Teacher Susan McCray Lights the Fire of Project Learning

Star teacher Susan McCray at Casco Bay High School in Portland is highlighted in this video. We can learn a lot from the things she says and does. Here are some things teachers should keep in mind:

1. Project-based learning has to be compelling and has to do with the real world.
2. None of us are capable of learning when we are fearful.
3. Why would you go someplace where you don't know whether someone's going to notice if you're there or not?
4. If you're going to teach expeditionary learning, you have to have a certain spark in you.
5. It's real hard work. And it's grueling, and it's demoralizing. The key to sustaining teaching is to be able to know that failing is a reality.

Anatomy Of A Project: Soil Superheroes

This clip breaks down another project done by the King students. This time around they are integrating multiple subject-areas to create pamphlet about the role of micro-organisms in the soil. My favorite part of this one starts at around 3:27, when David Grant and his colleagues talk about organization of data. They go on to provide some valuable insights about how students learn technology and content. You cannot effectively teach difficult content and new technology simultaneously. Unless you're a superhero. A soil one.

Anatomy Of A Project: Kinetic Conundrum

Our friends from King Middle School are back! This video has some material overlap from the first one but goes into greater detail about the student's Kinetic Condundrum project. The goal for each student is to create "a working model and proposal for installation of an original kinetic sculpture". They pull it off very nicely. It looks like it was an exciting educational experience (Alliteration FTW!) for the students of King and the community of Portland.

Project Learning: Expeditions in Portland, Maine

This video features the students and faculty of King Middle School in Portland, ME, who have adopted a project-based curriculum based on Expeditionary Learning. To paraphrase Susan McRay, a former teacher at King, the students and faculty are committed to an end objective together, much like a physical expedition. The combination of 1-to-1 laptop computing and project-based learning seems to be working very well. Check it out.

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