How to Quick-Launch a PBL Initiative

If you’re a leader passionate about project-based learning (PBL), I have a question for you. If you only had two hours to launch a PBL initiative, what would you do?

In my job, I see PBL in its many forms and how teachers and schools across the globe bring it to life. One of the projects I get to work on with PBLWorks is the New York City School Leader Network (SLN), a network of school leaders from across the city who work together to bring rigorous and engaging PBL experiences to their students. The New York State Education Department is also reimagining the assessment strategy to include more performance-based options where PBL can be used to help students graduate through alternative pathways.

The principals in the SLN network are all united in their belief in the potential of PBL and have a desire to integrate it more deeply into their students’ experience. Their path to that goal varies. Some schools are newer to PBL while others serve as models of PBL excellence for others. Wherever they are on their journey, they share the challenge of answering questions around next year’s launch: “What’s the best way to fit PBL in among all the other things that need to take place at the beginning of the year before students arrive?”

How to Make PBL Discussions Fit Within a Limited Timeframe

Most SLN schools have professional days at the beginning of the year. Utilizing this time to launch PBL initiatives is key. However, there are many other things that need to be addressed—crafting district messages, attending essential trainings, reviewing student caseloads, building schedules, and setting up classrooms—all of which need a slot somewhere in those first few days.

When these essential “must do’s” are scheduled, that leaves only a few hours for launching or revisiting PBL. In fact, an informal poll among the leaders I work with showed that the average is only two hours of time during the start of the year, leaving many wondering if that’s enough time to do anything of substance.

After some thinking, we were able to outline something called “the skinny launch,” a kick-off or relaunch strategy that needs only two hours of in-person time at the beginning of the year. Four elements are key to the success of this approach: a shared understanding of what PBL is and isn’t, clear and achievable expectations, a chance to dig deeper together and to launch collaboration, and a clear indication of what comes next.

1. Build Shared Understanding Through Pre-Work

Those familiar with flipped instruction know that it encourages reconsideration of face-to-face time through reflection on what is done outside of class, thereby “banking” more time in front of learners. The skinny launch requires you to move the process of building background knowledge outside of the in-person meeting in order to reserve time for the rest of what I’ll be suggesting below.

Teachers may have different levels of experience with and definitions of PBL, so it’s important to create shared understanding outside of your two-hour launch. Share an article that provides a good overview of what PBL is, such as this breakdown from Applied Coaching for Projects, or one of the many PBL resources from Edutopia. Doing this will build background knowledge and provide a good jumping off point for your in-person time, when the group reviews this resource or you share another one that adds to the topic.

Tip: Don’t go overboard with what you assign. Anything north of 30 minutes will likely be seen as too much of an investment. Emphasize the importance of the resource you’re sharing and indicate respect for their time: “I’m only sharing this one key resource, so please make sure to find x minutes to review it.”

2. Set a Clear and Collaboratively Constructed Goal

When you finally get your staff together and the two-hour timer starts ticking, work toward the expected goal. Craft this goal with the help of the other members of your implementation team (which could include assistant principals, instructional coaches, teachers, community members, etc.). A goal could be that all teachers implement one project, or a specific grade-level team pilots PBL first and then shares their experience, or anything that else moves you forward. Be specific and concrete, and make sure to emphasize that it’s the job of you and your team to ensure that teachers have what they need in order to achieve the goal.

Tip: If you happen to have people on your staff who have experience with PBL, allow them time to share things they have done previously that could support this goal. This provides peer-based evidence that the goal is achievable while also highlighting someone who could be a resource for their peers going forward.

3. Controlled Questions and Comments

After setting the tone and articulating the goal, you’ll want to provide some space for your staff to feel heard. Implement a process to gather questions and concerns, and affirm from the start that everyone has a role in the initiative. Doing this also gives you an opportunity to assess obstacles or challenges that you’ll need to address next.

Use a collaborative technique such as asking groups to submit their questions as a table rather than individually to allow for more consensus and to identify the big questions quicker. Whatever method you choose, make sure to limit the time allocated for comments or question generation. 

Tip: Utilize a parking lot so that people who have lots of concerns can share them without diverting the focus of your meeting. Assure them that every question will be read and receive a response—make sure to require that the person asking the question includes their name so that you can follow up. This ensures ownership of the comment and removes the anonymity that can sometimes lead to “wrecking ball statements”—those questions that detractors use to sow discord around initiatives they don’t like.

4. DECIDE What’s Next

You’ve built understanding, established the goal, and collected the questions. Now the work begins. Use the balance of your time to have teachers start planning or addressing next steps. You might provide a playlist of project ideas like the project cards from UnBoxed or move your staff into groups to start planning together. Whatever your next step is, make sure to give it a generous but firm deadline so that you can move into the next part of the process (e.g., “I’d like you to share your expected PBL launch window with me by next Friday. Let me know if you’d like some support in getting this done—I can help you.”) 

Tip: Helping teachers find time to continue collaborating is key. If you aren’t using professional learning community time or staff meetings, you might want to read about how to find time for sustaining PBL through teacher collaboration within tight school schedules.