Team & Culture Building
Design Squad Activities
I use hands-on engineering challenges designed for middle school students to teach my students to work together. They're also great for teaching the recursive nature of failure and revision and promoting creative problem solving. You can find the same guides I use at the above link.
Lunar Survival Team Exercise
This is an activity I love to do at the beginning of the year. It shows the students that they are smarter when they work together. The link above will allow you to make a copy of the Google Slides presentation I use with my students to do this activity.
Marshmallow Challenge
This link will allow you to copy the slideshow I use to run the Marshmallow Challenge with my students. This is a common team building activity where teams compete to build the tallest free-standing tower that will support the weight of a regular-size marshmallow using dry spaghetti noodles, tape, and string.
Austin's Butterfly
To build a classroom culture that values the feedback and revision process, I use the video Austin's Butterfly. It shows how a first grader used feedback and revision to make an impressive butterfly illustration. I tell my high school students, "If a first grader can do it, you have no excuses."
Design Thinking Projects
This is an enormous resource from the Stanford d.school. The hour long challenges should work great for building and sustaining a strong, collaborative classroom culture.
Collaborative Map Labeling
This is a simple, but powerful activity that demonstrates how much more capable we are when we work together.
Team-Building Activities
This is a list of over 33 games and activities that build communication and collaboration skills for students from elementary to high school age, and beyond.
Link to more links
This link will take you to a Google doc I put together for myself. It has links to team building resources that I've used in my classroom.
I use hands-on engineering challenges designed for middle school students to teach my students to work together. They're also great for teaching the recursive nature of failure and revision and promoting creative problem solving. You can find the same guides I use at the above link.
Lunar Survival Team Exercise
This is an activity I love to do at the beginning of the year. It shows the students that they are smarter when they work together. The link above will allow you to make a copy of the Google Slides presentation I use with my students to do this activity.
Marshmallow Challenge
This link will allow you to copy the slideshow I use to run the Marshmallow Challenge with my students. This is a common team building activity where teams compete to build the tallest free-standing tower that will support the weight of a regular-size marshmallow using dry spaghetti noodles, tape, and string.
Austin's Butterfly
To build a classroom culture that values the feedback and revision process, I use the video Austin's Butterfly. It shows how a first grader used feedback and revision to make an impressive butterfly illustration. I tell my high school students, "If a first grader can do it, you have no excuses."
Design Thinking Projects
This is an enormous resource from the Stanford d.school. The hour long challenges should work great for building and sustaining a strong, collaborative classroom culture.
Collaborative Map Labeling
This is a simple, but powerful activity that demonstrates how much more capable we are when we work together.
Team-Building Activities
This is a list of over 33 games and activities that build communication and collaboration skills for students from elementary to high school age, and beyond.
Link to more links
This link will take you to a Google doc I put together for myself. It has links to team building resources that I've used in my classroom.
PBL Websites
PBLWorks
The Buck Institute for Education is a recognized leader in project based learning. Their website has resources for teachers of all experience levels.
The Buck Institute for Education is a recognized leader in project based learning. Their website has resources for teachers of all experience levels.
High Tech High
High Tech High has been blazing a trail for innovative PBL projects for years now. The link will take you straight to the HTH Student Projects page.
High Tech High has been blazing a trail for innovative PBL projects for years now. The link will take you straight to the HTH Student Projects page.
Projects by Jen
Jen Wagner creates projects for PreK - 6th Grade. She has amazing ideas.
Jen Wagner creates projects for PreK - 6th Grade. She has amazing ideas.
Getting Smart
The Getting Smart team has put together a terrific web page devoted to PBL.
The Getting Smart team has put together a terrific web page devoted to PBL.
PBL Videos
PBL Reflections
This is a brief video I made about PBL.
This is a brief video I made about PBL.
Edutopia's iTunes Page
Over 80 videos to help you on your PBL journey.
Over 80 videos to help you on your PBL journey.
Videos from a PBL pioneering school.
PBL Podcasts
Authentic Learning Experiences
Author and educator Dayna Laur discusses the PBL process and more.
Author and educator Dayna Laur discusses the PBL process and more.
PBL and Flipped Classroom
The "Premier Episode" of The Flip Side podcast with Jon Bergmann. When you follow this link, scroll to the bottom of the episode list to find the first episode.
The "Premier Episode" of The Flip Side podcast with Jon Bergmann. When you follow this link, scroll to the bottom of the episode list to find the first episode.
Web Based PBL
EduMatters' episode about Online Project Based Learning - It's almost an hour long, but it has some awesome examples of projects and resources.
EduMatters' episode about Online Project Based Learning - It's almost an hour long, but it has some awesome examples of projects and resources.
Twenty Minutes For Tech episode 22 Project Based Learning
The podcast is from 2010, but it still has a ton of relevant information. Some of the resources mentioned are no longer available though.
The podcast is from 2010, but it still has a ton of relevant information. Some of the resources mentioned are no longer available though.
