Project Based Learning to Enhance 21st

Century SkillsPhiladelphia Academies, Inc

NAF ConferenceJuly 13, 2010

Opening Activity

Constructivist Protocol National School Reform Faculty

OBJECTIVE: To gain a deeper understanding of what a student who is prepared for post-secondary opportunities looks like

Individual Brainstorm

Think of a student that you saw graduate and knew would be successful either in college or the workforce

Guiding Questions What about that student (what

characteristics) made him/her seem likely to be successful?

Did he/she have the support of mentors/peers/teachers? What did that look like?

Did he/she tend to work alone or with other people?

Was it hard for him/her to reach success? Easy? Risky? Safe?

What motivated him/her to do well?

Small Group Share Out Each person should share out about

their student Group members are allowed to ask

clarifying questions After everyone has shared, group

should compile list of characteristics, based on the guiding questions, that describe: High School Graduate Prepared to Go to

College or Into Workforce

Full Group Share Out

What do we see? Any surprises?Do all of our students look this

way? Why or why not?What does this mean for our work

as practitioners in a school?

PAI Discovery: 21st Century Skills

www.p21.org

21st Century SkillsBasic

Knowledge English language

(spoken) Reading

comprehension (English)

Writing in English

Mathematics & Science

Government & Economics

Humanities/Arts Foreign

Languages History/

Geography

21st Century SkillsApplied Skills

Critical thinking Oral

Communications Written

Communications Teamwork/

Collaboration Diversity

Info. Tech.

Application Leadership Creativity/

Innovation Lifelong

Learning Professionalism Ethics/Social

Responsibility

Project Based Learning

Orange Activity In your group, come up with as

many different lessons as possible that you could teach with your item.

What did you come up with? What 21st Century Skills are

developed during this lesson?

The Student Learning Problem

21st Century Skills were not being emphasized in schools.

Our Solution

Project Based Learning British Math Study in 1997

Three times as many students in the PBL school received the top grade on the national math exam

Challenge 2000 Study found increased student

engagement, greater responsibility for learning, increased peer collaboration, and greater achievement gains by students labeled “low level learners.”

How Do I…

Teachers interested in the skills, but concerned about how they could be implemented within the constraints of the core curriculum.

Why Ford PAS?

“Learning Pillars” = 21st Century Skills Academically rigorous Standards-based Collaborative Project-and-inquiry based

Modules available online, free of cost

Technical assistance hubs around the country can offer PD and support with integration

Experiencing Ford PAS: Making Product Decisions

Acme Soft Drink Company

About the company…

Product Distribution: Acme Soft Drinks are available in the United States, Europe, Japan, and China

Current Products: Retro Root Beer, Super Orange Fizz, Extreme Cola

Number of Employees: 1,000 worldwide Manufacturing Plants: One in Iowa, one in Georgia,

and several other plants around the world  Consumer Base: Young adults between the ages of

14 and 26

Acme Soft Drink Company is a medium-sized soft-drink maker with a strong presence in both the United States

and several other countries. Acme is unusual among soft-drink manufacturers in that it makes both soft drinks and their containers (aluminum cans).The company sells three

soft drinks, of which its cola is the most popular, but it is thinking of expanding its product line.

The Problem!!

Acme wants to expand its line by developing a new brand of soft drink for the U.S. market. The company is thinking about a lemon-lime-flavored soft drink.

Competition with other brands will be stiff, so its product will have to meet customer needs and be favorably priced. This new soft drink will also need an aggressive marketing campaign.

Many different departments at Acme will be involved in the development, production, and marketing of this new product, and they all have different concerns. How can Acme develop a new soft drink that will satisfy everyone and make a profit for the company?

Your Job

Acme is planning to hold a company-wide meeting to decide on a strategy for producing the new soft drink. Acme has asked members from the following teams to come up with a Soft Drink Production Plan to share with the company.

Corporate Citizenship Finance Marketing and Sales Production Departments

The Process

Work in small groups, by department Corporate Citizenship Finance Marketing and Sales Production Departments

Select one representative from your department This person will represent your department in a

company-wide meeting to make decisions about Acme Soft Drink Company

Company Meeting

The Company Meeting

What is Acme’s soft drink release date? What is the cost of the product? What is the marketing strategy and cost? How many milligrams of caffeine per 12 Oz.? What Acme Soft Drink Company use for

packaging materials? What is the packaging design (such as 20 oz

wide mouth) At which plant will the product will be

manufactured?

It’s decision time….

Reflection Decision-making process: Did one department have more

influence over the decision making process than the others?  Were there some goals that took precedence over others? If so, why do you think that happened?

  Learning from Teamwork:  How did teamwork aspect

deepen and/or support your learning?  Challenges of Teamwork: What are the challenges of

working in a team? What are some strategies to overcome the challenges of teamwork in the classroom/with colleagues?

Making the Connection: How does this type of learning relate to how tasks are accomplished in your practice?

Resources

Philadelphia Academies, Inc.: www.academiesinc.org

Partnership for 21st Century Skills: www.p21.org

National School Reform Faculty: www.nsrfharmony.org

Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies: www.fordpas.org

Contacts for Further Information

Jennifer Cardoso, Manager of Post-Secondary and Academic Supports: jbcardoso@academiesinc.org

Michael Hoch, Site Facilitator: mhoch@academiesinc.org

Kate Balliet, Site Facilitator: kballiet@academiesinc.org