Table Of ContentAuthentic Learning
Experiences
A Real-World Approach
to Project-Based Learning
DaynaLaur
~~ ~~o~~~~~i?G:up
New York London
First published 2013 by Eye On Education
Published 2013 by Routledge
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Cover Designer: Dave Strauss/3FoldDesign
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Laur, Dayna.
Authentic learning experiences : a real-world approach to
project-based learning / Dayna Laur.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-59667-245-1
1. Project method in teaching. I. Title.
LB1027.43.L38 2013
371.3’6—dc23
2013004309
ISBN: 978-1-596-67245-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-317-92132-5 (ebk)(cid:13)(cid:10)
Laur_Ch00_FM.indd 2 4/2/13 7:15 PM
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meet the Author
Dayna Laur is a veteran high school social studies teacher of fourteen years.
During that time, she implemented numerous Authentic Learning Expe-
riences in her co-taught special education classes, Advanced Placement
courses, and mainstream social studies classes. She was featured in Eduto-
pia’s Schools That Work series and as a model teacher for Authentic Learn-
ing as produced by the National Institute for Professional Practice. She cur-
rently serves as a Senior National Faculty member for the Buck Institute for
Education and travels nationally to train teachers on effective implementa-
tion of Project-Based Learning. She has a BA in History from VA Tech, a
MEd. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Pittsburgh, and
a MSEd. in 21st Century Teaching and Learning from Wilkes University.
She is also a two-time National Board Certified teacher. She has written
articles that have appeared in Tech-Edge and EARCOS Journal. In addition
to Authentic Learning Experiences, Dayna’s educational interests include
the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and technology
integration. You can follow her on Twitter @daylynn. This is her first book
with Eye On Education.
iv
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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to the educators who allowed me to
showcase their Authentic Learning Experiences. I am certain they will be
as inspiring to my readers as they were to the students who were fortunate
enough to take part in them.
I would also like to thank Jim Gates for starting me down this path all
those years ago with his introduction on how to expand my virtual Personal
Learning Network and make connections with educators from around the
globe.
Many thanks go to Holly Jobe, my friend and mentor. With her support
and guidance, through the Pennsylvania Classrooms for the Future Initia-
tive, I discovered my passion for Authentic Learning Experiences and for
training teachers.
Thank you to my close friends and colleagues Tim Kubik, Rody Boon-
chouy, Mitzi Neely, and Kristyn Kamps for your offered inspiration and
words of advice. RB, I especially thank you for giving me the confidence to
pursue this endeavor.
To Bob Sickles and Lauren Davis at Eye On Education, thank you for
making this dream become a reality and for providing continual profes-
sional support throughout this process.
Finally, I am eternally grateful to my supportive husband, Eric Laur,
who has put up with my late-night writing, been my at-home editor, and
taken on the role of Mr. Mom when needed.
v
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foreword
by Holly Jobe
In an increasingly complex world where challenging, interdisciplinary prob-
lems face every sector of our society, it is critical for students to have the skills
and habits of mind to be self-motivated problem solvers and critical think-
ers. Rote learning and cramming for a test will not serve students to prepare
them for their futures. Teachers are faced with the challenge of creating
instructional environments that invite students to engage in open-ended,
real-world investigations that promote critical thinking and academic rigor.
Ultimately, the teacher’s task is to be a guide to help students discover a pas-
sion for learning and to develop the drive to pursue challenging problems
head-on.
The framework presented by Dayna Laur in this book, Authentic Learn-
ing Experiences: A Real-World Approach to Project-Based Learning, is a well
thought-out instructional strategy for designing experiences to more fully
engage students in their learning. With the focus firmly on student learning,
rather than content delivery, this book presents specific steps with practical
examples for authentic student engagement. The framework includes pro-
viding students with a challenging interdisciplinary investigation; linking it
to authentic community or career interests; having students include rigorous
research and academic justification of their work; showcasing their learning
to external audiences and tying the whole process to academic standards and
assessment. The Authentic Learning Experiences framework that you will
learn about in this book can transform classrooms into dynamic learning
opportunities for both teachers and students.
Dayna Laur is an experienced and accomplished teacher who, with on-
going reflection on her practice, has refined her teaching role to that of a
guide helping students excel and accomplish more than they ever thought
they could through the practice of creating Authentic Learning Experienc-
es. I was privileged to work with Dayna as part of the Pennsylvania Depart-
ment of Education Classrooms for the Future (CFF) program. She stood
out as a teacher who used the technology (one laptop per student and an-
cillary equipment) provided by the program to transform her classroom.
She added the technology component to a clear pedagogical process that
vi Foreword
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she already practiced to allow her students to be fully engaged in Authentic
Learning Experiences. Dayna was a model lessons teacher for the instruc-
tional coach professional development sessions and a keynote speaker in-
troducing project-based learning. During the course of the project, she was
noticed when she tweeted about her students’ projects with a link to her
wiki, and the result, after a circuitous journey, is this book.
This book is not technology-focused, and the author cautions that uti-
lizing technology for the sake of using technology often complicates and
obfuscates the real meaning of the work. However, she points out that us-
ing technology appropriately with Authentic Learning Experiences greatly
enhances student independence and helps students develop technology flu-
ency with tools they will encounter outside the school walls.
Many educators are overwhelmed by the demands to prepare students
for standardized tests, or to meet what seems like a mountain of stan-
dards. Consequently, they are reluctant to stray from a set curriculum and
provide open-ended, authentic, real-world learning experiences in their
classrooms. Unlike other Project-Based Learning books, this one connects
authentic learning and Project-Based Learning to standards (mostly the
Common Core, but any standards can be used) and assessment. An analy-
sis of a variety of sample questions from the PARCC and SBAC tests re-
veals a focus on critical thinking and higher-order thinking skills. With
this shift in assessment, it is essential that students develop these skills, and
using Authentic Learning Experiences is a good method for doing that.
There are practical strategies in the book for using formative assessment to
help not only students to be successful and actually perform well on sum-
mative assessments but also teachers to get to know the students and their
individual needs better.
Educators know how important relationships are in learning. We need
to know if a student is actually “getting it” or is sliding by. The strategies
discussed rely on the teacher’s need to understand the makeup of his or
her students and their needs and interests. It is by knowing the students
that teachers can guide them in their projects through scaffolding lessons
and differentiating. Throughout the book, teachers are called upon to shift
their practice and not do it alone. Teachers are encouraged to develop
relationships with and reach out to colleagues and peers; to share lesson
plans, assessment rubrics, and activities; and to get feedback as they tran-
sition their classrooms to vibrant learning environments. This is an essen-
tial aspect of continuous reflection and the building of a peer-supported
learning community.
Foreword vii
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Using the Authentic Learning Experiences framework, you can transform
your learning environments one step at a time. Start small as is recommend-
ed and you will be reenergized by the quality of student engagement and ac-
complishment that goes far beyond tests and will remain with students for
their lifetime. I encourage you to examine the ideas of the framework and
consider the many examples provided in each chapter. The project examples
are from teachers working with different grade levels in schools throughout
the country that can be modified to fit your and your students’ needs.
By providing Authentic Learning Experiences in our classrooms around
the country, I know we will be preparing our students for their future.
Holly Jobe is the President of the International Society for Technology in Education and served
as Project Manager for the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Classrooms for the Future
project from 2006–2011.
viii Foreword
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tAble of contents
Meet the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Supplemental Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xii
Chapter 1
Authentic Learning Experiences:
An Introduction
1
My Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
An Overview of Authentic Learning Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 2
Creating a Challenging Investigation
13
Complex Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Critical Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Challenging Investigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Teaching Critical-Thinking Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Sample Authentic Learning Experiences
Funding the Food Bank (Grade 3/ELA, Social Studies, and Math) / 22
iGreenCR (Grade 9/Physical Science) / 25
A Question of Native American Affairs (Grade 9/Humanities) / 28
Chapter 3
Creating the Community/Career Connection
31
Career Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Community Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Career Connection Examples
Pinball Wizard (Grade 4/Science and Engineering) / 38
Books of Hope (Grade 8/ELA) / 41
Geospatial Semester (Grade 12/Geographic Information Systems) / 44
Table of Contents ix
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