We’ve all seen the headlines and the research about the rise in student disengagement during the pandemic. Schools doing remote learning are finding it tough to keep students motivated and excited about their schoolwork. My school, Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., has been online learning all year so I get it. Watching these kids in Zoom with their long faces I knew I had to do something quickly or I was going to lose them. Our solution –– and what I believe is the secret sauce for amazing student engagement both remotely and in the classroom — has been project-based learning.
Compton Unified School District partners with the nonprofit PBLWorks for professional development on Gold Standard Project Based Learning. The program has helped teachers learn how to create projects that help students connect with their work and retain what they’re learning.
We decided to…