PBL News @SDUSD

This year's showcase will be a live virtual event on June 3rd (Thursday). It will feature CCTE and interdisciplinary PBL projects. Each team that enters will have a web page featuring their project and the students' presentation of learning. At the live event, a team of students will discuss their project with showcase judges.

View this year's projects on the 2021 Project Page. Note: The webpages are in progress, with student work being added up until May 26th.

If you are still interested in entering a project, here is the CCTE Showcase Overview and Entry Information with all the links and details you need. Make sure to read the entire page before submitting an entry. Once you have submitted an entry, Reuben Hoffman (PBL Resource Teacher) will follow-up with you.

SDUSD is hosting two PBL Institutes this summer. The format will be virtual with the option for interdisciplinary teams to meet in-person. The dates are June 21 - July 2 for Institute 1 & August 2 - August 13 for Institute 2.

There is still space available for a few teams to join Session 2 in August. If you are interested in putting together a PBL team, please email Reuben Hoffman at rhoffman@sandi.net

11th grade students in Hoover's Academy of Informational Technology had the opportunity to create and produce their own podcast as part of the project, Shaping America Through Your Advocacy.

Through this project, students were asked to evaluate a public policy in the community using data (ex: voter registration and fraud, transportation justice, policing, mental health access, housing, etc) to determine the effect the policy was having on their access to political power, technology access, and financial support for the community. Students then formed teams around a common interest in an issue. The team's goal was taking action to educate the community by developing a podcast and submitting it to the NPR Student Podcast Challenge.

One example podcast is Racial Prejudice - Microagressions. The power of student voice and deeper learning is evident when listening to this podcast. Take a few minutes to learn more about microaggressions from a student perspective.

The Microaggressions team said that the project and creating their podcast was a highlight of their year. While they had a common interest in the topic, they didn't really know one another before the project, but working together helped them build a special friendship. As they researched and learned more about microagressions, they realized how common microaggressions were. They felt they could create a short podcast to help define the term, provide examples, and share their perspectives to help educate listeners. Before doing this project, they had no idea how much their voices mattered and couldn't believe that people would give them such positive feedback. They exemplify the power of project-based learning and the Hierarchy of Audience. The title of the project, Shaping America Through Your Advocacy became a reality as these students were able share their voices and impact listeners.

The SDCOE WBL Team continues to build a collection of Virtual WBL Activities by Industry Sector. They are recording presentations, panels, and virtual site tours. Take a look!

Youth Advocacy is hosting a virtual Q&A with a fellow by the name of Rajmohan Gandhi who is the grandson of THAT Gandhi coming up on Wed., May 26 from 1:30-2:45. This is the next installment in our [necessarytroublearchives.org] Necessary Trouble Archives. Link to Flyer

Do you believe teenagers can build a better world? The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego is inviting educators to join us in our effort to make a local and global impact. Through this four-week workshop (June 17 - July 8), educators will engage in hands-on learning while being introduced to design thinking through the Pactful curriculum and tool. Come learn how to incorporate this into your classroom and community next school year! Register Here

Learn about more of the workshops being offered through The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education - Summer Learning Series.

SDCOE's WBL Team has developed a series of Canvas trainings to support teachers in offering the highest quality career readiness education. These trainings can be completed at your pace on your schedule - over the course of a month or an afternoon, at night or during your lunch break. After completing a course, you will have access to all of the resources referred to in the training, including powerpoint slides, activities, worksheets, supplemental videos, and more. They are FREE for SD County educators. Enroll now!

Interested in getting started with or going deeper with Project-Based Learning or Design Thinking? Let's customize an experience for your site or team. Contact Reuben Hoffman at rhoffman@sandi.net.

Great option for all types of funding related to student learning. Create an account at www.donorschoose.org

For more information regarding PBL at SDUSD, please contact Reuben Hoffman at rhoffman@sandi.net, visit the SDUSD PBL Website, follow #sdusdpbl & @reubenhoffman on Twitter.

Please invite me to see your students in action, so I can share more of the great things happening in SD Unified.

If you would like to submit something for a future newsletter, please contact Reuben Hoffman at rhoffman@sandi.net.

Email: rhoffman@sandi.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/pbl/home
Phone: 8584142557

Follow @sdschools on Twitter for daily highlights from schools throughout SDUSD.

Check out and "follow" other SDUSD Newsletters

• SDUSD Science
• SDUSD English
• SDUSD Ethnic Studies

SDUSD Instructional Technology Department monthly Tech Tips