Welcome to the PBL Simplified podcast for administrators brought to you by Magnify Learning, your customized PBL partner. From over a decade of experience with you in the trenches, we are bringing you this top rated educational podcast designed for visionary school administrators seeking to transform their schools with project-based learning. Launch your vision, live your why, and lead inspired. Here's your host, Ryan Steuer. Welcome to the PBL Simplified podcast. If you haven't checked out pblnetworks.com, pblnetworks.com, you should do that. Send your staff, whoever it is that's fired up about PBL, they should go check it out. At PBL Networks, what we're doing is we're investigating uh issues, solutions, uh expanding great ideas around PBL and CTE, PBL and maker spaces, PBL and STEM. Got a whole set of networks where we're bringing bringing together the best minds across the country to create solutions for the entire PBL world. Right? So, we're super excited about it.
This is where we really started as an organization. We started just talking about how could we upgrade school and project-based learning came along. We helped define it. We helped bring it to schools in districts. Now, we've got a two-pronged approach where we train leaders and teachers at the same time. And it's been amazing. After 3 years, you have a fully sustained ustainable PBL model. You've got the culture. You have trained professionals that can continue the work after that 3 years within your school without your within your district. It's fantastic. That's where we started and now we get to do this cool work again. So pblnetworks.com, get your people involved. If it's you, we've got a place for you as a leader. Uh but definitely get somebody on your team into these networks and be be in the know if you will. Help us create these solutions. Speaking of solutions, today on the podcast, we're talking about three solutions that project-based learning brings to CTE.
Rich was a CTE teacher in Indiana and he he was leading the largest FFA group in the state as well, but really he was a master carpenter by trade. He was not a teacher. He led all kinds of classes, whatever was needed. So, he led welding to advanced manufacturing to automotive technology. He'd never taken a course on how to teach, but he loved the work and he loved the kids. So why bring in project-based learning into CTE if they're already surrounded by projects? It's probably the exact same question that he asked when we walked into his CTE program. So him and his his other teachers are there in the CTE group and of course he and his colleagues were skeptical. It's like h not another training that's really meant for K12 traditional classrooms, is it? Cuz that's what normally get. But it didn't take them long to find out that our process at magnified learning was just a little different. We were actually listening to the CTE teachers and then customizing our resources to their work.
And customization is still one of our core values to this day. So at basically they bought in. They said fine, we'll we'll follow this PBL process. It could make sense. And it worked, right? So later I would go and visit their CTE program during a school day just to see what's happen. happening, right? It's to see the magic. And Rich has this huge poster on his wall of the six steps of PBL because they had the big poster maker, right? It was in the CTE department. Anyway, so I look at it and I look over at him and he just smiles really big. He goes, "It helps me know where I'm at in the project. It helps the kids, too. But I think it mostly helps me.". He goes, "It's a gamecher. We start and end projects on time now.". And he smiles really big cuz here's Here's the thing. CTE programs are already rich with real world application. They're surrounded by projects. Students are welding, wiring, cooking, and often they're doing this better than most adults that you know.
But just because the learners are doing projects, it doesn't mean they're experiencing the benefits of project-based learning. So, I would claim that PBL has three solutions that can help upgrade any CTE program. The first solution is that Engagement isn't automatic, but PBL makes it inevitable. CT is authentic 100%. We get it. There's no arguing that learners are elbow deep in automotive grease, laying pipe in HVAC class, or designing logos in digital media labs. But even with all that hands-on work, engagement isn't always a given. You Well, why is that? If they're surrounded by projects, why aren't they engaged?. Well, there's a couple different reasons. One, sometimes to the shagrin I remember of Rich. He never liked kind of the it was almost a stigma.
It might be too strong of a word, but his CTE programs were all down one hallway and he said everybody expects counselors and everyone that there's a certain kind of kid that goes down this hallway and a certain kind of kid that should go down the other hallway. And so sometimes the kids that just come into our CTE programs, sometimes they're not great at getting points in school or wanting to follow all those rules. They don't see the purpose and That's a good thing as far as I can tell in a lot of different ways. Right now, I Rich did this too. I think we're always trying to fight that battle a little bit in CTE of you can get a welding job and be making 80 90 grand, right?. Rich had a guy uh a senior I went into a maintenance position. He was making $60,000 the day after he graduated. Like that's a pretty good idea, right? You can make a pretty good living that way. So sometimes we need some additional engagement for the learners that are there.
But even beyond that, our learners always want to know the why. Because the learners may be doing the work, but they often don't know why they're doing it. Right? It's the spark of purpose, the emotional connection to the task at hand. And that's where PBL injects that purpose into the CTE classroom and makes the why really visible. So, let me give you an example. Let's say that your learners are doing break jobs in the auto tech class. It's good. work. But now imagine this. You start the unit with a visit from a local nonprofit that serves single mothers in your community. And now that executive director shares the challenges of unreliable transportation and safety concerns. So you ask your learners, "What if we could be the team that ensures these moms have safe vehicles to drive?". Now they're not just doing brake jobs, which are real world for sure, but they're also solving real problems for real people. You're building empathy. You're bu you're building purpose.
You're building motivation. Really, the big three that Daniel Pink talks about in drive, right?. You've got purpose, you've got mastery, and you've got whatever the third one is. I always forget the third one is purpose, autonomy, and mastery. There you go. Those are the three. Uh you've got purpose because now we have a reason that we're fixing breaks and doing oil changes. You've got mastery, which is the work that CTE professionals are doing every day in teaching kids and purpose, autonomy, mastery, and autonomy because once they learn how to do the brakes, they actually know how to do the brakes, right?. They know how to take the wrench. They know this new skill that they have that other people in the community don't have. There's an autonomy that comes with that and some pride that comes with that. It's a big deal. So, framing the same CTE class into a PBL format makes a big difference.
Bringing in the community partner, bringing in the why is a big deal because in in our example, the breaks still get done. The technical standards are met, but now the learners know why the work matters. And that's the power of a strong entry event, right?. That's the opening portion of our PBL unit. And entry events a staple of any project-based learning unit. It creates the emotional hook. It launches a unit not just with content of we're going to do this thing, but we're going to solve a real problem in the world and we're going to help real people. So then the content comes, right?. You're still teaching those workshops and those units, but it comes after there's a purpose to it. And for our CTE learners who have not always traditionally thrived in in getting all these points in the school system, that shift is a big deal. I actually think it's a big deal for those kids that are good at getting points, too.
But I think especially in a CTE program, I think it can really move things really quickly. So that's solution number one is increasing the engagement in a CTE program. The real world projects already there. How do we bring the why to each of the real authentic projects that are there?. So solution number two is really helping the CTE teachers like Rich uh develop a framework of project-based learning that that really works for them. So what we find is that not every CTE teacher has come from a traditional teacher prep program, right?. And some of you are going, "Yes, duh, Ryan." But let's define that, right?. So, you've got master electricians, nurses, chefs, engineers who now are teaching teenagers, right?. But they weren't trained how to create a rubric or connect lessons to standards or do backwards planning, you know, from your learning outcomes. The things that you're asking them to do, they've never really been taught how to do those. So, when happens.
Well, they default to what they know. They give a demonstration of the skill, they walk the class through it, and then they let them try it. But without a structure, things can kind of come off the rails. You know, even if you've got the engagement now, how do you know that all the learners have mastered a particular standard, right? Through an assessment or a rubric. In Rich's example, he would start a real world project. They'd go build something, but it could go from a plan of 3 weeks to suddenly nine weeks because he didn't really know how to close it back down. Right? So the process of project-based learning, these six steps that we walk people through give a simple, repeatable way to design rigorous, engaging, authentic projects. It rem it removes the guesswork and it gives structure to what these CTE professionals already do. Well, what we find often is when we go into CTE, CTI programs, We we do some pedagogical work, right?.
And we give some quick systems and processes, resources, and the CT professionals are fired up about it. It's like, well, this is fantastic. This makes my life so much easier. Absolutely love it. And they grab those, they make them their own, and then they can run with it. So, the six steps to run you through the process is you define the problem, you set the solution criteria. What's it look like when the problem's solved, research possible solutions, choose a solution, and then they implement it, inspect it, make sure it works, and then they reflect on that process. And you can run through that in any PBL unit. Whatever anything that's happening your CTE program will can follow those six steps. And it's super helpful for both the teacher and the students. So instead of the teach, demo, repeat, now you've got a path that starts with curiosity and ends with mastery. You've got a framework that works just as well in the culinary arts kitchen as it does in an HVAC lab.
As Ashley Curtain from a Maryland CTE program put it. She said, "They're already doing the real authentic piece, but many of those folks came straight from the industry. So, they're not traditional educators. The pedigogy that we presume teachers know, they may not.". And Ashley's spot on. She's she's a PBL certified facilitator and she's working in a CTE program. And it's okay because PBL doesn't require perfection. It offers scaffolding. We can tailor planning templates, rubrics for CTE in any department within CTE so that your CTE professionals aren't stuck trying to translate, you know, planning form from like AP biology uh into their welding class, right?. So, we can give them resources that fit them specifically. And when the tools actually fit, then well, teachers use them. So, that's number two. Solution number two is that PBL gives a process and resources that fit CTE and the problems that they're solving. So number one is to bring the engagement and the why.
Number two is really process and resources that fit. Solution number three is going to be around community partners. We alluded to it number one a little bit and bringing the why, but there's more to it because CTE often is kind of its own thing, right?. And you've got the high school and you've got the CTE program and they're often kind of split. Like in Rich's world, like I mentioned, they're down two different hallways. But incredible things are happening every day in CTE programs, right?. Like students are rewiring homes in some places. They're preparing meals for first responders. They're interning at hospitals, but it's all happening kind of behind closed doors and the community never sees it. So, how do we fix that? Like, how do we brand CTE differently?. Well, that's what we do in project-based learning. We kind of we kind of bust through through that because in PBL we've got these public presentations of learning, you know, to an authentic audience. It's a core component.
We we bring it into almost every PBL unit. So your learners can share the solutions with real audiences. So it might be a panel of of industry professionals. It might be the local school board. It might be a neighborhood news outlet. It and it changes everything because now learners know that the work they're doing is going to be public. People outside of the school system are going to see it. They start to take pride in their work. The community partners get to see what's happening in the CTE program and they didn't know. They think it's shop class from 50 years ago. It's a little bit different now, right? Advanced manufacturing, design work. Uh it's it's really amazing things that are happening, but we need to show our community partners what's happening by letting them in. The districts gets to see program as a crown jewel and not just a side hustle, right?. It becomes this place where newsworthy stories are happening and we see it happening. It's honestly it's a small twist.
Once you do this, you'll be like, "How come how come we haven't been doing this the whole time?". Because the community wants to come in and see what's happening and it absolutely changes the way that your learners see the work that's in front of them. So, let's imagine that you've got culinary students and they're not just practicing, you know, plating for their teacher, they design. And what if they even cater to lunchon for the local senior center?. They could research dietary needs, design menus, calculate food cost, and deliver a service that really matters, that brightens somebody's day, that makes a difference in someone's life. And then you bring in a community partner that you let the news outlet know, right?. Let the local newspaper know. That's that's going to splash. Why? Because it's an amazing opportunity for the high schoolers and the seniors. Like, it's really neat work. It's just a cool thing that's happening. And it's standardsbased, right?.
your kids are meeting the certifications they need. That's what PBL brings with these three solutions. It transfers, you know, maybe maybe good enough to to really gamechanging work. And I would claim that you don't have to make enormous complete changes to your CTE program, right?. Because CT already has these authentic projects that are happening and CTE professionals like understand the work. When you bring PBL in, it's it's really a smooth transition. We see a lot of amazing things happening when we do that. So, let me recap the PBL solutions. Problem number one, that learners aren't always engaged. PBL solution, start with a real problem and give this authentic work, a new why, a new purpose. Problem number two, CTE teachers can lack a clear structure because they're not always they haven't always come from a teaching program. PBL solution, use the six step process to simplify planning and maximize learning.
Problem number three, the amazing work isn't being shared from your CTE programs. PBL solution, make the learning public. Let the world see what your learners can do. When done right, PBL doesn't make CTE more complicated. It makes it more powerful. It aligns with what CTE is already good at. Real world learning, problem solving, and preparing learners for life after graduation. It's an excellent mix. So, a final challenge. If you're leading a CTE program, ask yourself, are my learners completing tasks and doing neat work, or are they solving real problems for people?. CTE programs are already building the workforce of tomorrow. With PBL, they can build citizens, problem solvers, and leaders, too. Your learners are capable of more than you can imagine. Your teachers are ready to lead once they have the right tools and the right process. Your community is hungry for the good news that's happening in these programs. Let's give them something awesome to talk about.
These projects are already happening. Now, let's make them project-based learning and step it up a notch. As you do this, I think you'll find that you'll be able to lead inspired.
That's just what I needed to bring PBL to my school. If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing the show. It only takes 2 minutes to scroll to the bottom. Tap to rate with five stars. and select write a review. Then be sure to let us know what was most helpful about that episode. Your review helps the next inspired leader just like you find their why and lead inspired.
