Online features support PBL use among high school teachers in various reform settings. Presented at Annual Meetings of the Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Anaheim, CA. October, 2010.

1. MORE PBL, MORE FEATURES Teachers who use PBL to a greater extent use more online features Mean # of Features Used Amount of time spent on PBL, in selected course

2. Assessing the impact of ONLINE SUPPORTS ON PBL use in US High Schools Jason Ravitz Julie Blazevski Buck Institute for Education Hypothesi Novato, CA Ann Arbor, MI jason@bie.orgjulie@bie.org

4. Why study PBL? Strong theoretical basis Evidence of effectiveness Emphasized in small high school reform PBL is the most frequently cited strategy Biggest hurdles are instructional Need for more sophisticated PBL in K-12 Need for supports for PBL Or else PBL will not be used, or used effectively

5. "It appears that small schools are fostering more personal and supportive contexts for both teachers and students, but they do not appear to be spurring increased instructional reform” - Kahne, Sporte, de la Torre & Easton (2006)

6. “Among the schools in this initiative that reported efforts to implement a common pedagogy across all classes, Project Based Learning (PBL) is the most commonly cited instructional strategy” – GATES Funded Evaluation (AIR/SRI)

7. Institute of Education Sciences – Newsflash (August, 2010) Problem-based curriculum boosts high school students' knowledge of economics http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/project.asp?ProjectID=89

9. A design view of PBL “a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning essential knowledge and life-enhancing skills through an extended, student-influenced inquiry process that is structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designedproducts and tasks” Mergendoller, et al., 2006

10. Today’s PBL Looks nothing like the ‘Project Method” popularized by William H. Kilpatrick (1918), in the early 20th century Nor does it look like “discovery learning” or “minimally-guided instruction”, popularized later 20th century High Tech High School (hightechhigh.org/projects/) Envision Schools (envisionprojects.org) Expeditionary Learning schools (elschools.org) New Tech Network (newtechnetwork.org)

11. But….it’s not easy Teachers need Professional development Resources Structural change (time) Assessment reform Do they need online technologies too?

12. SURVEY POPULATION1200 PBL using teachers400 valid responses35% response

14. Large, comprehensive schools

15. Small High Schools (Start-ups and Conversions)

16. Reform Models

17. Invested in PBL

18. Received BIE Materials or Workshops

19. Confirmed use of PBL for “core” academics

21. High Tech High schools

22. Edvision Schools

23. Envision Schools

24. North Carolina New Schools Project

25. Center for Effective School Practices (NJ/OH)

28. To what extent is online feature use related to PBL use, preparedness and challenges?

30. In-depth inquiry

31. Student self-direction or choice

33. Project Libraries

34. Design & Management Tools

35. Collaboration Tools

36. Student Feedback

37. Teacher Feedback

39. PBL Use and Conditions by School Type PBL & High School Reform %

40. PBL Challenges by School Type % of teachers “moderate” or “major” challenge

41. When compared to other schools, 2X more Large School Teachers were Challenged by lack ofProfessional Development 2X fewer Reform Model Teachers were Challengedby lack of Time in Curriculumfor PBL

43. When compared to other schools, 2-3X fewer Large School Teachers ReceivedOnline Feedback about projects 3X more Reform Model Teachers have had Studentsget Online Feedback

44. RELATIONSHIPS

45. MORE PBL, MORE FEATURES Teachers who use PBL to a greater extent use more online features Mean # of Features Used Amount of time spent on PBL, in selected course

46. Online Features Correlated to PBL Preparedness -0.05 -0.10 Correlations

47. Correlation Between PBL Use & Features Use 0.60 Math 0.57 Social Studies 0.40 Interdisciplinary 0.36 Science 0.19 English

48. When compared to other teachers, 2x fewer Large School Teachers who used online collections of projects were challenged by lack of PBL examples or models 3x fewer Large School Teachers who used online collections of PBL resources were challenged by lack of Professional Development

49. Preparedness for Tasks by Use of Features Comparisons of the % of those whoused the feature who felt “well prepared” followed by the % of those who did not use the feature who felt “well prepared” , within school type (R=Reform Network, S=Small School, L=Larger, comprehensive)

51. When compared to other teachers, 50% more Small School Teachers who design & manage projects online feel well prepared for each PBL-related Task 50% more Reform Model Teachers who link to experts online feel well prepared for most PBL-related Tasks

53. Facilitate and manage groups

54. Promote depth of student work

55. Meet state standards

56. Plan and design new standardsvs. about 50% who did not receive online feedback

57. In Reform Model Schools Online Feature Use is related to… β= 0.20 Preparedness -0.21 FewerChallenges 0.25 Time Spent on PBL After controlling for teacher professional engagement, school wide emphasis on PBL, and interdisciplinary instruction

58. In non-reform Model Schools Online Feature Use is related to… β= 0.38 Preparedness -0.20 FewerChallenges After controlling for teacher professional engagement, school wide emphasis on PBL, and interdisciplinary instruction

59. Which came first PBL or Technology? PBL is a technology Innovativeness = one construct? Does that make the entire relationship spurious? Do you have to be an early adopter or teacher-leader?

60. “Technology is the answer …but what was the question?” (Ely, 1991) A. Can we support more effective use of PBL? (by using new technologies) B. Can we support more effective use of new technologies? (by using PBL) Don’t drop the egg! (Solis, 2010)

61. Future Research How does PBL use differ when new technologies are used? How does new technology use differ when PBL is used?

62. REFERENCES Barron, B. & Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding. http://www.bie.org/research/study/powerful_learning Buck Institute for Education (2010). Does PBL Work? http://www.bie.org/about/does_pbl_work Mitchell, K., Shkolnik, J.,Song, M, Uekawa, K., Murphy, R., Garet, M., & Means, B. (2005). Rigor, relevance, and results: The quality of teacher assignments and student work in new and conventional high schools. Washington, D.C.: American Institutes for Research and SRI International. http://smallhs.sri.com/documents/Rigor_Rpt_10_21_2005.pdf. Ravitz, J. (2009a). Does Project Based Learning Help Foster Communities of Learners in Small US High Schools? Paper presented at meetings of of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction. Amsterdam, NL. August 29, 2009. http://www.bie.org/research/study/BIE_EARLI_2009 Ravitz, J. (2008). Project Based Learning as a Catalyst in Reforming High Schools. Paper presented at Annual Meetings of the American Educational Research Association. NY, NY: http://www.bie.org/research/study/AERA_2008 Riel, M. & Becker, H. (2008). Characteristics of teacher leaders for information and communication technology. In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (eds.) International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education, 397-417. http://mindmaps.typepad.com/files/08-riel-becker-teacher-leadership-tech.pdf Strobel, Johannes and van Barneveld, Angela (2008) "When is PBL More Effective? A Meta-synthesis of Meta-analyses Comparing PBL to Conventional Classrooms," Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning , 3(4). :http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/vol3/iss1/4

64. bie.org/research biepbl.blogspot.com

65. jason@bie.org twitter.com/biepbl twitter.com/jasonbie youtube.com/biepbl