Project-Based+Inquiry




 * What is Project-Based Inquiry (PBI)?**

At the heart of the PBI process is inquiry. Students engage in a process of questioning, gathering information, creatively synthesizing information, evaluating, and finally sharing their product of learning.

The starting point is developing a compelling question. So, what makes a question a good question?


 * Why use PBI?**

The aim of the project-based inquiry approach is to provide the opportunity for students to engage in what Newman, Bryck, and Nagaoka (2001) describe as authentic intellectual work. They describe the distinctive characteristics of authentic intellectual work as the “construction of knowledge through disciplined inquiry in order to produce products that have value beyond school” (p. 14). Through a focus on authentic intellectual work, we aim to engage students in learning opportunities that connect to their world. Likewise, elements of project-based inquiry possess what John Dewey referred to as //productive inquiry//, which is "that aspect of any activity where we are deliberately (although not always consciously) seeking what we need in order to do what we want to do” (Cook and Brown, 2005, p. 62). Our aims are to engage students in intellectual work that has depth, duration, and complexity, and to challenge and motivate students toward knowledge creation that is creative and innovative.
 * PBI and TPACK**

In the diagram to the right, notice how PBI is connected to pedagogical knowledge. During the Institute you will be using PBI as the primary pedagogical approach for the plan you will develop. You will bring your content knowledge to the process of planning. Finally, we will model the use of a variety of technology tools that can be used to support communication and creativity in your plan. You will make decisions about which tools to include in your plan based on your content and pedagogical goals.
 * PBI and new literacies**

The new literacies include ways of thinking that have emerged from changes in how information is created, shared, and retrieved. These changes have been driven in part by emerging technologies and interaction with digital content. PBI provides a useful instructional context to help students develop new literaices as well as use new literacies to learn challenging content (e.g., science, math, language, history, etc.)

Bloom's Taxonomy and Higher Order Thinking Skills

 * [[image:bloomstaxonomy.jpg caption="Bloom's Original Taxonomy"]] || [[image:bloomsrevisedtaxomony.jpg caption="Bloom's Revised Taxonomy"]] || [[image:Revised_Bloom_Pyramids.jpg width="528" height="313" caption="Reversing the Pyramid: Where We Want Kids to Spend Their Energy"]] ||

How is PBI used?
Some teachers use PBI extensively as their primary curriculum organizer and instructional method. Others use PBI occasionally during a school year. Projects vary in length, from a class period, to several days, to several weeks or even a semester. PBI can be effective at all grade levels and with any subject and with afterschool and alternative programs. The process below is what you will use this week during the Institute as you design a PBI lesson for your students.

**Template for PBI plan:**
 * **Guiding Questions** || **Describe learner outcomes, teacher actions, student actions, resources, materials, content, websites, videos, technology as appropriate.** ||
 * I. What is the compelling question you would like your students to answer ? Do you have any sub-questions to engage students? ||  ||
 * II. How are new literacies featured in your compelling question? ||  ||
 * III. How will you organize or group your students for the PBI? ||  ||
 * IV. What prior knowledge do your students need to have to complete this PBI lesson? What lesson(s) would come before the PBI? ||  ||
 * V. How will you scaffold and support your students' gathering and analyzing of information? How will you monitor this process? ||  ||
 * VI. How will you scaffold and support your students' creative synthesis of information in their PBI product? How will you monitor this process? ||  ||
 * VII. What intellectual elements in students' PBI product will be evaluated. What forms of assessments will you use (e.g. rubrics, checklist, etc). ||  ||
 * VIII. What technology tools will students use in creation and sharing of their PBI product? ||  ||


 * Examples:**


 * media type="custom" key="7416465" media type="custom" key="7416489" ||  ||

http://www.bie.org/
 * Resources:**

http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/PBL/pbl_handbook_introduction/ http://www.bie.org/about/what_is_pbl
 * References**

http://www.bie.org/about/what_is_pbl
 * Image copyright location:**

According to: The Buck Institute for Education: Project Based Learning for the 21st Century