Category Archives: PBL

Nature Abhors A Vacuum

Posted on by

“Nature abhors a vacuum.” was first theorized by Aristotle. This theory was brought into doubt in the 1600’s when experiments were conducted that appear to prove creating a total vacuum is possible. I don’t see why the possibility of there being a vacuum does not mean that nature abhors one. I thought about this when I was contemplating on how to get people to seriously consider what must be done to save the world. It seems that people abhor the thought of destroying the world, but can’t stop doing it. There are some people who live a “green” life, so we know, like a vacuum, it can be accomplished. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people continue to buy, sell, and destroy the environment with abandon. We know this must stop, but what are we doing to stop it? Are we even capable of making ourselves stop it, or are we just resigned to going down in a firestorm of global warming?

The final project in Economics is about saving the world. The students are enthusiastic about the project. They get it. Humans are destroying the world. But what are they doing about it? Only one of my first period students posted something on social media about saving the world. This is not going to cut it. So much more needs to be done. Beyond learning, my lessons must include a call to action.

I do hear snippets from my students that others are teaching about this same subject. Maybe it is a video in biology class, a book in English class or using recycled materials in art class. Things are being done. I would like to know what everyone else is doing and how we can make a coordinated effort to educate our students about the magnitude of this problem and about what can be done to alter our path to one that makes sustainability possible. Wouldn’t it be great to have some calls to action on a school-wide basis, backed by what we are learning in class? That would be project based learning at its best.

Speaking of a vacuum reminds me of the Pink Floyd song “Is There Anybody Out There.” If you are out there and read this, do you also believe it is time to translate our thoughts into actions? Our students, their children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

Website Project Final Exam

Posted on by
This is the second time I have had my students create websites for their final exams. This time I asked them what they thought of this type of final. I was blown away by the consistency and strength of their answers. The eight questions each began with “Which type of test is better for…” The answer choices were bubble sheet, timed writing, and website project. From memorizing to creating, the overwhelming choice was the website project. You can view the results here.



The last item called for comments. Here are a few of the better typical comments. You can view all 138 comments here.
  • I believe that ultimately each asks for a different level and way of thinking and analysis. A bubble sheet test asks for memorization and no in depth analysis, simply a regurgitation of facts. Timed writing requires one to take information and develop it further into a grander and deeper idea. A website takes both of these ideas and allows for the deepest and most well thought out development of them.

  • I think it is more valuable to do projects because you can more creatively show and connect what you have learned rather than just memorize stuff and spit it out on a test and then forget about it after.

  • Bubble sheets are more stressful in a time that is already stressful. The website was given to us earlier in the year giving us more time to make it the best we can. I also learned a lot more creating a website rather than studying for a test.

  • The three are very different but I think the website lets you write to the best of your ability and get put out all the knowledge you’ve learned. Timed writing would give us less time and won’t let us be able to out as much information.

  • Bubble sheets are good for memorizing dates and names, but often it is forgotten soon after. A timed write allows you to go into detail on a subject, but the time limit makes it harder to consider different options. A website allows to cover a range of topics in depth and gives enough time to think deeply about the benefits and consequences of the fact

  • I believe bubble sheet tests are good assessing your knowledge but you won’t necessarily remember the information later. Timed writes are good at assessing your knowledge as well but I find myself making up information to take up space in the essay. I feel like website projects are the best type of final exams because you have to be an expert on the subject to write about it.

  • The bubble sheet and timed writing tests are faster and better at assessing factual knowledge, but the website project leaves more room for creativity and for us to express our own perspective on topics. I think the website project is just as effective at educating us, but it is less stressful.

  • Bubble sheet tests can encourage studying, but more common than not students will cram information into their brains, take the test, and forget it immediately after. Timed writing tests are stressful and don’t always produce the best work because everyone is rushing to get their thoughts into words. Project tests are by far the best because they are fun, collaborative, and make learning about a project enjoyable and fun. It also encourages collaboration between students.
  • I think website projects have the most value because they allow students to synthesize new information while applying other information we have learned throughout the semester. They are also good because it is an interesting project that does not cause a lot of stress.


The comments were amazing. There is really nothing else to add. I did not know students thought about learning in this depth. Of course, this is just one example of the power of Project Based Learning, but firsthand experience makes it so much more meaningful. 


I would enjoy hearing about and discussing PBL with others. Please let me know if you are using it in your curriculum.

Gamifying the French Classroom

Posted on by

Last year, I attended a workshop put on by the French Consulate entitled “Gamifying the French Classroom.” It was interesting but not as practical as I would have liked–most of the games were for purchase or required software I don’t have.

Ever since attending that workshop last April, I’ve been trying to think of how to bring more of a gamified feel to my projects and units. Students respond well to Quizlet Live, Kahoot, and Jeopardy! in my classroom, so why not make learning more entertaining and ultimately more engaging? After reading Amanda’s blog in the fall about her final exam review passport (and also attending her group’s Grab-and-Go PD session last month), I felt compelled to rethink my finals review as we wind down the year and make the push towards exam week.

Let me back up a few steps first. For the final unit of the year in French 3, I’ve decided to modify the traditional food unit and teach students about food trucks, regional French cuisine, and the food truck culture in Paris which I experienced firsthand over the past three summers working in Paris.

I called my unit “The Great Food Truck Race.” To determine their groups for this final unit and project, students selected from random cards I made with French regions written on them. Earlier this week, they researched their assigned regions, local cuisine, and points of interest. From there, each group designed an origial food truck and a logo after learning about their regional cuisine. I think they’ve been having fun with the project-based learning aspects of this unit, but I wanted to tap into the “race” aspect of this unit as we make our way to finals week.

And that’s when it struck me. Instead of doing a “finals review” week or a few random days here and there, why not design an entire unit around a series of review activities?

The idea is simple: each week, I am hosting a series of competitions that really aren’t much different from the typical language exercises, activities, and worksheets we’ve been working on all year. The only difference is how I’m framing these competitions.

I’ve set up a Google Spreadsheet that the students have access to in order to keep a running tally of how many points they score during each competition which constitutes the ongoing “food truck race.” By the end of these next three weeks, the group with the most amount of points will earn a small bonus on the final exam. I introduced the rules earlier this week and the excitement which greeted my announcement was unlike anything I’ve seen all year. You would have thought I’d told them they could be on their phones every class from here on out…

The “competitions” include the following activities (along with several more I’m still mentally figuring out):

  • The Price is Right game in French to review food words, quantities, and numbers
  • A Jeopardy! review of food vocab from French 1-2
  • An upcoming quiz on the conditional mood we covered during the fall semester (which I’ll let them take in partners and score purely for race points and not for the overall grade)
  • Subjunctive verb conjugation speed races to review material from two units ago
  • Instagram challenges in which I’ll assign a task and judge the videos based on creativity and use of language
  • Speaking quizzes (formerly known as “oral exams”)
  • And then more traditional assignments for this current food truck unit such as creating a realistic menu, hosting an “interview” with a local journalist and their food truck, writing up an in-class business proposal without the assistance of Google Translate or a French-English dictionary, researching French outdoor games and proposing a special Happy Hour with games of their choosing, and so forth.

After only two in-class competitions, I’m already seeing more participation and engagement than I’ve seen in past classes. I hope the momentum continues into the remaining weeks, but so far it’s been fun to teach and keeps me on my toes in terms of thinking about how to make each review session more successful, engaging, and fun!

And best of all, I’m tricking my students into studying and fully participating in French.

For now, I leave you with some of their initial food truck designs as their posts are trickling in all weekend.

Carondelet News Channel (en français!)

Posted on by
I had originally planned to begin a new unit in my French 3 classes this past week and a half leading up to Spring Break, but everyone was showing signs of exhaustion after the completion of our last chapter, projects, and oral quizzes (on a light topic such as environmental issues and endangered animals in Francophone countries). They did a great job, so I wanted to reward them with something different than usual as we transitioned into Spring Break. I wanted a creative challenge that we could successfully complete in a week, and the pressure was on–I honestly had no idea how it would turn out, but I was excited to tap into my journalism background and do a journalism mini-project-based unit.
Over the past week, I taught my students all they might want to know about the news and media in French. I helped them expand their vocabulary in French after reading recent headlines, listening to topical news podcasts, watching daily news broadcasts, and parsing through satirical news sites in French to see if students could figure out what headlines were real and what were parodies (ask me if you want to see the presentation–the headlines are hilarious). We even debated current events and students defended their opinions about the news and journalistic integrity.
During our final long block period (today’s class), I charged the students with creating a class-wide 15-minute news broadcast. Running through some modified design thinking exercises, students in my 5th period (sole Carondelet-only) class pitched and then voted on their ideas for the show, concept, title, and logo and came up with the following:

In groups of 2-3, the girls were responsible for the following 2-minute segments: 

  • Introduction and Carondelet-local news (including Mr. Cushing’s departure from the school as he prepares to go on tour with the Spice Girls)
  • San Francisco Bay Area news about a local scammer and Anne Hathaway impersonator
  • International news chronicling the Carondelet trip to France next week in the wake of today’s Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris
  • Sports covering the Carondelet swimming, rugby, and lacrosse teams
  • Arts and lifestyle covering the construction of the art class’s school bus in the inner court that was tragically stolen overnight and replaced with a gigantic croissant
  • And the broadcast closes out on a very high note covering the erratic weather we’ve been experiencing recently.
They quickly edited their videos using either iMovie or the Apple Clips app which Karina and I presented about on Friday (and I’m looking forward to creating a screencast or future blog entry showcasing all the cool features Clips has to offer if you weren’t able to attend our Grab-and-Go session last week). 
Here is the folder of all their videos if you’re at all curious to see what they were able to produce with the quick 80-minute turnaround during today’s class. I had a lot of fun helping them think through their scripts and watching the final production (which we won’t get to watch as a class until after break), and I am so proud of them for their creativity and sensitivity and attention to world news as it relates to this class.
This was one of my most favorite long block periods of the entire year, and I am looking forward to getting even more creative next month when I roll out a food truck race competition in my French 3 classes.
That’s it for this blog, see you on the other side of Spring Break, everyone!