PBL News @ SDUSD

With a return to in-person learning, modified exhibitions and showcases of student learning have returned as well. A huge shout-out is in order for Lincoln High School, who executed their first-ever exhibition. The pathways (academies) represented included: Biotech & Engineering (BTE), Medical & Emergency Services (MES), and Performing Arts & Communication Technology (PACT). Over the past semester, teachers remained passionate about their projects, developed at the PBL Institute, and determined to publicly celebrate student work.

When asked about about their favorite parts of exhibition, students responded that they stepped out of their comfort zone, interacted with students and adults, saw the ideas of their peers, taught others about their project, engaged in positive teamwork, and learned something new.

The Polinsky Center is a residential facility and on-site SDUSD school for students under 18 in the foster care system. Cathy Gaston, In-School Resource Teacher, and her team have been working to bring project-based learning into the classroom to make learning feel engaging and relevant. In this first iteration, students explored identity through biology, math, music, art, and writing, and then created identity pieces. Anne Fennell, K-12 Music Program Manager with VAPA, secured donations from SoundTrap and ThinkWrite, then supported students in writing beats.

Click here to hear a track titled "Icy," created by a Polinsky student.

Students in Pat Meehan's 7th grade English class at Montgomery STEAM Middle School showcased their research on food deserts through presentations to peers and teachers. This served as an introductory unit to their larger project that will explore the essential question: How can we develop sustainable practices to help solve the inequities of our community? The project is anchored in some of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Jennifer Ogo, teacher at Kearny BST, and her Biomedical Innovations class has an ongoing partnership with USD Genetics. Their USD collaborator, Dr. Laura Rivard, is passionate about the Eugenics Movement and current issues associated with it. For their project, students created lessons and presentations for district personnel to review with the hopes of convincing the curriculum to be used in high school social studies and science courses.

Click the screen below to watch the recording, or view it here.

The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego is calling for middle- and high-school educators to join their effort to make a local and global impact.

In the 2022 Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge, students are introduced to the innovator’s mindset, using the 17 United Nations Global Goals, and design thinking. Winning teams and their solutions (see 2021 Winners) will receive up to $1000 to be donated to their charity of choice.

This is a FREE opportunity. Applications will be accepted until January 10, 2022, though teachers are encouraged to sign up ASAP. Sign up today!

Biocom coordinates the renowned San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering, a multi-day educational event to engage kids and families in STEAM through interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities, and dynamic speakers. Each Festival also features a t-shirt unique to that year and designed by a local student.

T-Shirt Design Contest: Students can submit a hand-drawn image or a digital creation. For a hand-drawn image, draw the piece on an 8.5 x 11 standard sheet of paper and upload a scanned copy. For a digital creation, Biocom would prefer the file in an AI/vector format, but all formats will be accepted.

The top submissions will be displayed at the Barrio Logan Science & Art Expo on March 12th. The winning submission will be featured on the festival t-shirts. The classroom of the winning submission will also receive a $500 stipend for classroom supplies!

Deadline: Send submissions to contest@generationsteam.org by Thursday, January 13th.

Questions? Please contact sdelpiccolo@biocom.org.

Receive access to the San Diego County Office of Education's Work-Based Learning opportunities, as they are made available, by completing the Work-Based Learning Training (30 minutes). After completing the training, the SDCOE College and Career Readiness Team will provide you the information to access their programs and events.

Upcoming FREE Opportunities:

• January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. SDCOE has joined several community agencies to provide anti-trafficking presentations for educators, students and families. Each presentation will include information about career opportunities involved with combating trafficking. To sign up for any of these presentations/events, please complete this form by Friday, January 7th.

• March 7th – 11th: 6th Annual Careers in Public Service (CiPS). CiPS is a cross-sector event that highlights the in-demand careers in Public Service, including health, biotechnology, information and communications technology, and more! In-person sessions for grades 11 & 12; online sessions for grades 8-14 (San Diego County students and educators only).

• March 22nd – 24th: 2nd Annual Exploring Community Engagement Careers (ECEC). The ECEC student event (formerly Careers in Community Service) features employers and breakout sessions focused on careers within nonprofit organizations and community-based agencies and other topics in the community service sector. Students and educators, grades 8 – 14 (San Diego County students and educators only).

For questions, please contact Bryan Glasrud at bryan.glasrud@sdcoe.net or Sonia Lira at sonia.lira@sdcoe.net.

Thursday, May 26th, 2022

The SDUSD CCTE Innovation Showcase is the culminating event to exhibit an interdisciplinary project attempting to address an outside the classroom problem in collaboration with at least one adult from the business or local community.

CCTE Innovation Showcase Website

Session 1: Tuesday, June 21 - Friday, July 1

Session 2: Monday, August 1 - Friday, August 12

Registration information coming soon!

The PBL Institute will be offered twice in 2022. It is a two-week institute hosted by SDUSD to support secondary school teachers in the development of rigorous, interdisciplinary projects for implementation in the upcoming school year.

PBL Institute Website

If you'd like support, guidance, or a thought partner in developing/enhancing PBL at your school, building connections between schools/with industry, or integrating any of the resources within this newsletter, use this form or email Christopher Millow, PBL Resource Teacher.

To find out more about curriculum, instruction, and assessment resources, as well as professional learning opportunities, visit us at SDUSD Instructional Innovation.

This monthly newsletter shares Project-Based Learning within and beyond SDUSD. If you would like to submit something for a future newsletter, or if you have PBL-related suggestions, questions, highlights, or shout-outs of staff and/or students, please email Christopher Millow, PBL Resource Teacher.

SDUSD PBL Website | SDUSD One-Stop-Shop for Educators

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