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What is Inquiry Based Learning?

Posted by samanthas on April 17, 2013 in Education with No Comments


inquiry based learning projectsInquiry Based Learning Explained

Inquiry based learning is modeled on real life situations and skills. It is a type of learning method that engages students to be actively involved in solving problems in a small group setting. Students in typical classroom settings are often simply note-takers, who memorize information from their teachers’ lectures and from their textbooks. Such passive learning can be quite boring for students, and does not always engage students to become interested in the subjects at hand, nor does it always foster retention of such information into the future.

With inquiry based learning projects, students are given the opportunity to take on a project with a small group of their peers, and work collaboratively to research, gather information, and present a solution to the problem they are given. During the problem solving, students are able to build and develop their knowledge of the subject. They become much more involved through hands-on learning and are more actively participating in the learning process which requires them to gather information and use critical thinking skills.

Inquiry Based Learning Explained – Life Skills Developed Through PBL

The skills developed through inquiry or project based learning go far beyond simply hearing information and trying to retain it. Students involved in project based learning develop skills that are necessary to make them successful adults. They learn skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration through PBL, which are skills that will help them throughout their adult life.

PBL Units For the Classroom

Introducing and implementing PBL units in the classroom can be a bit challenging without adequate preparation and experience.  This is why teachers need access to PBL units that are easily implemented into the classroom so that both teachers and students can ease into this process with no issues.

The www.PBLSuperstore.com provides teachers, and other instructors, with project based learning units that are designed by teachers for teachers. Their units were specifically designed to bridge the gap between the classroom setting and real life situations, giving students a winning chance at success. Visit the PBLSuperstore today and find a variety of units that are easily downloaded and ready to use!  They come with a full money back guarantee and grading rubric for grades K-10!

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Using Problem Based Learning in Schools and Homes

Posted by samanthas on April 4, 2013 in Education with No Comments


Introducing Project Based Learning in Schools and Home School Settings

The use of project based learning is not necessarily a new concept. Though teachers do conduct the majority of their lessons in a classroom setting where they dictate from the front of the room while their students sit in rows of desks listening attentively, there are still elements of project or problem based learning in schools. When a teacher organizes a field trip to a farm or the museum, such settings engage a project based learning element. Interacting with others and the world around them allows students to participate in PBL style learning that will give them new learning tools they will have for life.

What Are the Characteristics of Project Based Learning?

On a very basic level, PBL settings involve students tackling a project and collaboratively solving the problem at hand. With the use of PBL, students:

  • Are presented with a challenge that they must solve;
  • Gather with other peers to collectively take on the problem;
  • Make their decisions on how to solve the problem through a specified framework;
  • Take a keen interest in their project;
  • Are free to solve their problem through trial and error;
  • Will plan and set out their own research, development and summaries
  • Will present their project with their team.

This type of atmosphere presents a much more student-centred atmosphere with the teacher taking on more of a facilitator role than that of a dictator of information.

Why Are Problem Based Learning Settings so Powerful?

Many schools, educators and communities are now realizing the powerful effect that problem based learning projects has on their students, and even on their teachers. By allowing students to participate in projects that peak their interest and give them a certain amount of power over how the problem will be attacked and solved, students develop a renewed interest in learning. This translates into better engagement, more information that is retained over the long run, and better grades.

Accessing PBL Units

For educators and schools that are interested in making PBL a much greater part of the classroom, there are resources available to do just that. PBLSuperstore.com has a huge library of PBL units that are ready to be downloaded right away and utilized immediately in the classroom.  Many teachers find the task of developing PBL projects daunting.  These complete, tried and tested units were developed for students grades K-10 in the North American curriculum.  Best of all, they are backed with full support and contain rubrics for grading.  Visit www.PBLSuperstore.com today and find everything you need to start a PBL lesson right away!

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Teaching History With Project Based Learning

Posted by samanthas on March 19, 2013 in Education with No Comments


Project Based Learning for the Classroom

Although projects and group assignments have always been a part of a class curriculum, project based learning takes teaching to another level. With continuous evolution and more focus on discovery, students are given more hands-on learning experiences with PBL.  This educational opportunity results in better student engagement and the development of crucial life skills including problem solving and critical thinking. By working with their peers, students learn through “doing”.  This teaming up with others in an effort to solve a problem helps them learn collaboration, delegating and leadership.

Project Based Learning – History

One history-based PBL unit in the PBLSuperstore.com library is called “Time Travelers: The Colonial X Factor”. This unit is available for grades K-10, with different units offering grade level appropriate material, so teachers can choose the specific units and grading rubrics for their particular student population.

To effectively teach students about history, this Time Travelers unit brings students through a series of tasks. Students will be prompted to study historical situations and consider the needs of the people in such times. By learning from the past, students are then encouraged to propose a change or different method that they would employ instead of those used in the past, to avoid mistakes made by their ancestors. Students can then implement these thought-out strategies and determine the possible outcome of their new-found strategy.

Project based learning can be a truly unique and effective learning tool for history class. Teachers can determine how short or lengthy a project will be and what size to make the groups. Students will learn by doing, not simply by listening and memorizing. The end result are students who have not only learned something new, but have gained a deeper interest and understanding of the subject at hand.

PBLSuperstore.com – Your Online Resource For PBL History Units

For teachers looking for ready-made PBL units, PBLSuperstore.com has everything you need all in a convenient one-stop shop. Their library of units boasts a variety of resources and subjects for the North American curriculum. These units are ready to download and implement right away. In addition, these units come with the tools and support needed for teachers to confidently implement PBL into their classroom. Visit PBLSuperstore.com today and find the perfect project based learning history unit for your class!

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What is Problem Based Learning?

Posted by samanthas on February 6, 2013 in Education with No Comments


What is Problem Based Learning?

When one thinks of the typical classroom setting and curriculum, images of rows of students sitting in desks with a teacher at the front of the class dictating a lesson come to mind. The idea of the teacher disseminating information to students who then try to memorize it is the general structure of a class setting.

However, problem based learning turns the classroom into a much different setting. More interaction is involved, and much more student engagement is encouraged. In fact, there really is much less “teaching” from the teacher, and much more “student learning” with problem based learning.

Students at the Center of Learning

With problem based learning, the student is the focus of attention, rather than the lesson or the information. With “student-centred” learning, the students become much more engaged in their learning, and find their learning opportunities much more relevant. When students become more interested in what they are learning, they are much more likely to truly internalize and retain the information from their lessons.

What Does Problem Based Learning Look like in the Classroom?

Students involved in a problem based learning structure will be grouped with a small number of other students, who will then collaborate with each other in order to solve the task or problem presented to them. These “problems” are generally presented as a form of a case or challenge that will drive the students to come up with a solution. By learning in such a format, students learn how to think critically, solve problems, and work collaboratively with others.

The problems or projects are generally language based, but can include other elements of the curriculum including math, science, geography, history and social studies.  The teacher acts as a guide and facilitator, but the students must generate their own research, do the reasoning, solve the problem and make a presentation.

Students who are a part of PBL are being taught real world lessons and traits that will become valuable to them as they grow into adults and enter real world situations. The tools they take with them from their PBL projects will prove to be very useful later in life.

PBLSuperstore.com For All your PBL Needs

PBLSuperstore.com is an online resource for information, resources and ready-made units that can be immediately downloaded and used in the classroom setting. Teachers and home schooling parents alike can use these units to help engage their students and children for a truly unique and exciting learning environment.  The units are unique to the PBL Superstore and were specially designed for grades K-10 in the North American curriculum.

Visit PBLSuperstore.com today for all your PBL needs!

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Buy PBL Units Online for Ready-to-Use Projects

Posted by samanthas on January 25, 2013 in Education with No Comments


Why Use Project Based Learning?

The use of project based learning has many benefits for both students and teachers alike. Many students become stagnant in a traditional classroom setting, which can have negative effects on their actual learning and comprehension. Teachers can also get frustrated with conventional curriculums that don’t seem to get through to certain students. With project based learning, the onus is no longer on the teacher teaching and the student learning, but is self directed student learning.  Bringing in projects that involve problem solving and collaboration helps bridge the gap between the classroom and real life.

Effective Project Based Learning

Students engaged in problem based learning – or “PBL” for short – are encouraged to think critically and collaborate with their peers in order to reach a solution to the problem at hand. Instead of just retaining information by repetition, students are actually using hands-on learning and discovering information and answers, which inevitably helps them to retain the information for much longer time periods.

Critical thinking and problem solving are required with PBL, which are skills that will take them well into their adult years. The team work involved with PBL also provides them with invaluable skills that will prove to be essential as they grow and mature, and become involved in various endeavours throughout their lives. Project based learning is the conduit that takes them from the classroom situation to a real-life one.

PBL Superstore – Your One Stop Shop For Ready-to-Use Units

PBL Superstore offers project based learning and teaching units to foster a higher learning in students. Designed for North American curriculums, PBL Superstore provides teachers with all the units and lesson plans needed, from kindergarten all the way through to high school levels.

Teachers and parents can buy PBL units online to streamline the entire process and get their hands on complete units that are ready to download. Created by teachers for teachers, the PBL Superstore provides the ultimate in both quality and convenience. The units are tried and tested and backed by a  100% satisfaction guarantee! Visit PBLSuperstore.com now and buy PBL units online so you can start your project based learning today!

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Hip Hop Lessons for Schools

Posted by samanthas on January 17, 2013 in Education, Entertainment with No Comments


Hip Hop for Kids and Teens

If you have regular access to television, the radio and the internet, there’s no way you for you not to realize the incredibly rapid growing popularity of hip hop dance. For this reason, people everywhere are becoming more and more interested in how to mimic the amazing and electric dance moves that they see others performing. The incredible athleticism displayed by hip hop dancers has others wanting to learn how to dance hip hop themselves!

Taking Hip Hop Lessons

There are a variety of ways in which you can take dance lessons. One of the newest and most convenient methods of learning hip hop dance is through online video lessons provided by a reputable hip hop dance website, like www.HipHopCrusher.com. This site is the premiere choice for people of all ages to learn how to move and groove to the funky beats of hip hop dance music!

Hip Hop Lessons for Schools

For parents, or teachers who are looking to incorporate hip hop lessons in their schools, HipHopCrusher.com has just what you need. Considering the age group of those attending school, it’s essential that both the moves and the music are appropriate for the younger crowd. Unlike other dance studios or lessons which incorporate music that is full of adult content, HipHopCrusher.com only uses hip hop music that is clean, but cool too!

HipHopCrusher.com provides teachers and instructors with step by step lessons that they can use to teach their own students. Many states and provinces have now made dance part of the core curriculum, but there aren’t always qualified teachers that can demonstrate cool moves that the kids want to learn. Hip hop lessons for schools provided by HipHopCrusher.com helps total beginners learn the basics, but also challenges intermediate dancers who are looking to boost their dancing abilities. The video lessons on this site are presented by highly qualified instructors and performers who have worked with the biggest names in show business.  10 top instructors help students easily understand how the moves are performed, and how to combine them with other moves to come up with a unique hip hop dance routine!  Kids not only learn moves and combos, but how to add their own style, adapt the moves to any other songs and add dynamics to their performance to build confidence.

These lessons provide the staple of the perfect dance course for camps, schools, and other organizations filled with kids eager to learn how to hip hop dance!  One low fee allows unlimited access to over 70 lessons.  Teachers can choose the lessons each time and make the session as short or as long as they want.   Inspire your kids today with lessons provided by Hip Hop Crusher!  Try a free lesson and learn more at www.Hiphopcrusher.com.

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Online Instructional Hip Hop for Teenagers

Posted by samanthas on January 11, 2013 in Education, Entertainment with No Comments


Hip Hop for Teenagers

Anyone who has had an interest in hip hop dance may have seriously considered taking a lesson or two in this popular dance genre. The wonderful thing about hip hop is that it appeals to the masses – from kids, to teenagers, to adults. Hip hop is a dance style that can be picked up and mastered by just about anyone with the proper instructions.

In particular, teenagers are becoming one of the fastest growing populations when it comes to filling dance studios around the world to learn hip hop dance moves. In order to facilitate this want, online venues like HipHopCrusher.com have developed innovative instructional dance videos that help teenagers and others learn hip hop from wherever they happen to be! Whether you are at home, at a friend’s house, or anywhere else with a computer and internet connection, you can learn hip hop with online instructional videos from www.HipHopCrusher.com!

Why Use Online Dance Video Lessons?

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to consider learning hip hop for teenagers through a site like HipHopCrusher.com. For starters, the price to join is literally a fraction of what you would pay in a typical dance studio, and you get unlimited access.  The 2 teenage hosts, Katrina and Sloane, are national level competitive dancers and Youtube sensations, appealing to young teenagers. You can learn with them, at your own pace, as they take lessons from 10 top level instructors – dancers who have performed with the greatest acts including Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Selena Gomez and more.

The format is also unique.  It is not a DVD that offers the same combos in the same sequence every time you view it.  With Hip Hop Crusher, you are in charge: Pick your warm up to start..  Then progress through the levels as you learn 70+ lessons and repeat a video if necessary!  At the end of each lesson, there is a combo that puts the moves together.  You will also learn how to become a better dancer by adding your own swag, changing posture, adapting the moves to any song and adding dynamics.  There are also bonus levels for popping, locking, break dancing and a 20 minute master class to try once you have completed all the levels.

One of the most appealing aspects of online instruction is that you don’t even have to leave your home! Simply log on to HipHopCrusher.com, and select the lesson you are interested in from one of the many online videos ready for viewing at HipHopCrusher.com!

Making Use of Age-Appropriate Hip Hop Music

Just about everyone knows that hip hop music can sometimes have a negative message, considering many songs out there that tend to be riddled with coarse language and adult content. The good news is that at HipHopCrusher.com, only clean hip hop music is used to help teach younger audiences how to master these funky steps and moves.  As a parent or educator, you can rest assured knowing that your child or teenager can learn clean hip hop dance by moving to music that is age-appropriate and free of any vulgar language and inappropriate content!

Visit HipHopCrusher.com today and start learning the fundamental and popular dance moves of today!

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