BACK TO PROJECT BASED LEARNING BLOGS
By: Ryan Steuer, CEO
Magnify Learning
Dallas, TX
@ryansteuer
Do you need a new End Product for every PBL unit?
Are you tired of having an expo after every PBL unit?
Have you ever felt your End Product didn't fit your standards well?
End Products are wonderfully crafted creations that showcase the learning you have done over the time of your PBL. “You mean the stuff our kids make?” Maybe. It really depends, and there are not a whole lot of hard and fast rules when it comes to End Products. In this blog, I hope to give you some questions and guiding principles to help you and your learners create meaningful End Products.
What are the goals of an End Product in Project Based Learning?
Demonstrate student understanding and mastery of the task.
Display student research and inquiry.
Serve as an authentic product with a clear purpose.
Aligns with standards and assessment criteria so students have a clear idea of expectations and requirements.
What makes a good End Product?
There are endless products that your learners can create, which is great for voice and choice, but can actually become overwhelming as the facilitator planning out your PBL unit. So here are a few ideas that you should consider for a good End Product.
Is the End Product authentic?
Does the End Product demonstrate student mastery of the content and skills taught?
Does the End Product align with your standards and the assessment criteria on the rubric?
Consider Depths of Knowledge and Bloom’s Taxonomy as you define what students will be doing.
Is the End Product authentic?
Here are the questions from the 6 A’s of Project Based Learning around Authenticity. These questions can help guide you toward an authentic End Product for your PBL unit. Here is a PDF of the 6 A’s Guiding Questions. You might also want to check out Andrew Larson’s book, Life’s a Project: The 6 A’s of Project Based Learning, for more insight into how the 6 A’s can be applied in your classroom.
Does the project emanate from a problem that has meaning to the student?
Is it a problem or question that might actually be tackled by an adult at work or in the community?
Do students create or produce something that has personal and/or social value beyond the school setting?
Does the End Product demonstrate student mastery of the content and skills taught?
The End Product that your learners are creating is a great way to showcase the content that they've learned in this unit. Whatever end product your learners create should be dependent on the content they are learning. Your End Product is an opportunity to celebrate the learning that has happened over the course of your PBL unit. The majority of your content grades and assessments should have already taken place before you get to a publicly presented product. The End Product is an opportunity for your learners to apply and show the content and skills they have learned throughout this unit. Let’s show off their learning!
Does the End Product align with your standards and the assessment criteria on the rubric?
For your learners to show what they have learned over the course of this PBL unit, you need to ensure that your End Product connects to your standards and the assessment criteria from your rubric. As you look at your standards, plan your assessments, and create your rubrics, the End Product should flow out of these tools. If you take the time while planning the PBL unit, your End Product will seem like a natural extension of the learning.
Consider Depths of Knowledge and Bloom’s Taxonomy as you define what students will be doing.
Looking at Depths of Knowledge verbs or Bloom’s Taxonomy can help you find the End Product you are looking for by finding the verbs that are important to you. You are likely looking for Design, Synthesize, or Create vs Memorize, State, or Define. In your End Product, you are looking for a natural application of the content and skills you are teaching throughout the PBL unit. You do not want your learners creating an End Product just to create an End Product. You want your learners to take the Knowledge and Skills that they have gained and apply them in a meaningful way to create an End Product.
Types of End Products
It might be impossible to list all of the possible End Products in the world, which is why the questions and thoughts above are important for you. You want to find an End Product that fits your specific PBL unit, your specific learners, and your specific Community Partners.
However, you still might be asking, what are some types of End Products that other PBL educators have used? That's a valid question, so here are a few: podcast, PSA, panel discussion, consumer product, website, public event, an auction, walkathon, 5k, business plan, proposal, exhibit, movie, play, children's book, artwork, and many more. Check out the PBL Showcases from the PBL Simplified Podcast for more real-life examples.
To help you come up with more of your own ideas, you can check out the End Products Brainstorming Sheet, where we help you brainstorm End Products that are either written products, presentation products, media and technology products, constructed products, or planning products. Again, the warning is that you really need an End Product that fits your specific PBL unit. Your end product may not be perfect, but fear not! You'll get a chance next year to make the End Product a little better, and the year after that your End Products will continually get better as you walk down the path of your PBL journey.
Bonus Tip
Collaboration with other PBL educators is a very valuable tool when it comes to End Products. Bring your driving question to a group of inspired PBL educators and ask them what End Products they think might fit. You will immediately get a list of 10 or more possible End Products from people who are on the same PBL path as you!
If you don't have a team of inspired PBL educators that you can collaborate with, then you need to join the PBL Movement Online Community. In the PBL Movement Online Community, you can ask any question that you'd like, and you will get an answer. For instance, you can list your Driving Question in the community and ask what are some possible End Products? You will get a plethora of answers from people who are using PBL in the classroom and working to improve their craft just like you.
Final Next Steps
To join the PBL Movement Online Community click here.
To download a free pdf of the Five Reasons Your Principal Should Enroll you in the PBL Movement Online Community click here.
For a PBL Simplified video on End Products click here.
I’m Ryan Steuer – author and thought leader who specializes in Project Based Learning training, coaching, community, and content to help educational leaders fulfill their vision of deeper learning in their schools. I’ve worked with leaders in school districts of all sizes, from 400 students to 100,000 students. These visionary leaders care about their students, but they are often stressed, overworked, and overwhelmed with the work ahead of them. That’s where I come in! I help leaders achieve their PBL vision, lead their staff, AND stop working weekends.
When I’m not guiding school leaders through Project Based Learning mindset shifts, I am outdoors with my wife and 5 kids - canoeing, hiking, biking, and traveling the US in our RV.
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