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E8 - Readying Your Staff for the Shift to PBL

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Get Your Staff Ready for PBL

This episode focuses on how administrators can effectively prepare their staff for the shift to Project Based Learning (PBL). Host Ryan Steuer emphasizes the importance of gaining staff buy-in and creating a grassroots movement for successful PBL implementation.

Key Takeaways:

Address teacher concerns and build excitement for PBL. Empower teachers by involving them in decision-making processes. Market and communicate the benefits of PBL consistently.

Main Topics Covered:

  • The Importance of Staff Buy-In: Ryan highlights the need for staff to be on board with PBL and the potential challenges posed by resistant staff members. He suggests that gaining teacher support starts with showcasing the effectiveness of PBL in their specific classrooms and with their students.
  • Three Key Questions for Engaging Staff:
    • What do teachers need to understand about the PBL framework in order to feel excited about the changes? Acknowledge that PBL allows teachers to still teach their content, but in deeper ways, while still utilizing best practices. Utilize the "PBL versus a project" graphic to visually demonstrate the differences between traditional projects and PBL units, showing how existing teaching practices can be incorporated. Emphasize that PBL is an instructional model with a defined process, which can provide structure and boundaries while fostering creativity and engagement.
    • How will you include teacher voices in the decisions as you move towards PBL? Create a "Learning Team" of teachers who will learn about PBL, experiment with it in their classrooms, and share their experiences. Establish a "Leadership Team" consisting of administrators, coaches, and lead teachers who will visit a model PBL school, develop a three-year plan, and implement PBL in their classrooms. Determine how teachers prefer to learn about PBL and offer diverse learning opportunities, such as book studies, training, and school visits. Provide a "need-to-know" board where teachers can ask questions and receive answers in a transparent and collaborative manner.
    • How will you message and market the shift to PBL? Communicate the benefits of PBL for both students and teachers, emphasizing its positive impact on student outcomes, employability skills, and teacher satisfaction. Share real-world examples and stories, like the success of Rise Elementary, to illustrate how PBL can be implemented effectively. Host community and teacher meetings to provide information, answer questions, and address concerns. Form a leadership team through an interview process to identify passionate advocates who can drive PBL implementation. Continuously talk about PBL, using elevator speeches, one-pagers, and regular communication to keep the momentum going. View questions as opportunities to provide further information and talking points, fostering open dialogue and transparency.

      • Resources and Tools:

      PBL vs Project Resource

      PBL vs Project Video

      Call to Action: Ryan encourages administrators to create a grassroots movement by empowering their staff, addressing their concerns, and generating excitement for PBL. He emphasizes the importance of consistent communication, collaboration, and a focus on student and teacher success.

      Magnify Learning - www.magnifypbl.com

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