Bob Lenz is the CEO of PBLWorks, an institute that uses project based learning to
increase educational equity and provide learning that students connect with. Bob has
spent his life creating project based classrooms for himself and teaching others how to
do it.

We discuss how project based learning prepares kids, especially black and brown and
underprivileged learners, for college success through teaching collaboration, public
speaking, and project management, and the education myth: just because someone
teaches it, doesn’t mean you learn it, just because it was covered, doesn’t mean it was
learned.

In this episode, we cover:

• How a poetry project in the 5th grade sparked Bob’s interest in project-based learning
• Dismantling the myth that project-based learning can only work in certain schools
• Will kids learn ‘academics’ in a PBL model?
• What is hindering educators from having more agency in their classrooms and what we can do about it
• How we can assess students progress without grades
• How project-based learning works well in remote settings

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Connect with Bob on X
• Visit PBLWorks and follow them on X to learn more about Bob and project based learning
• Get your copy of Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where Impact and Imagination Meet
• Learn more about Rebel Educator, explore our professional development opportunities for educators and students, and check out our project library.
• Visit us at UP Academy to learn more about our personalized and inclusive learning environment.
• Connect with Tanya and UP Academy on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and learn more about her journey here.

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MORE ABOUT THE REBEL EDUCATOR PODCAST:

In each episode of the Rebel Educator podcast, I deconstruct world-class educators, students, and thought leaders in education to extract the tactics, tools, and routines that you can use as teachers and parents. Join me as we discuss how to shift the classroom, the learning environment, the mindset, and the pedagogy, to resist tradition, reignite wonder, and re-imagine the future of education.

This podcast is dedicated to all of the educators who work thankless hours to make our next generation the best it can be.  It was designed to begin conversations on how we can redesign education for the future of work and the success of our students.  It is meant for teachers, students, administrators, homeschoolers and anyone who interacts with and teaches youth. 

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