Designing Effective Projects

http://www.intel.com/education/designprojects/

This excellent web site has a wealth of resources about project-based learning, ranging from a definition to design issues to instructional strategies to sample projects¦ and more! The site is divided into 4 main topic areas:

• Project Design, which includes information on "curriculum-framing questions," assessment, and project planning
• Thinking Skills, which includes background information and educational theory as well as concrete information about how to teach and assess thinking skills
• Instructional Strategies, which includes topics such as cooperative learning, questioning, managing technology, and more, each with clear overviews of the topic and often links to even more information
• Sample Unit Plans, which include all that a teacher would need to teach a unit, from introductory information, to online and print resources, to a teaching outline, to assessment.

The site is well organized and easy to navigate. The sample projects are organized both by grade level and subject.

This site can serve as a great tool for:

• teachers”to help them learn about, design, and implement projects
• technology integration specialists and administrators”to help them guide and support teachers as they explore and learn about project-based learning

Given the extensive set of resources, this site can benefit those just beginning to learn about project-based learning as well as those already proficient in developing projects.