It is spring. I know, snow has fallen and it has been cold lately, but it’s officially May. And while school might not look like every other bustling year with our end of the year celebrations, showcases, exhibitions, and events, we can still find ways to celebrate and share student learning. You might find yourself having to PIVOT your passion projects, project-based or service learning units celebrations online.
In this moment, we can still find connection, audience and purpose. It’s just (like everything else right now) going to take a bit of planning and pivoting.
They’re the lovely finish line of a project-based learning unit. They celebrate the projects and the learning in an authentic, community based forum. And they’ve been a key motivating factor for the project. Generally, they’re in-person events, like school exhibitions, community nights, or guided tours.
I think you see where we’re going with this.
But all is not lost: culminating events can still happen in meaningful ways online.
A culminating event should be:
In learning fairs and exhibitions, students present to parents, the school community, and other interested groups. These usually take place in gymnasiums, courtyards, and classroom spaces. Now? We need to consider how to bring folks together online.
There could be various formats for this, both asynchronous and synchronous. A quick review!
Next, consider what might work best for your students and families. And right now? Many folks are understanding how important education is (um, yeah!) and are able to support students with feedback and celebration.
These provide a great way to assess students use of the transferable skills of communication as well!
Students can present their work to younger students in this moment too. Sometimes the most valuable audience is peers. Especially younger ones that motivated older students to engage, be role models, be friendly, and connect. Can two classes connect for a presentation of learning via videoconferencing? Or can your students sent a video or photo of a project to younger students for feedback? This is a great option for this moment of prolonged remote learning.
With so many digital sharing tools, students can create something of value in their PBL projects to share with the wider world. The culminating event can include the act of sharing that creation.
These can include educational YouTube videos, online maps, blog posts, or online magazines and websites. Take a look at this YouTube video from the historians and newscasters at Proctor Elementary School, in Proctor VT.
Did your students do projects based on a favorite book? Maybe they could share their work directly with the author! So, one collective padlet or gallery of projects could be shared directly with the author on Twitter, and imagine the excitement of a response, if not by the author, then by lots of fellow readers. This could work for scientists, writers, performers, politicians, CEOs, and other leaders of their fields!
When finishing a project, take a few moments to help students get ready to present by reflecting on their experience. Ask questions like:
In addition, students will still need to practice a lot to get ready to present, no matter what format! Students have different levels of comfort with presenting and will need practice time, scaffolding, and some feedback about how to improve. Family members, siblings, or even stuffed animals can make good practice partners.
Lastly, don’t forget to have students reflect at the end of the culminating event, too. This is a great time to capture student thinking after sharing their work to an audience. Here are some ways to facilitate these reflections.
Share your Learning has fabulous resources for ways to share your learning remotely, with step by step guides!
Audrey Homan says:
This is such an interesting way we’re having to encounter technology; I’m excited to see the new ideas emerging from all these educators I’m seeing who are passionate about both celebrating their students’ learning *and* also meeting their students where they are, in These Uncertain Times. One question I have for you, though is: do you have any guidance on what an online culminating event could look like if a student didn’t complete the PBL unit or project, or is experiencing trauma or anxiety that makes the event more of a challenge, perhaps an insurmountable challenge? In other words, how much can educators simply celebrate students for just showing up?
Katy Farber says:
This is such a good point. Since PBL is really about the process, a student showing up, participating is certainly enough. Even a reflection on starting the project, or a connection to someone else’s project, all are great to encourage in this moment. Thank you for this idea and acknowledgment that this is where some of our students are right now.
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