Experiential Learning Depot
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Join the Experience
  • Resources
  • Free Resource Library
  • About Us
  • Get In Touch
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Join the Experience
  • Resources
  • Free Resource Library
  • About Us
  • Get In Touch
Experiential learning resources for the innovative educator

How to Plan Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps

2/2/2021

0 Comments

 
Self-directed project-based learning is a great way to engage students by personalizing the experience. But how do you plan and execute self-directed learning? It only takes seven easy steps.
I am a former high school teacher of ten years. As an educator with an experiential philosophy, I have found project-based learning to be the most effective way to engage teenagers.

Project-based learning for my students, however, is self-directed 90% of the time. I (usually) do not plan their PBL experiences for them. I offer the structure and tools for students to successfully direct their own experiences. 

This week's post is all about managing those details. You are a facilitator of learning. The trick is knowing how to coordinate and manage these PBL experiences. How do you get started? What do you do next? How do you wrap up? It's super easy when you know how! 
In my ten years as a project-based educator, I have refined this routine and would love to share it with you in hopes of making the process as smooth and seamless as possible. The remainder of this post goes over those steps.

Before reading on, take the following steps:
  1. Grab my free self-directed project-based learning planner. It is fillable, digital or printable, and includes drag and drop elements of the PBL steps that I am about to lay out for you. Click the button below to grab your free copy.
  2. Purchase one of my themed PBL resources or my self-directed PBL tool kit, which include guiding templates for a smooth experience. 
  3. Come back and read the rest of this post. The steps included here align directly with the free planner.
  4. Fill out the free planner as you read! 
  5. Go back to your class or home learning environment and facilitate your PBL plan!
Free Project-Based Learning Planner
Note: You do not need to purchase my PBL resources to coordinate self-directed PBL's with your students. These products simply provide the guiding tools.  If you choose not to purchase my resources, choose a theme that you would like students to design PBL's around, grab your free planner and start planning! 
College and Career Project-Based Learning Bundle
Project-Based Learning Tool Kit

Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Steps

The banner sprawled across the top of my TPT store page says "Question. Explore. Create. Share." This series of actions act as the foundation of self-directed PBL in my classroom. Think of these actions as you plan and coordinate these experiences. 
Self-directed project-based learning is a great way to engage students by personalizing the experience. But how do you plan and execute self-directed learning? It only takes seven easy steps.
Step 1: Project Design

Self-directed PBL leaves room for student choice. Let students play a role in designing the experience by choosing their own topic or subtopic, determining how they will gather information, community expert(s), their authentic audience, how they will share new skills and knowledge with that audience, assessment criteria and more. 

My students fill out a "project plan" that includes all of these details. All of my PBL resources include this project design template. 

Planning Step 1: Grab your planner and scroll to the correct month. Drag and drop the "Write Project Plan" element to the date that best suits your schedule. Add important details in the notes section of the calendar. You can also add more specific steps to the text boxes included under each date, such as "topic brainstorming session".
Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps
Step 2: Research, Collaborations, and Learning Activities
Once students have a project proposal completed they can begin gathering information. Students write a driving question and research questions in their project plan.

Students will review a variety primary resources, connect with community experts, and participate in community events or activities that would deepen understanding of the topic. One of the major roles of a project-based educator is to organize authentic learning experiences relevant to the project topic at hand. Add those experiences, such as a community speaker, to your planner!
​
Planning Step 2: Drag and drop the "Research" and the "Connect with Experts" elements to dates that best suits your schedule. Add details in the notes section of the calendar. You can also add more specific steps to the text boxes included under each date, such as "virtual speaker 9 am".
Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps
Step 3: Progress Evaluations

Throughout the project process students will self- and peer-assess using a generic project assessment or the student-generated assessment (both included in my PBL tool kit). If you do not need the whole kit, check out this PBL rubrics bundle.

Planning Step 3: Drag and drop the "Self-Assessment" to dates that best suits your schedule. Copy and paste this element if students will self-assess more than once. You can add peer-assessments to your calendar by typing directly into the text boxes included under each date. Schedule in times for you to go over self-assessments with students as well.
Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps
Step 4: Create Final Products

An innovative final product is how students assemble information and demonstrate learning. The end product might be a blog, an advertisement, a documentary, a photo journal, etc. Each of my themed project-based learning resources include final product options for students to choose from.

You can also check out my post 100 Final Product Ideas for Project-Based Learners for final product ideas.

Planning Step 4: Drag and drop the "Final Product Deadline" element to an appropriate date. Make sure to communicate this deadline to students. You can also type in "final product work days" if that helps you stay organized. 

***You may share your planner with students using Google Classroom so that everyone can see the plan and deadlines. You can also share a blank copy of the template with each student using Google Classroom to use and fill in as their own. They can write in their own project deadlines and goals. 
Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps
Step 5: Authentic Presentations

An authentic presentation is one where students share their new skills and knowledge with a public audience that is relevant to the topic.  For example, if a student creates a brochure about a career of interest, they might leave a stack of their brochures at a community career center. Once students have completed their projects and assembled their final products, they can share that product or information with their authentic audience. 

Planning Step 5: Drag and drop the "Authentic Presentation" element to the date that best suits your schedule. You might want to add that element to note the deadline for authentic presentations, or as the date that an authentic presentation event will take place.

​For example, my students do a heritage PBL every year, and they authentically present at a community exhibition night that I organize. I would add that date and important side notes about that event to my planner. 
Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps
Step 6: Reflections

After students give their authentic presentation they will write a final reflection. The reflection piece is critical. They will not only look back on the content and what they've learned, but the experience itself. They will analyze their own strengths and weaknesses throughout the process and build on that moving forward. All of my PBL's include a reflection.

Planning Step 6: Drag and drop the "Reflection" element to a date that best suits your schedule. It could represent the reflection deadline or time set aside in class to complete reflections. 
Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps
Step 7: Final Evaluations

Once students have completed projects, presented to an authentic audience, and reflected on the experience, they will present to you and the class. Audience members can provide feedback and if you wish, you may complete their final rubric at this time. 

I prefer to meet separately with each student after their presentations to go over their rubrics one-on-one. The students bring a self-evaluated rubric and their reflection to the meeting. We go over it together, determine credit, and make goals for the next project. During this meeting we also review their Personal Learning Plans. 

Once students have completed their final evaluations they add learning outcomes to their project-based learning assessment portfolios. Get that for free here! This is a great portfolio to showcase of all PBL experiences over the course of a session.

Planning Step 7: Drag and drop the "Final Evaluations" element to dates that best suits your schedule. 
Free Project-Based Learning Assessment Portfolio
Self-Directed Project-Based Learning in 7 Easy Steps
These seven steps set the stage for self-directed project-based learning. They can be broken down into more specific steps, all of which are included in my paid PBL planner.

The free version is a great version of the planner to cover the basics. If you're looking for a more detailed, guided experience, check out my full project-based learning planner that also includes a weekly and daily planner, as well as sign up forms for approval meetings, evaluation meetings and more. 

As always, reach out with questions about my resources and continue to follow along on this self-directed project-based learning blog series!
Self-directed project-based learning is a great way to engage students by personalizing the experience. But how do you plan and execute self-directed learning? It only takes seven easy steps.
Follow Experiential Learning Depot on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram. Check out Experiential Learning Depot on TPT for more PBL resources. Follow ELD on TPT for new resource alerts, freebies, and more! ​
Observe. Question. Explore. Share.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Blog Intent

    To provide innovative educational resources for educators, parents, and students, that go beyond lecture and worksheets.

    ​Author

    Sara Segar, experiential life-science educator and advisor, curriculum writer, and mother of two​.

    Check out my experiential learning resources on TPT, Experiential Learning Depot 

    Post alerts!
    Experiential learning and project-based assessment portfolio gift when you sign up for Experiential Learning Depot's newsletter
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    21st Century Skills
    College And Career Readiness
    Community Learning
    Current Events
    Distance Learning
    Experiential Learning
    Inquiry Based Learning
    Maker Education
    Outdoor Education
    Personalized Learning
    Problem Based Learning
    Project Based Learning
    Service Learning
    Social Emotional Learning
    STEM
    Student Activism
    Student Directed Learning
    Student Travel
    Technology

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly