Exploring New York Through Project Based Learning

Exploring New York through Project-Based Leaning includes 50 well-thought-out projects designed for grades 3-5. In assigning your students projects that dig into New YorkÕs geography, history, government, economy, current events, and famous people, you will deepen their appreciation and understanding of New York while simultaneously improving their analytical skills and ability to recognize patterns and big-picture themes. Project-based learning today is much different than the craft-heavy classroom activities popular in the past. Inquiry, planning, research, collaboration, and analysis are key components of project-based learning activities today. However, that doesnÕt mean creativity, individual expression, and fun are out. They definitely arenÕt! Each project is designed to help students gain important knowledge and skills that are derived from standards and key concepts at the heart of academic subject areas. Students are asked to analyze and solve problems, to gather and interpret data, to develop and evaluate solutions, to support their answers with evidence, to think critically in a sustained way, and to use their newfound knowledge to formulate new questions worthy of exploring. While some projects are more complex and take longer than others, they all are set up in the same structure. Each begins with the central project-driving questions, proceeds through research and supportive questions, has the student choose a presentation option, and ends with a broader-view inquiry. Rubrics for reflection and assessments are included, too. This consistent framework will make it easier for you assign projects and for your students to follow along and consistently meet expectations. Encourage your students to take charge of their projects as much as possible. As a teacher, you can act as a facilitator and guide. The projects are structured such that students can often work through the process on their own or through cooperation with their classmates.

The varied projects in this volume present readers with more than a dozen lenses through which to learn about the progress and impact of the Industrial Revolution, and the tide of industrialization it unleashed, in the United States. Broad questions prompt readers to engage with major themes in civics, geography, economics, and history. A wealth of background information helps readers understand how these themes play out in the context of the profound shifts in the American economy and society that took place in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This book is based on educational research conducted by the Confucius Institute for Innovation and Learning at Aalborg University. It aims to bridge the gap between the traditional methods of teaching Chinese and the student-centred learning method in a non-native context such as Denmark. The establishment of a conceptual framework for Task-Based PBL offers an alternative approach that encourages innovative teaching practices and promotes research-based teaching in language education. Empirically, this book reports how teachers designed and conducted tasks, how the classroom setting was affected, and how students evaluated the course. Teachers’ reflections and recommendations are included, along with 20 ready-to-use tasks developed by our teachers to disseminate our experiences and methods with a broad range of teachers, students and educational contexts. This book suggests that the effectiveness of new teaching methods and the initiation of new subjects are contextual. Learning a foreign language (e.g. Chinese) is more than language acquisition; it is also understanding other cultures and participating in intercultural interaction and communication. Thus, education and learning (particularly a foreign language) is related to a broader social transformation in the process of globalisation and in the development towards a knowledge society.

Following the stock market crash of 1929, the United States plummeted into the Great Depression and unemployment soared. But when Franklin D. Roosevelt took office the following year, he enacted federal programs, financial regulations, and public works projects to boost the economy and put America back together. In this instructive volume, students will discover fascinating facts and little-known details about this series of reforms, called the New Deal. They'll also be able to choose from a variety of hands-on projects, from map-making to writing and performing a speech to designing and creating a brochure, in order to both broaden and deepen their learning experience and share what they know with their peers.

This project-based examination of World War II explores the topic through answering major questions that define this period in history. Learners will tackle challenges and questions through an extended process of investigation and contextualization, guided by historical facts and events that help students refine their research and focus their projects. Placing WWII in a real-world context will lend authenticity to their understanding of the war's depth and significance. Students will retain autonomy over their process, reflect on what they've learned, and share their process with peers and teachers. The result of each project is an actual product students will present to their peers.

Students will gain a deeper understanding of the Cold War by delving into major social studies topics in this project-based examination. The volume presents a series of broad questions touching on major themes in the social studies curriculum. Each question is accompanied by several paragraphs examining that question in the context of the Cold War, as well as a detailed project that prompts readers to think critically and present their findings or opinions in a particular format, such as a poster with side-by-side comparisons, a persuasive essay, or a class presentation.

The Civil Rights Movement changed the face of America when it commenced back in the 1950s, but racism is still a contentious reality in the twenty-first century. Readers will get a thorough review of the movement, its major players, and the lasting effects it had on the country. They'll also learn what project-based learning entails, and how they can put it to use. Hands-on project suggestions encourage readers to think creatively as well as analytically about the Civil Rights Movement, while allowing them more flexibility in how they approach it.

The first book to offer an in-depth exploration of the topic of problem-based learning with contributions from international experts The Wiley Handbook of Problem-Based Learning is the first book of its kind to present a collection of original essays that integrate the research and practice of problem-based learning in one comprehensive volume. With contributions from an international panel of leading scholars, researchers, practitioners and educational and training communities, the handbook is an authoritative, definitive, and contemporary volume that clearly demonstrates the impact and scope of research-based practice in problem-based learning (PBL). After many years of its successful implementation in medical education curricula, problem-based learning is now being emphasized and practiced more widely in K-12, higher education, and other professional fields. The handbook provides timely and stimulating advice and reflection on the theory, research, and practice of PBL. Throughout the book the contributors address the skills needed to implement PBL in the classroom and the need for creating learning environments that are active, collaborative, experiential, motivating and engaging. This important resource: Addresses the need for a comprehensive resource to problem-based learning research and implementation Contains contributions from an international panel of experts on the topic Offers a rich collection of scholarly writings that challenge readers to refresh their knowledge and rethink their assumptions Takes an inclusive approach that addresses the theory, design, and practice of problem-based learning Includes guidelines for instructional designers, and implementation and assessment strategies for practitioners Written for academics, students, and practitioners in education, The Wiley Handbook of Problem-Based Learning offers a key resource to the most recent information on the research and practice of problem-based learning.