Kalamazoo RESA’s Education for Employment program presented three days of gold standard project-based learning training to 35 Southwest Michigan educators on August 8-10, 2018.

Led by the Buck Institute of Education and sponsored by the Okun Foundation of Kalamazoo, PBL 101 offered educators opportunities to collaborate with peers and develop student-directed project-based units around their current curriculum. Project-based learning gives students ownership of their learning while practicing higher order thinking skills. These skills include collaborating, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. This professional development will equip professionals from around this area to begin to teach their students in this way.

“Project-based learning is not a new idea, but it is more relevant now than ever in preparing students for success,” said Deb Kolberg, Kalamazoo RESA STEM teacher consultant. “This was an exciting opportunity for these educators, and we plan to provide more of this type of training.”

The Buck Institute of Education is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that helps teachers prepare students for successful lives. They do this by giving teachers the skills to design, assess, and manage projects that engage and motivate students. To learn more about the BIE or project-based learning, visit their website.