PBL in the New School Year

The start of each new school year is a great time to try out some new methods and digital tools that can help amplify learning while also focusing on the development of essential skills for students. A method that works well for any grade level and […]

PBL and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are designed to address global challenges, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The Goals interconnect and leave no […]

2 Key Ingredients for Making Transfer Matter for Kids

COVID was a vivid reminder to all of us that we simply can’t keep the real world out of the classroom. Nor should we try. The more we design units of study in a way that enables students to see the walls of the classroom as permeable the better […]

What is "Deeper Learning"?

Okay, so what is deeper learning? And are we not helping our students learn deeply in our schools already? 

As more and more of my educational conversations involve the discussion of deeper learning for students, I must admit these questions were at […]

Back to School: Focusing on SEL and Our Wellbeing

It has been a challenging couple of years for all of us. We’ve all had to adjust in our personal lives as well as professional lives. The routines we had for working, connecting with family and friends, and the many other things we kept ourselves […]

Leveraging Technology to Engage Students in Meaningful Career-Focused Learning

After 12 years of teaching in Florida’s public school system, Brian Tupper’s principal let him know he was considered a “non-fiction reading teacher”, rather than a World Cultures and Geography teacher. Frustrated with the educational system, Tupper […]

Defined Announces Computer Science Curriculum Solution for K-12 Schools

Defined launches new computer science curriculum resources to create opportunities and expand career pathways for all students.

CHICAGO, IL (Tuesday, July 20, 2022) — Defined, the leading online provider of project-based learning (PBL) curricula […]

One District's Approach to Transitioning to an Integrated Approach Through PBL

The motto for the Westminster School District is “Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Today.” This motto frames the work of all-district teams, including the Department of Educational Services. “Our goals are firm, but the means are flexible.” Lori […]

Education’s Dysfunctional Relationship with Happiness

If you asked parents “What is it that you want for your kids?” You’d have an overwhelmingly common response of: “I just want them to be happy?” While they may add other things like health, a job they love and good relationships, happiness would top […]

Making Rigorous PBL by Design Doable

It is difficult to accept that the best learning road is slow and that doing poorly now is essential for better performance later. It is so deeply counterintuitive that it fools the learners themselves both about their own progress and their […]