Molly Tranel

Critical Book Review

C&I 503, Fall 2020

Introduction
Highlighting teachers’ Project Based Learning (PBL) experiences across various grade
levels, content areas, and geographical locations, Project Based Teaching: How to Create
Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences by Suzie Ross and John Larmer outlines essential
PBL methods, referred to as Gold Standard Project Based Teaching Practices, for teachers to
integrate into their instruction.
While all of the components of the book are not applicable to teachers at every grade
level, the overarching practices and principles can be integrated across levels and content areas,
making the book accessible to all teachers and educators with prior knowledge in PBL.
Overview
Throughout the book, Ross and Larmer discuss Gold Standard PBL teaching practices:
build the culture, design and plan, align to standards, manage activities, assess student learning,
scaffold student learning, engage and coach. They dedicate one chapter for each of these
practices, and discuss it at length, integrating strategies and helpful tips for implementation.
Each teaching practice has a companion video and embedded Try This: sections, which
share practical and applicable ideas for teachers to immediately attempt in the classroom.
Similarly, the Gold Standard Project Based Teaching Practices section highlights elements to
look for in a successful PBL experience.
The conclusion of each chapter shares strategies for instructional coaches to guide
teachers through the PBL process, as well as a key take away section that summarizes the
chapter’s main ideas and presents reflection questions for readers to consider. Each chapter
closes with a list of additional book suggestions with summaries related to the focus topic.
Lastly, the Appendix includes a Project Based Teaching Rubric that is intended for
teachers to use to self-assess their PBL practices and a Student Learning Guide that outlines a
sample PBL unit plan, meant to serve as a starting point for teachers interested in designing a
project.
 Overall, the book focuses on highlighting the essential PBL teaching practices while
providing applicable classroom strategies and resources for teachers to implement across
contexts.

Analysis and Evaluation

Ross and Larmer aim to link the Gold Standard PBL practices to real-life examples so
that readers can “see” the standards in action. They intend to reach a broad audience and do so
effectively since the PBL practices can be used across all grade levels. They present content for
all teachers to consider. Yet, most of the anecdotes focus on upper elementary, middle, and high
school projects, resulting in a lack of specific examples for younger contexts. This is a cause of
disappointment for K-2 teachers looking for solid PBL examples to apply to their context.
Luckily, the Gold Standard Teaching Practices can be adopted across grade levels, making the
content applicable to all teachers, it’s just harder to imagine what the practices look like in the
classroom setting with younger students.
Readers may find themselves a little overwhelmed by the volume of strategies, tips, and
ideas presented in each chapter. There is a plethora of valuable ideas provided in this book, yet at
times it can feel exhausting trying to understand how all the intricate pieces fit together,
especially for a teacher that is new to PBL. For this reason, this text is best read in small sections,
so that the reader has time to reflect on the ideas presented and can brainstorm ways to integrate
each practice into current instruction. Reading it with a professional learning community or in
the midst of planning a PBL unit would enhance the learning experience, as there are many ideas
to consider, discuss, and implement.
Throughout the book, the reader will find similar themes to those of other authors in the
field of education. Ross and Larmer’s PBL teaching practice, “build the culture” echoes many of
the ideas presented in Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Relevant Teaching and the Brain.
Specifically, the themes of creating a welcoming and safe environment with high expectations
for all, incorporating students’ culture to motivate learning, and being a warm demander
educator are found in both texts. Furthermore, Ross and Larmer emphasize group work for PBL,
as it harnesses the social power of learning, which again resonates with Hammond and her idea
of the collective.
When outlining high-quality PBL lesson plan formats, Ross and Larmer claim, “Students
who are able to think critically, solve problems, collaborate, and manage their own learning are
well equipped for future challenges in college, careers, and citizenship” (46), which resonates
with Gholdy Muhammed’s Historically Responsive Literacy Framework, as presented in her
book, Cultivating Genius. In both cases, the authors advocate for teachers to invoke higher order
thinking from their students by constructing lessons that are thought-provoking, authentic,
relatable.
Conclusion
After reading this book, readers will gain valuable insights into the world of PBL and
essential teaching practices to consider while lesson planning. While geared toward higher grade
levels, the teaching practices presented are applicable to all grade levels. Teachers who have an
interest in Project Based Learning and are interested in additional teaching practices to integrate
with their instruction should add this to their “to read” list.
 References

Boss, S., & Larmer, J. (2018). Project based teaching: How to create rigorous and engaging

learning experiences. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic
engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Muhammad, G. (2020). Cultivating genius: An equity framework for culturally and historically

responsive literacy. New York, NY: Scholastic.