Project Based Learning for All Classrooms

3 Salary Points | 112.5 Hours

$149.00
$149.00
$149.00
Course Only
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  • Instructional Strategies
Project Based Learning for All Classrooms K-12 teachers professional development course

Course Description

This online professional development course is available to LAUSD teachers and applies for salary advancement and recertification. Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method that, when implemented successfully, can prepare our students for a world we can’t yet imagine. With PBL, we can teach our students the 21st century skills they’ll need for the jobs of the future. PBL focuses teaching and learning around engaging, real-world contexts and problems. Tying content to real-world issues makes the rationale for learning transparent to students, and set them up to draw connections between what they’re doing in school to what they’ll need to do in life and career later on.

The goal of this course is to show teachers that Project Based Learning is possible with any group of students, in any setting, under any conditions, and to teach participants how to plan and implement PBL with their unique group of students. After dispelling some common myths about PBL and building a case for PBL and 21st century learning, the course walks teachers through each step of the Project Based Learning planning process, from brainstorming an authentic project idea to planning a culminating product that showcases what students know. It’ll also cover how to ground a project in standards, to how to differentiate for different learners, how to assess students throughout a PBL project, and how to build a culture of inquiry that makes the work of PBL possible. The course wraps up by showing teachers how to convince various stakeholders of the many benefits that PBL can provide to every student, and suggesting strategies for implementing PBL at a school- or district-wide level.

This professional learning course’s final project asks participants to write their own Project Based Learning project plan to bring back to their own setting. Educators will be prompted to complete certain steps of the planning process throughout the course, which will culminate in the writing of a project plan for implementing their project idea.

Objectives

As a result of this course, LAUSD teachers will:

  • Justify the importance of PBL and 21st century skills, particularly in relation to issues of equity and the future of jobs.
  • Modify Project Based Learning to work for any student, in any setting, and over any period of time, and give examples of how to start small with PBL and cultivate a culture of inquiry.
  • Generate ideas for authentic projects, public products, and driving questions that are grounded in both standards and 21st century skills.
  • Plan backwards from standards and learning goals to design authentic assessments and student-driven inquiry.
  • Determine whether your own Project Based Learning project meets the standard of “Gold Standard PBL” by judging it against the Eight Essential Elements of PBL.

View: LAUSD Salary Allocation Table

Enrolling in a Course:

  • Add the course to your cart.
  • When you are ready to check out, go to your cart, and click “Check Out”.
  • You will be asked to log into your account or create a new account.
  • Follow the enrollment and payment prompts. If you have a gift card or discount code, you will enter it at the end of the enrollment process.
  • Upon purchase, you will receive an email receipt and be able to log in to your course at eClassroom Sign in. You have 180 days (about 6 months) from your purchase to complete your course.
  • If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to add your LAUSD Employee ID number and School Name on your “My Account” page. This only needs to be done once.

If you have any questions, check out our FAQs or email support@cecreditsonline.org.

LAUSD teachers are able to submit up to 12 credits/salary points from CE Credits Online per trimester (Jan-Apr, May-Aug, Sept-Dec).

Receiving Salary Points

  • Upon completion, your completion paperwork will be submitted directly to the LAUSD Professional Development Unit by CE Credits Online along with the NA Claim for Staff Development Point Project form at the beginning of the following month.
  • PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ADDITIONAL PAPERWORK If you decide to request graduate credits for your completed course, the official transcript you receive from the university will be for your own personal records. Each course can only be submitted once, and we will provide all necessary paperwork to LAUSD.
  • Salary point credit approval for NA Forms is done by the Professional Development Unit and may take up to 3 months to process. The delay in processing your salary points will not affect the eligibility date of your schedule advancement, as they are backdated to the date of completion. If the points from your NA Form have not been posted to your account on the LAUSD website at the end of 3 months, please contact the Salary Allocation Unit at 213-241-5100.
  • We highly recommend that you check the number of salary points you have in your account before you complete your CE Credits Online course(s). Then check again eight weeks after receiving notification on your Student Homepage that your completion paperwork has been processed and submitted to the Salary Point Committee by CE Credits Online. Since the new salary points are added to your account without identifying the coursework for which you earned the Salary Points this will help you to identify receiving the additional salary point(s).
  • You may check the status of your Salary Points.

Receiving Graduate-Level Professional Development Credits

  • Upon completion, email support@cecreditsonline.org and let us know you have completed the course, which university you have selected (see University Partners).
  • CE Credits Online will email you instructions on how to pay for and obtain the credits.
  • CE Credits Online will forward all necessary documentation to the university you selected enabling you to receive an official transcript.   
  • You must check with your district to ensure the credits received will meet your specific requirements. We will not be held responsible if your school, district or state does not accept the credits issued.