The Deeper Learning Project

The world has changed. So, too, must public education if we want our graduates to be world-ready. These resources can help us prepare our students to be ready for their future. Employers have identified four critical skills they hope to see in all their employees: the 4 Cs. 

One part of the effort to help us better plan for engagement is titled the “Deeper Learning Project.” The driving question for this project is “How do we provide learning experiences for students that are engaging?”  We will be seeking a volunteer team of teachers from each of our seven buildings to participate in the project. Over the course of a year teams will participate in common learning experiences, plan and deliver a Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit, receive coaching, and participate in a community of learners. These are topics we have previous done:

Sixth grade students at Parker Elementary school explore answering the driving question, "How can we creat a consumer awareness campaign about the problems of fish depletion?"	Fifth grade students at Parker and Randall explore answering the driving question, "How can we as research scientist inform the public of the dangers affecting our ecosystems?"
Fifth grade students at Barry Elementary explore answering the driving question, "What is healthy eating?"	Third greade students at Randall Elementary explore answering the driving question, "How do humans impact animals environment?"

Deeper Learning Project Resources

• PBL Design Form
• BIE Planning Resources
• Other

Collaboration Resources

• All Things PLC - The site was created to serve as a collaborative, objective resource for educators and administrators who are committed to enhancing student achievement. We invite you to share your knowledge, ask questions, and get expert insight into the issues teachers face each day in the classroom.
• Buck Institute for Education (BIE) - is dedicated to improving 21st Century teaching and learning throughout the work by creating and disseminating products, practices and knowledge for effective Project Based Learning (PBL).  BIE contributes to PBL through product development, services, research and online learning.
• BIE Collaboration Rubric - pdf
• Collaborative Group Techniques - UMass Amherst Scientific Reasoning Research Institute
• Cooperative Learning Institute and Integration Book Company -
• Developing Student Collaboration Skills with Google Docs - EdTechTeam - This presentation will analyze why the ability to collaborate effectively is a critical skill, what student collaboration looks like in a personalized learning environment, and how we can facilitate student collaboration through Google Docs.
• Educational Literature on Cooperative Learning - Technology, Inc.
• Kagan Structures a brief summary - Journey to Excellence North American Division Office of Education  
• Meta Collab - Wikia Education on collaboration
• NoodleTools: Curriculum Collaboration Toolkit  -

Creativity and Problem Solving Resources

• Creativity in the Classroom - What Research Says to the Teacher (Paul Torrance)
• Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking - Blooms Taxonomy - teacher tap Professional Development resources for educators and librarians
• EdSteps - Creativity Assessment Project
• Edutopia is a constantly updated source of inforamtion about Project-Based Learning (and other things)
• Metiri - Creativity Rubrics
• Route 21, a P21 online database - creativity - Free to Join -
  • Identifying and Developing Creative Giftedness by Robert Sternberg
  • Chapter from The Cambridge handbook of thinking and reasoning by Robert Sternbert, Todd Lubart, James Kaufman and Jean Pretz discussing creativity
  • Creativity: Developmental and Cross-Cultural Issues by Todd Lubart
• Sir Ken Robinson on Schools that Kill Creativity (TED Talk - video)

Critical Thinking Resources

• Catalina Foothills Critical Thinking Rubric
• The Critical Thinking Community
• Helping Student Learn Critical Thinking Skills - East Tennessee State University -  a resource for teachers.
• International Center for Leadership Education - The Rigor/Relevance Framework is a tool developed by staff of the International Center for Leadership in Education to examine curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The Rigor/Relevance Framework is based on two dimensions of higher standards and student achievement.
• OCM BOCES 21st Century Skills Resource - list of links to resources that assist with 21st Century skills
• Ohio Department of Education - Social Studies and Critical Thinking evidence based article
• Virginia Beach City Public Schools Resources - Critical Thinking "Look-Fors" - What visitors to your classroom are looking for during learning walk.

Communication Resources

• The New Literacies Research Lab at the University of Connecticut is the most widely recognized center in the world for conducting research on the new reading comprehension and learning skills required by the Internet and other emerging information and communication technologies. Our work develops research-based evidence to prepare students for their literacy and learning future.
• ReadWriteThink - At ReadWriteThink, our mission is to provide educators, parents, and afterschool professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials.
• Science Communication Rubric - Project Boston Public Schools
• Teaching Listening Skills - ABAX ELT Publishers
• Writing to Persuade Rubric - Berlin Middle School, Worchester County
• Written and Oral Communication Skills - Utah Education Network