PBL Institutes offer a focused, immersive learning experience for educators who are early in their Project Based Learning journey. You'll engage in expert-led workshops, collaborate with regional peers, and gain practical strategies you can apply right away. 

What to Expect

PBL Spotlight Speaker - Start your workshop hearing from a PBL expert to motivate you on your learning journey. 

Experience PBL as a Student – You’ll step into the learner stance, engaging in the same rich, inquiry-driven experiences you’ll create for your students. 

Collaborate with Local Educators – Network with peers facing similar challenges and opportunities in your region. 

Actionable Takeaways – Walk away with ready-to-use tools and strategies to bring PBL to life in your classroom.

On Day 1, participants will choose one of the following workshops: 
  • Project Slice: Engage in an immersive PBL experience with a Project Slice, where you step into the learner’s shoes in a high-quality PBL classroom.
  • SEL in PBL: Explore how Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) can enhance PBL practices.  
On Day 2, participants will choose one of the following workshops: 
  • PBL QuickStart: Learn foundational PBL strategies to kickstart your journey in Project Based Learning.
  • TEACH Essentials (For educators who teach grades 6–8): Access ready-to-use PBL middle-school curriculum units you can implement in your classroom immediately.
  • PBL Quickstart for Leaders: Gain essential strategies in this introductory workshop to support and sustain high-quality Project Based Learning in your school or district.

Designed for educators looking for a practical and accessible way to explore PBL, this event brings high-quality learning opportunities closer to home—minimizing travel barriers while maximizing impact. If you're new to PBL, PBL Institutes will equip you with the confidence and resources to get started.

Find a PBL Institute Close to You

Registration for Alexandria, VA, is Open

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Zoom In on Workshop Details

  • Day 1: Project Slice Workshops

    Experience what it’s like to be a learner in Project Based Learning by engaging in an immersive one-day experience—a “slice” of a project. Project Slice topics might include: 

    Art of Persuasion
    Teams create a persuasive visual design for a marketing/social media campaign for an issue they care about while answering the driving question, “How can we inspire people to create change?” 

    Sustainable Future
    Teams create case study presentations focused on local and global situations in which individuals' needs conflict with the collective's needs while answering the driving question, “How do we manage shared resources for a sustainable future?”

    Storytime Channel 
    Teams create engaging productions of familiar fairy tales for a collaborative Storytime Channel while answering the driving question, “How can we make stories come alive?” This slice is designed for Early Childhood educators working with PK - Grade 2 students. 

    Making Space for Change
    Teams create a new plan for a public space that facilitates a different goal, such as increasing opportunities for civil and democratic discourse or enhancing public health and physical fitness while answering the driving question, “How can we redesign a public space to promote a social benefit?”

  • Day 1: SEL in PBL

    This one-day workshop explores PBL as a transformative approach to social and emotional learning (SEL). Participants will reflect on how Transformative SEL serves as a lever for equity by lifting identity, agency, belonging, curiosity, and collaborative decision-making for students in Project Based Learning. Participants will then reflect on a project to consider how they might integrate SEL competencies more robustly into the project design.

  • Day 2: PBL Quickstart

    This one-day introductory workshop empowers teachers to bring Project Based Learning (PBL) to life in their classrooms. Participants will discover why PBL should be the main course, not just the dessert. By exploring a Project Blueprint from our Project Library, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the elements that make Project Based Learning successful, from its structure to Core Routines that build culture and deepen student learning.

  • Day 2: TEACH Essentials (Grades 6-8)

    This one-day introductory workshop helps middle school (Grades 6-8) math, science, social studies, or ELA teachers select a PBLWorks fully designed Gold Standard project unit for implementation in their classroom. During the PBL TEACH workshop,, participants will learn how to unpack their subject-specific project unit and gain insight into additional steps they will need to take to best prepare for implementation. They will work collaboratively to learn the project’s story and experience the Project Based Teaching Practices that lead to student success. Each participant will leave with a personalized project implementation plan and clear next steps for planning. 
     

    - TEACH Essentials: Middle School ELA 
    - TEACH Essentials: Middle School Math 
    - TEACH Essentials: Middle School Science 
    -TEACH Essentials: Middle School Social Studies

  • Day 2: PBL Quickstart for Leaders

    This one-day introductory workshop empowers school and district leaders to bring Project Based Learning (PBL) to life in their schools. Participants will discover why PBL should be the main course, not just the dessert. Leaders will be introduced to the structure and components of Gold Standard projects and the key mindsets, conditions, and initial actions they should consider to best support teachers with project implementation. The workshop is appropriate for leaders with teachers engaged in our PBL Teach or PBL Quickstart workshops.