Creative Project Based Learning

The best learning experience I went through today was on creative project based learning. There were a couple things that struck me as awesome.

Three rules for creative project based learning

1. Create context.

2. Make it sticky.

3.  Make it fun.

First, you need to present the material in context of a situation,  kind of like the old Mission Impossible series where the opening segment always had Mr Phelps listening to the mission should he and his team decide to accept it. To me its a beginning scenario  but he called it the context.
The second was to let the students ask all the questions based on the information given.  The team in mission impossible would ask questions and plan everything. 
The third step is to research everything they need to know for the project. They are acquiring the background they need to actually carry out the mission
Once they understand what they are to do, they begin to do the planning for the project or mission and they put the project together.

Finally, they prepare a report on the project like a debriefing the mission impossible team did afterwards.

Yes as a teacher you have an idea of the standards the project meets,  you also know which topics the students are going to explore while they do the project but the idea is to have the students use all they've learned to create the final product. 

This is the first time that I've had someone who gave me exactly what I've needed to start doing at least one project based unit in my math classes.  He gave examples for Math, Science, English, Civics and Social Studies so everyone in the audience came away with something.

Project Based Learning

I have been toying with ideas for projects in my classroom that will require students to create and produce projects in Math.
I already have them create cartoons to solve word problems but I realized last night I could have the students use the cartoons to instruct people in learning to do a certain process in math.  There are at least two books on Amazon that use cartoons to teach algebra.  Currently, I have them use Zoodle Comic as it allows them to spend more time on creating the actual comic strip then worrying about drawing things.  
Since I joined a Stop-Motion in Education google group, I've been playing with ideas for using stop motion to create a project.  I've thought of things like using numbers, variables and operations, made out of play dough and then filmed so the terms move around and show how something is solved.  Then add a voice over to it and perhaps add background music.  Or maybe use small decorated rectangles that move around a step at a time with a Gumby like creature on the side explaining.
Of course, I am thinking of ways to integrate a green screen into this too.  Perhaps I can have students utilize the green screen to shoot a "reporter" in front of a video that shows something mathematical such as the octane of gas and how its found?  Or basketball stats for the local basketball team?  Perhaps even create a rap on something like order of operations,  types of slope, etc.
Maybe even take all of these to create a math book over the year.  Have them use iBook Author to create an interactive book with the videos, comic strips, raps, etc so they have  a portfolio to show the growth in their work. 
I found a nice app that sort of uses comics and cartoons to teach with.  I hope to review it tomorrow.