A group of Niverville educators are the recipients of this year’s annual Teaching and Professional Learning Opportunity Grant provided by the Hanover School Division (HSD).

“This year, five teachers from Niverville High School applied for, and were awarded, grants to attend the PBL 101 Workshop [which provides an] introduction to project-based learning offered by PBLWorks,” says HSD vice-superintendent Colin Campbell.

According to the PBLWorks website, “Project-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge.”

As the name suggests, PBL relies primarily on student learning through the creation of hands-on projects. Studies indicate its effectiveness as a teaching tool from Kindergarten through Grade 12.

The PBL 101 workshop provides three full days of online learning for educators and educational leaders in the fundamentals of PBL in a hands-on, project-based way. This model allows workshop attendees to experience the same style of learning that they’ll later be designing for their students.

PBLWorks is an initiative of the Buck Institute of Education (BIE). The BIE has been providing PBL professional development to educators since 1999.

“At PBLWorks, our vision is for all students, especially Black and Brown students, to engage in high quality project-based learning to deepen their learning and achieve success in college, career, and life,” states the PBLWorks website.