The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning

How do you make student work public?  That's a scary proposition for many of us as educators. But what if it's not for us to decide?  What if we turned over control of the whole process to our students?  Letting them choose the work, the medium, the format, the audience, and the script. What would happen then? In this episode, I sit down with MYP Coordinator and student empowerer Alison Yang to learn more about how to curate public exhibitions, and how to: Exhibit student work seamlessly in in-person AND remote environments  Help typically shy students come to life Empower students to own the process while we gently guide in the background Get kids excited to share their learning Manage the project process using tech tools so easy, a caveman could do it Alison's Blog: www.alisonyang.com  Alison's Post on Creating an Exhibition in GatherTown: https://alisonyang.com/8-steps-to-organize-a-virtual-exhibition-via-gather-town/#Conclusion Connect w/ Alison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonyawenyang/ Alison's Bio: Alison Yang is an MYP Coordinator at KIS International School, Bangkok Thailand. Additionally, she is also an MYP/DP Workshop Leader and Field Rep, BQC Reviewer, Mandarin ab initio Examiner and MYP Language Acquisition Teacher Support Material Contributor. This is her 18th year working in the IB programmes. She is an active IB Educator and has been actively involved in IB activities and presented in various conferences. She deeply believes that evidence and research-based educational approaches can enhance educational practices and maximize student learning. She is interested in developing self-regulation of students.

Are you the lone innovator in a school that doesn't get project-based learning? How do get more on baord for PBL and scale it across the school?  David Moore, a school leader, PBL practitioner and vintage car enthusiast got an entire community behind project-based experiences by converting his school's car park into a Formula 1 Race Track.  Learn about the incredible and inspiring story of Faith Lutheran College, and how David transformed it from a place with declining enrollment, to one of the most sought after schools in the region. Learn how to: Turn skeptical parents into your biggest believers. Stay competitive with schools who have infinitely more money and resources.  Help 100% of staff feel ready for their first PBL experience through a 10 minute activity. Use the power of exhibition to accelerate onboarding for PBL. Transform archaic, siloed subjects, into real world, mixed-age courses.  Connect with David: LinkedIN Learn more about Faith Lutheran College: www.faithlutheran.qld.edu.au  Take the 12 Shifts for Learner-Centered Environments Scorecard: www.tranformschool.com/12shiftsmastermind David's Bio: David Moore, Deputy Head of Secondary School - Learning. He has been teaching for the past 35 years in both the Public and private schools systems in Queensland, Australia. For the past 20 years he has been at Faith Lutheran College Redlands where he was a foundation teacher, moving through the curriculum pathways to the position where he is today. He is passionate about curriculum and learning being done differently so that students enjoy learning. The learning program designed at Faith creates courses based on a student's ability not their age with Soloed subjects combined in a PBL environment.

How can one project unite previously isolated teachers, build SEL and cross-disciplinary skills in students, and transform a community?  Welcome to the Sensory Therapy Games and Toys Project by the Year 5 Team at KPIS International School. In this episode, I unpack the project with the 5 person teaching team to discover: The starting point for cross-disciplinary learning design  How to seamlessly integrate content across a range of subjects Build SEL skills  Assess student learning Foster greater collaboration amongst teachers and students Learn more about KPIS International School: https://kpis.ac.th/  Learn more about the upcoming PBL Design Certificate Course and enroll a team: https://transformschool.com/pbl-intermediate-blended-learning-immersive-coaching/ 

When a girl from Cuba arrived in Lua's PBL class, she had zero English.  But within two months, because of a hands-on project, she was able to deliver full presentations in her second language. In this episode, I sit down with Lua Yaganagi and her adorable students, in a mixed-age primary PBL classroom in Rizhao, China to hear how projects ranging from building a class garden, to designing Olympic Games helped students: Acquire reading, writing and listening ESL skills.  Grow in confidence.  Co-teach their younger peers. Discover their personal passions.  Improve their English speaking vocabulary. For a full write up of Lua's Class Garden Project: https://bit.ly/3KGtgan Get the free PBL Design Kit: https://projectbasedlearning.teachable.com/p/pblstarterkit 

How can one project culminate in a Wurundjeri Elder officially welcoming students and teachers onto the stolen land on which their school sits? How can one project transform previously disengaged teenagers, into empathetic contributors towards reconciliation between First Nations People and settler Australians? That's the power of PBL when learners are given an authentic problem to tackle. In this episode, Christopher Bush, Head of Student Voice and Leadership at University HIgh School, unpacks the First Nations Project and provides ideas for how we as learner-centered practitioners can:  Co-Create projects with students and experts in the community  Break down the walls between school and community and find authentic problems to design projects around Help foster learner agency and voice in managing their own projects under the same driving question Scaffold experiences to allow for DEEP learning Register for the 12 Shifts Webinar to unpack Learner-Centered PBL Environments: Here  Chris' Bio: Chris Bush is currently the Head of Student Voice and Leadership at the University High School in Parkville. Previously working as a Leading Teacher (Curriculum and Innovation) at Prahran High School, Chris designed and implemented an agentic and engaging project-based learning curriculum focussing on various topics including Indigenous Perspectives, Sustainability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Prior to this work, Chris worked for the Safe Schools Coalition Australia, where he designed and implemented National curriculum resources to make schools safer for LGBTQIA+ students. Chris is passionate about co-designing engaging learning experiences with his learners and listening authentically to their desires and interests, allowing those to drive their inquiries.

What if you were given a blank canvas to design a new school from the ground up? How would students spend their day? What learning experiences would it include? What would the building look like? Would they even need a classroom? Most of us don't have the luxury to build from the ground up, but with micro-schools, edu- innovators like you are beginning to re-imagine the schooling experience. With their small, flexible structure, micro-schools are able to rapidly adapt and design more learner-centered experiences.  I sat down with micro-school founder Michael Ha, to learn about his brand new open age, experiential, project-based, personalized, biosphere and sustainability grounded 'Elements College.' Through our interview, you will learn how to: Come up with the design principals to accelerate our own learner-centered environments Build and scaffold self-management and self-directed skills in learners Embrace the 6 C's and make them come to life  Connect learners to the Metaverse Organize learning experiences that move beyond the four walls of our classsroom and into the biosphere Build a reflective culture that allows for rapid prototyping and iteration Learn More about Elements College: https://www.elementcollege.com.au/ Connect with Michael via LinkedIn (@michaelhaedu) and Twitter (@MichaelHaEDU). Join the Micro-School Design Challenge with innovators around the world: innovationhub.school/reschool-sprint Michael's Bio:  Michael believes that a bottom-up approach of rethinking education is the best approach to accelerate change, and is committed to share an open-sourced playbook on the development and ongoing operations of this learning ecosystem. Outside of Element College, Michael is the Executive Director of the Institute of Deeper Learning, supporting schools on the implementation of pedagogical practices across K-12 schools, foster staff professional growth, and facilitate the development of cultures of learning globally. Attesting to his commitment to professional learning, Michael is a Doctorate candidate (UNSW) in educational leadership. Outside of education, he is a founding member of Bank of Cancer Research, a social enterprise that aims to fund open-source cancer research.

What if we allowed students to design their own project-based experiences? Formulate their own questions, connect with relevant experts, and find authentic audiences. What global IMPACT might they have then? Fardeen Blaq, a 13 year old changemaker and global citizen, started managing his own projects at age 9. In this episode, I sit down with Fardeen to learn more about his award winning 'Trailblazers' and SDG focused 'Global Blueprint' Project, and how we as educators can: Provide the time and space for PBL. Mentor students in achieving their project goals. Help students discover their passions Build the capacity in students to grow as global citizens. Get out of the way and help students develop as socially, emotionally, and globally aware citizens on their own. Learn more about 'The Global Blueprint': https://www.facebook.com/TheGlobalBlueprint/  Learn more about Fardeen's Trailblazers: https://www.facebook.com/FardeenTrailblazersB  Free Student Process Guides for Passion Projects: https://transformschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Student-Guide.pdf   SDG Related Projects: https://transformschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SDG-Development-Guide.pdf  Fardeen's Bio:  Fardeen Blaq is a 13 years old changemaker from Nairobi, Kenya He is the Youngest Diana Awards Recipient in Africa in 2020. In 2021 he was nominated for the Legacy Award. The highest Award in this program. Fardeen is also a Kids Rights Changemaker. In 2021 he was nominated and received recognition for being nominated for International Children’s Peace Prize. He is the HundrED Youth Ambassador for Kenya, and also the Country consultant for 3Dux|Design in Kenya. He is the Ambassador for his football team, FARDEEN TRAILBLAZERS which he started at the age of 9 together with my father and his production house. Fardeen set my team as an Education through Football program implementing the FIFA Grassroots in Kwale County of Kenya. This was launched in 2017. Fardeen received recognition for the work that he continues to do to meet Global Goal 4 Quality Education.

As the invasion of 🇺🇦 Ukraine intensifies, how might we use the same process to empower our students as global citizens, critical thinkers and problem-solvers? Yesterday, I had the great privilege of chatting with Robert Gold, the Model United Nations Coordinator at the International School of Kuala Lumpur on how to start the discussion in our classrooms. Through the interview we learn how to: Help students understand the complexities of the conflict Seamlessly weave together history, geography, and language topics found in our curriculum Help students differentiate between 'real' and 'fake' news  Organize our own Model United Nations conference with little to no experience Motivate students to give up entire weekends to the process of diplomacy Connect with Rob: rgold@iskl.edu.my MUN Free Resources: https://bit.ly/35ulpgz Additional Ideas for Discussion: https://transformschool.com/category/blog/mun/ 

These past 2 years have been some of the toughest we have ever faced as educators.  We've been asked to teach in new mediums. Had to work double shifts. Been required to work in unsafe conditions. And at the same time seen our salaries and pensions dwindle.  For these reasons, many of us our leaving the profession. How do we re-ignite and re-imagine our love for the classroom during this difficult time? I sat down with veteran educator and master storyteller Todd Shy, to chat about his new book 'Teaching Life: Life Lessons for the Aspiring and Inspiring Teacher,' and hear stories that help re-ignite the joy and wonder that only a life of teaching can bring. During our short interview, Todd helps us remember: ❤️  To be charmed by our students ❤️  That we are called to be both artist and engineer ❤️  To prepare students for life, not a test ❤️  The wonder of the Groundhog years Get Todd's Book : https://press.avenues.org/teaching-life/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/avenues-the-world-school/mycompany/ Prevent 'burnout' through job rotation: https://www.hourly.io/post/job-rotation-pros-and-cons-for-your-business Connect on Twitter: @Avenues_org/with_replies Facebook: @AvenuesTheWorldSchool Todd's Bio: Todd Shy has taught for more than twenty-five years in North Carolina, California, and New York. Currently, he is Head of the Upper Division at Avenues The World School in New York City. His essays and book reviews have appeared in the Raleigh News and Observer, the San Francisco Chronicle, Salmagundi, and the Harvard Divinity Bulletin. In 2008, he was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. 

How do you build community partners for project-based experiences to make learning more 'real world,' and meaningful for students? There's the 'old school' way of doing things. 🥱  Plan a learning experience inside your classroom in a silo, or shared office, and then figure out how it fits with the community. Or there's the more effective, '21st century' way of doing things. BUILD the project together with students and community partners 🤝. That's how Julia Kao, PBL teacher, and community outreach curator at VIS OneWorld Lab School in Taiwan builds projects. In this short podcast episode, we learn from Julia how to: Develop community partnerships that last well beyond the project due date Help students co-create products with community partners that serve purpose in the real world Utilize community partners for feedback, critique and adjudicators for student work Seamlessly integrate your core curriculum and content to lead to DEEPER learning Website: https://vis.tp.edu.tw/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vis_betterworldlab/?hl=en  Program Overview Take the 12 Shifts for Learner-Centered Classrooms Scorecard: www.transformschool.com/12shiftsmastermind