Project Based Learning Resources
Building a Shared Definition of High-Quality PBL Through Calibration
When a team of educators sits down to talk about project-based learning, we often assume we’re speaking the same language. We’re not always right. At Patiño School of Innovation, I faced a familiar challenge: a [...]
Icebreakers That Actually Teach
Turning Light Activities into Durable Skill Practice with Meta Moments We’ve all sat through the obligatory icebreaker. Name + something interesting about yourself. Two truths and a lie. Find someone who… The energy is polite, [...]
What a Murder Trial Taught Me About the Kind of Learning Students Never Forget
The surprising connection between true crime and the most powerful project-based learning I’ve ever designed I’ve been following a high-profile murder trial for weeks. Not because I enjoy the tragedy; but because something about the [...]
Small Button, Big Markup: A Middle School Business Project
Students investigate the game-day button market, design a product people will buy, and sell it in public. Middle School PBL Idea Project Summary: Middle school students launch a real button-making business built around game-day and [...]
Best AI Tools for Teachers Designing Project-Based Learning: A Real Side-by-Side Test
Finding the best AI tools for teachers can feel overwhelming. New platforms appear constantly, and most promise to save time or improve instruction. The real question is not “Which AI is the best?” but “Which [...]
Elementary PBL Idea
Project Title: Bus to Bunker: Designing a Hidden Luxury Family Shelter Driving Question: How might we redesign retired school buses into a safe, space-efficient, and inviting underground family shelter that disappears into a backyard while [...]
How I Used AI to Design a Complete PBL Project Frame in Under 5 Minutes
A strong project idea is only useful if you can turn it into a teachable frame quickly. Last week I scrolled past a Nike × Gamma Phi Beta activation during sorority rush and a sharp [...]
Project: Coming Back for the Customer – Legacy Brands & College Consumers
Business PBL Idea This project overview is based off my Substack post HERE. Downloads are also featured at the bottom of this post. If you run it, let me know how it goes! Driving Question [...]
High-Quality PBL in Action: Teacher-Designed Projects from Patiño School of Innovation
This past workshop at Patiño School of Innovation focused on one core goal: helping teachers design authentic, high-quality Project-Based Learning experiences. We used AI as a collaborative planning partner, not to generate finished projects, but [...]
Teaching Durable Skills Through Project-Based Learning
We’ve spent years talking about “21st-century skills,” the 4Cs, and soft skills. The language has shifted again, this time to durable skills. The new Pathsmith PK-16 Durable Skills Development & Application Guide from America Succeeds [...]
A Practical Playbook for Building CTE & Workforce-Ready Pathways
What I learned designing a full entrepreneurial diploma pathway, and the tool I created for other school leaders. School leaders face growing expectations to demonstrate that their programs prepare students for both college and career. [...]
The PBL Prompt Party Protocol: A Practical Way for School Leaders to Build Teacher Confidence with AI and Project Design
School leaders are increasingly asking a practical question: How do we help teachers move from curiosity about AI to confident, classroom-ready application, especially in the context of project-based learning? One approach I’ve been using and [...]