Today's podcast discusses three solutions that Project-Based Learning (PBL) brings to Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
Key Resources & Connections
- PBL Networks: Administrators and staff members fired up about PBL should check out pblnetworks.com. This platform investigates issues and expands great ideas around PBL and CTE, PBL and maker spaces, and PBL and STEM, bringing together minds across the country to create solutions for the PBL world.
- Magnify Learning Approach: Magnify Learning uses a two-pronged approach to train leaders and teachers simultaneously. Their goal is to achieve a fully sustainable PBL model, culture, and trained professionals within three years. Customization is a core value, involving listening to CTE teachers and customizing resources to their work.
The Challenge of Projects vs. Project-Based Learning
While CTE programs are already rich with real-world application, engagement, and projects (students are welding, wiring, and cooking), simply doing projects does not guarantee learners are experiencing the full benefits of PBL. PBL offers three specific solutions to upgrade any CTE program.
The Three Problems and PBL Solutions
1. Problem: Learners Aren't Always Engaged
Even with authentic, hands-on work (like laying pipe or designing logos), engagement isn't always automatic because learners often don't know the "why" or the spark of purpose behind the task.
- PBL Solution: Start with a real problem and give the authentic work a new why and new purpose.
- Entry Event: A strong entry event is a staple of any PBL unit, creating the emotional hook and launching the unit by focusing on solving a real problem for real people.
- Example: Instead of just doing brake jobs in auto tech, learners begin the unit by meeting with a local nonprofit serving single mothers, giving the work a purpose beyond the technical standards.
- This aligns with Daniel Pink's "big three" elements of motivation: purpose, autonomy, and mastery.
2. Problem: CTE Teachers Can Lack a Clear Structure
Many CTE professionals (e.g., master electricians, nurses, chefs, engineers) come straight from the industry and are not traditional educators. They may lack training in creating rubrics, connecting lessons to standards, or backwards planning. Without structure, projects can go "off the rails," potentially running far longer than planned (e.g., three weeks turning into nine weeks).
- PBL Solution: Use the six-step process to simplify planning and maximize learning.
- The six steps provide a simple, repeatable way to design rigorous, authentic projects and remove the guesswork.
- The Six Steps:
- Define the problem.
- Set the solution criteria.
- Research possible solutions.
- Choose a solution.
- Implement it and inspect it.
- Reflect on the process.
- PBL offers scaffolding, and resources (like planning templates and rubrics) can be tailored specifically to fit CTE departments (e.g., welding or HVAC).
3. Problem: The Amazing Work Isn't Being Shared from Your CTE Programs
Incredible things are happening in CTE (e.g., rewiring homes, interning at hospitals), but they often happen "behind closed doors," and the community never sees them. This leads the community to misunderstand the current state of CTE (thinking it is "shop class from 50 years ago").
- PBL Solution: Make the learning public.
- Public Presentations of Learning to an authentic audience is a core component of PBL.
- Authentic Audiences may include a panel of industry professionals, the local school board, or a neighborhood news outlet.
- Benefits: When work is made public, learners take pride in it, community partners see the advanced work happening, and the district sees the CTE program as a "crown jewel".
- Example: Culinary students cater a luncheon for a local senior center, researching dietary needs and letting the local newspaper know, resulting in a "splash" of good news.
Conclusion
PBL is a smooth transition for CTE because the programs already have authentic projects and CTE professionals understand the work. When done right, PBL aligns with what CTE is already good at and helps build citizens, problem solvers, and leaders in addition to the workforce of tomorrow.
