technology. This book is a guide for helping educators make that jump with their instruction."
Debra K. Las, Teacher
Rochest Public Schools


 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Introduction - Why Manage Your Classroom
 
1. Advantages to Managing Your Classroom
The 21st Century Three Rs

 
Other Advantages to Managing Your Classroom

 
 
2. Importance of 21st Century Skills
21st Century Survival Skills

 
Accessing and Analyzing Information

 
Curiosity and Imagination

 
Initiative

 
Adaptability

 
Effective Oral and Written Communication

 
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

 
Collaboration Across Networks

 
 
3. Setting Up Your Projects
Define the Problem

 
Develop Solution Options

 
Plan the Project

 
Execute the Plan

 
Monitor and Control Progress

 
Close Project

 
 
4. Linking the Projects to the Standards: Creating a Mission Statement
Starting With the Content Standard

 
Working Backwards

 
 
5. Collaboration in the 21st Century Classroom
Skill of Collaboration

 
Setting Norms

 
Dividing up Tasks

 
DELETE

 
 
6. Risk Management
Why Projects Fail

 
Heading Off Problems

 
Handling the Unmotivated

 
Risk Management

 
 
7. Different Types of Products
Presentation

 
Museum/Exhibit

 
Debate

 
Performance

 
Competition

 
Portfolio

 
Research Paper

 
Model

 
Technology-Driven Products

 
Entrepreneurship

 
The Lemonade Stand

 
Social Studies Product--Buisness Plan

 
Language Arts Product--Advertising Campaign

 
Math Product--Polling/Accounting

 
 
8. Assessment of the Product
Use of Rubrics

 
Creating Your Rubrics

 
Creating Rubrics With Students

 
Performance Reviews (Self/Peer Evaluation)

 
 
9. Managing the Classroom
Orientation/Training Your Students

 
Laying the Groundwork

 
Making the Structure Clear

 
Model the Structure With a Mini-Project

 
What Training Will Be Important to the Job?

 
Providing Mental Space

 
Project Manager Versus Teacher

 
Closing the Project

 
 
Afterward: Creating the 21st Century Worker
 
Reproducibles: Blank Forms for Creating Own PBL
 
References
 
Index

Supplements

"This book presents a well-organized framework for the educator interested in creating opportunities for students to learn successful skills for the future.  It is a complete guide for philosophy, planning, implementation, and assessing the 21st century classroom."

 
Avis Canty-Duck, Teacher
Greenville County Schools

"This is an excellent resource for those who use project-based learning or have plans to do so.  It takes the guesswork out of planning and provides a clear process for allowing students to take charge of their learning and develop 21st century skills that will serve them well throughout their lives."

Marcia Carlson, Teacher
Crestview Elementary School

"A clear and accessible resource for newer teachers or for veteran teachers who want to implement project-based learning into their classrooms with ease."

Michelle Tavenner, Teacher
Gahanna Middle School East

"If you are looking for a way to produce higher level thinkers, you really need to read this book. It is a recipe for successful life-long learners." 

Tamara Daugherty, Teacher
Lakeville Elementary School

"Student-led project-based learning fuses today’s classroom with the demands of the fast-paced future. Students need to be able to interact and problem solve not only with each other, but also within the community and with technology. This book guides educators in making that jump with their instruction."

Debra K. Las, Teacher
Rochest Public Schools

Sample Materials & Chapters

Introduction

Chapter 1


Todd M. Stanley

Todd Stanley is the author of 7 teacher education books, including Project-Based Learning for Gifted Students: A Handbook for the 21st Century Classroom and Performance-Based Assessment for 21st Century Skills. He has been a classroom teacher for the past 18 years and was a National Board Certified teacher. He helped create a gifted academy for grades 5-8 where they employ inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, and performance-based assessment. He is currently the gifted service coordinator for Pickerington Local Schools where he lives with his wife, Nicki, and two daughters, Anna and Abby. More About Author

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ISBN: 9781483377193
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