By Candice Wilson-McCain MBA, Ed.D
Hi, I’m Dr. Candice Wilson-McCain, the founder of Impactful Projects, an education organization that provides curriculum, coaching, courses, and a community of practice for project-based educators.
... more
4.7
33 ratings
The podcast currently has 50 episodes available.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
The success of project-based learning initiatives depends on initial implementation efforts and teachers’ ability to sustain project-based instructional practices over time. Instructional leaders play a crucial role in this process by creating the conditions necessary to enhance teachers' ability to enact the core practices of project-based instruction. The challenge is figuring out how to foster the conditions for launching a successful project-based learning initiative and then how to maintain this effort beyond one school year.
In this episode, we will explore three tools to guide instructional leaders through planning their capacity-building efforts.
Resource: Take the Impactful Projects Readiness Assessment and receive the accompanying resources mentioned above.
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
Project-based learning (PBL) holds the transformative power to engage students actively, foster collaboration, and develop essential problem-solving skills. While PBL yields numerous benefits, implementation has its challenges.
Common challenges teachers face include:
Therefore, a comprehensive teacher development program is necessary to adopt project-based learning successfully. One-off workshops cannot suffice for the depth of understanding required. To genuinely foster a culture of project-based instruction, professional development should be continuous to provide the support necessary for educators to refine their instructional practices. In this episode, we unpack how high-impact professional development for teachers can increase student academic outcomes.
Stay tuned for the next episode; we will examine how to build capacity to sustain a project-based learning initiative.
Resource: Read the accompanying article for this episode.
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
The challenges instructional leaders encounter when launching a project-based learning initiative often stem from a lack of vision setting. A well-defined vision for a project-based learning (PBL) initiative is essential. The vision not only articulates the purpose and goals of the initiative but also aligns with the school's core values and broader educational objectives. It fosters a cohesive and focused approach to implementation, ensuring educators understand the expectations and engage in the process.
This episode explores practical steps for creating and operationalizing a vision for project-based learning. I discuss the importance of school administrators' analyzing their current educational environment to formulate clear and measurable goals. I highlight the need for flexibility in the execution while remaining steadfast in the vision, acknowledging that the journey may require modifications based on feedback and challenges.
Stay tuned for the next episode to explore the importance of boosting teachers' competence to execute the vision effectively.
Now what?
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
In this fast-paced, ever-changing world, teachers must adapt their teaching methods to prepare students for the challenges they will face in the real world. One approach that has gained traction for its ability to cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and student engagement is project-based learning (PBL). However, implementing and sustaining a high-impact project-based culture within a school or district comes with challenges. In this episode, we'll explore the roadblocks often encountered in building a sustainable PBL culture and discuss strategies for overcoming these obstacles.
We will discuss three primary roadblocks that school or district leaders encounter when launching a PBL initiative: lack of clarity, competence, and capacity.
1). Lack of Clarity
One of the common challenges in implementing PBL is the need for more clarity surrounding how the methodology aligns with the school's existing initiatives, curriculum, and overall culture. This lack of coherence can lead to a feeling of overwhelm, with numerous initiatives competing for attention, making it challenging to execute a strategic plan for project-based learning effectively.
2). Lack of Competence
Another roadblock is teachers receiving inadequate professional development to become proficient project-based educators. For PBL to thrive, teachers need proper training, coaching, mentoring, and access to resources to develop the necessary skills and confidence to facilitate PBL experiences for their students.
3). Lack of Capacity
Even if a PBL initiative launch is successful, sustaining it over the long term requires a robust support system, structured resources, and routines.
The journey of building a sustainable, high-impact, project-based learning culture is both challenging and rewarding. Acknowledging the potential roadblocks and taking proactive steps to overcome these obstacles can provide students with transformative learning experiences and prepare them for the future.
In this episode, I highlight three critical phases for achieving this goal: gaining clarity, boosting competence, and building capacity.
Stay tuned for the next episode, where we will explore strategies for gaining clarity by creating a vision to support the growth of a project-based culture.
Now what?
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
Welcome to season 3! This series will focus on how to build a sustainable, high-impact, project-based culture at your school site or within your school district without overwhelming instructional leaders, teachers, and students. This series is designed for school leaders, professional development coordinators for districts, PBL coordinators, teacher mentors, or anyone serving in a role that supports current or aspiring project-based teachers.
It's been a while since our last season. So, in this episode, I will...
Listen to the next episode in this series to examine the components necessary to build a sustainable project-based culture at your school site.
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
Season 2 of the Impactful PBL Podcast ended in May which marked two years of this podcast. The podcast started as a “learn in public” project so that I can document my professional journey and share insights about what I’m learning about project-based learning. In this episode, I’m sharing a progress update on my 2021-2022 goals and why I'm pausing the podcast.
Tune in to...
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
Phase 2 of the Impactful PBL Roadmap™ is to map the scenario and write a driving question. The initial scenario structure will involve first determining what students will learn (i.e. standards), thinking of a theme or topic second, and then writing the driving question. The next step is to draft a scenario. I've noticed that most teachers can select standards, a theme, and compose a driving question, but some struggle with writing the scenario in its entirety. This episode will explore how to write a compelling scenario for a PBL unit.
Resource: Read the accompanying article for this episode.
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
As I support teachers to design project-based learning experiences, I notice confusion often arises during phase 5 of the Impactful PBL Roadmap™ planning process. Phase 5 is about creating students' daily learning experiences or lessons. Teachers are usually excited about exploring project-based learning as an instructional method. However, when asked why they haven't implemented project-based learning in their classroom as of yet or why they don't facilitate a project-based learning unit often, teachers typically state that time is a factor.
I generally hear, "I don't have time for projects because I have to teach the standards or follow the district-provided curriculum." When I hear these sentiments, I immediately know that the teacher is unclear about how to draft a PBL unit plan. This episode is for you if you have uttered these statements before. In this episode, we will explore how to write a PBL unit plan.
Resource: Read the accompanying article for this episode.
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
An essential part of the project-based learning experience is producing a public product or artifact to showcase knowledge for an authentic audience. Depending on the PBL topic and driving questions, the audience could be peers, parents, or community members.
Teachers often wonder what students can create for projects besides designing a poster or presentation. Students may also struggle to develop ideas without seeing examples or being given a list of examples of public products. This episode will explore utilizing the driving question to help students brainstorm public products to share their knowledge. The goal is to create learning experiences that apply to the real world by connecting what students are taught in school to real-world issues, challenges, or problems.
Resource: Read the accompanying article for this episode.
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me.
It is essential students buy into their project since they will be exploring their complex question or challenge over an extended time. While hooks for traditional lessons are typically short, less than ten minutes, project-based learning hooks may vary in length to sustain students' interest over a more extended period. A PBL hook typically occurs at the start of the unit, although it is not uncommon for teachers to integrate several ways to cultivate students' interest throughout the project. This episode will explore how to get students excited about the project-based learning topic.
Resource: Read the accompanying article for this episode.
Support the show
Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.
The podcast currently has 50 episodes available.