April 23, 2023 Posted in General PBL

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If you are like many teachers we talk with, you might already be brainstorming about the workshops, webinars, or books to dig into over the summer break...

There are a lot of great options for PD each year. To be honest, it can get a bit overwhelming!

Here at PBLWorks, we have a wide variety of options. So if you're curious about what might be best for you, or you're feeling stuck while choosing between them... We're here to sort it out, and talk through the options.

First: a quick self-assessment!

What's your role, and where are you on your PBL Journey?

Are you a second-grade teacher with a classroom full of students? Or a principal or administrator trying to support a broader change in your school or district? Are you a seasoned PBL practitioner? Or just dipping your toes in the water for the first time?

This will help to determine which workshop or course options are the right fit for you, right now. So think it over, and decide which is the best fit...

(a) You're a teacher who is brand new to PBL, or just hasn't yet attended PBL 101.

(b) You're a teacher who has already participated in our PBL 101 Workshop.

(c) You're an instructional coach.

(d) You're a school or district leader.

(e) You're exploring PD for a whole group of educators at your school or district.

Great! Click on your selection, and jump to the specific suggestions below. Then, you can easily check the calendar for available dates. And you'll be on your way...

 So here's what we'd suggest, based on your selection...

(a) You're a teacher or educator who is brand new to PBL (or haven't attended a PBLWorks workshop yet).

Great, let's get you started!  The PBL 101 Workshop or our online course Becoming a PBL Teacher—is your best starting place. In different ways, each of these professional learning experiences will ground you in the PBLWorks model for Gold Standard PBL. If you want to jump right in and be supported in developing a project incorporating our Essential Design Elements that you can implement right away, then PBL 101 is for you.  If you want to learn more about the specific Teaching Practices that support the effective implementation of Project Based Learning then Becoming a PBL teacher is for you! Either one is great for those newer to PBL.

(b) You're a teacher or educator and already participated in our PBL 101 Workshop.

Now, your options are expanding! You can now explore PBL 201: Improving​ ​the​ ​Quality​ ​of​ ​Student​ ​Work or PBL 201: Equity & Gold Standard PBL. Each of these PBL 201 Workshops is a deeper dive into the elements of high-quality Gold Standard Project Based Learning. Note that PBL 101 is a prerequisite for participating in PBL 201.

Our online course Becoming a PBL Teacher—might still be a useful next step to expand your foundation since it focuses on the Project Based Teaching Practices necessary to implement the project you developed in PBL 101.

(c) You're an instructional coach.

We're here to help you support teachers! Be sure to start with the PBL 101 Workshop, so you share the experience and understanding of your teacher team. Then, check out the PBL Coaching Workshop where you'll gain the knowledge and skills to support teachers in project implementation. (Note that PBL 101 is a pre-requisite for PBL Coaching.)

(d) You're a school or district leader.

Let's look at creating the conditions for PBL. Your ideal choice is to attend the PBL Leadership Workshop, along with a couple of your colleagues in leadership. This workshop requires that attendees register as a team of 3 individuals from a school or district. The workshop itself focuses on how to create the conditions needed for Project Based Learning to thrive in your systems. 

Keep in mind — you are also welcome and encouraged to join in a PBL 101 Workshop and related services, too. The firsthand experience with a Gold Standard PBL workshop will make a lasting impact.

(e) You're exploring PD for a whole group of educators at your school or district.

Let's talk!  This often makes sense for groups of 15 or more. Sometimes those groups are eager to attend one of our open workshop events, like PBL World. However, with a larger group, you also have the option to schedule a PBLWorks workshop or course that's just for your team.

You can choose from our catalog of services, including our most popular offerings like PBL 101. There's flexibility in scheduling, so it works well with your PD calendar. And our team is here to talk you through each step of the process.

We want to help you land in the right PBL workshop or course this summer!

Look for additional tools in the coming weeks to help navigate the options for this summer. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to our team at [email protected] if you have additional questions or want support with registration.

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