So many teachers have asked me about the absolute essential project based learning resources. Focus walls are top of my list. They are such a useful tool to get engagement with a project that, I’m going to share the best ways to utilise them.
A classroom focus wall displaying student work has always been something I love. I can’t resist browsing the names on the art, writing, and artifacts like a proud mama. Each student has put in so much effort and we know each personality. It’s so exciting to see the learning journey for each of them. Using a focus wall is my go-to project-based learning resources to foster 21st-century skills.
If you are thinking of back to school then thinking about how to create an environment for independent learning will be key. That’s where a PBL focus wall comes in.
Why a Focus Wall Works for Project Based Learning Activities
Firstly there are a ton of reasons why a focus wall works well with a project based learning activity. From a teacher’s perspective it:
- Perfectly aligns with planning a project
- It helps structure the process
- is a visual for the skills and trajectory of the project.
The reason why I’m really passionate about using this tool is the benefits.
Benefits of a Focus Wall for a Project Based Learning Activity
Supports Critical Thinking
- Using a PBL focus wall makes incorporating 21st-century skills easier. As students investigate a problem, teachers can direct them to record their questions and findings on the focus wall. This allows collaboration between individual students and groups.
- I like to use a poster paper roll to get all the fabulous ideas and questions down as we brainstorm.
Pupils love rolling the paper out and adding more questions. It’s one of my most simple interactive project based learning resources. We’ve had so much fun seeing how many questions we can gather and watching the paper stretch across the floor!!
Fosters Creativity
- Moreover, when creativity is flowing it can be captured on sticky notes and collected under structured headings. We all know that when students are working productively it’s not always useful to stunt that flow with extensive written work. Using brain showers and jotting ideas down in an informal setting, often produces the best ideas!
Encourages Independent Work
- In a project based learning context a focus wall is key to supporting individual work.When students are asked about what they find useful about a focus wall, they often say it helps them keep track of the questions they had at the beginning and know what they are trying to find out.
Easy Scaffolding
- It’s also a great tool for scaffolding. Peer to peer scaffolding is something that I’m a big advocate of. There is something just magical for both students. Those that need more extension work really benefit from teaching their friends. I’ve noticed that often pupils are reluctant to ask for help if they have fallen behind in any of the tasks. Getting a helping hand either from visual information on the focus wall or asking a friend to explain their findings can be a useful collaborative process.
- Using project based learning resources like poster headings on a focus wall is a useful way to introduce the terminology of a project based learing unit. This can help guide pupils through the trajectory of a PBL unit.
Enables Formative Assessment
- I use a focus wall to track formative assessment. A visual of the rubrics and a tracking chart is encouraging for students and they know what is required of them. I keep a reminder of the 21st century competencies on the focus wall so that students can refer back to them as they work.
How A Project based learning focus wall can help you plan a rigourous unit
Bridges the gap between Student Questions and Learning Goals
Firstly, both teachers and students need to know the purpose of student questions in relation to specific learning goals. One distinguishing part of PBL is that the project looks to answer a driving question. A focus wall is an instructional tool that helps students link that question to their learning goals. You can use a focus wall with posters and headings to highlight standards to be covered, 21st-century competencies and tasks. I love that it brings all elements of an interdisciplinary project together in one place!
In fact, project-based learning in primary schools can be as colourful and interactive as you want them to be. However, there are a few components that make it really useful.
Focus Walls are Like the Project Stage
Secondly, I find posters and headings in a designated area of the classroom work a bit like a stage. Everyone involved gets to go backstage and see the behind the scenes messy parts. You pick up the vibe of the process of creating the final product. it can be contagious! Don’t be surprised if other colleagues want to recreate your project or try out PBL for themselves.
All the different elements that groups and individual students are working on, come together. Don’t worry about it being perfectly neat and curated. It’s ok for it to reflect the review and adjustments too! It doesn’t JUST have to show the things that go right in a project. Rather I regard it as a working wall.
Focus Walls as Communication and collabortion Tools
Thirdly, as part of a project-based learning unit, your students will be exploring vocabulary and sharing their research. They need a place to communicate that with both you and their peers, parents, and in fact with other teaching staff that comes into their classroom. Its’ use doesn’t end there. If you are new to using project-based learning and you haven’t got everyone on board just yet. A project-based learning focus wall can help with reassuring, colleagues, principles, and parents that work is actually happening.
Introducing Project based learning for elementary school
Fifthly, It can be difficult at times to get all these parties on board with what you are trying to achieve, especially in elementary school. I’ve found it’s hard for those that haven’t experienced PBL, to understand how project-based learning could work for all curricular areas or even for Kindergarten Project-based learning.
However, I’ve found when there is a display of the work in progress, it instills confidence in others. it shows there is a method to the apparent madness of student-led learning!!
- Making it easily accessible for substitute teachers
- On parent evening/ open days
- For teaching support staff
- Principles and colleagues
- Community partners for the project
Getting Parents On Board with PBL Activities
Lastly, good Project-based learning resources make all the difference in getting all parties on board. Moreover, now that parents and teachers have had to adapt to homeschooling they are likely more supportive of Project-based learning activities. The current Covid-19 lockdown means parents have had to experience more authentic learning. They will have noticed and appreciated that the way children learn best is by doing. This is the perfect time to start using PBl in your classroom. if you haven’t tried it before you can grab my FREE guide to getting started today
How I use Project Based learning focus wall posters to engage students
Tracking each individual student’s learning and giving support through workshops and direct instruction is really important if project based learning is going to work for each child.
This is is why using posters , headings, displays and having easy access to resources is important to ensure a smoother flow of learning and independent work.
I like to start by putting up the key terminology associated with a Project based learning unit.
Visual for Key PBL Terminology
This can be extremely useful for students as it helps show the trajectory of what is expected of them. I find it especially helpful for students that have additional learning needs. Whether like me you prefer to have themed posters or not. Research shows that it helps with pacing and student engagement. I also like to use these posters stapled to clear document files that house any instructions, graphic organizes, or worksheets to record findings and research.
Project Management Tool
Focus walls are like management tools, they help organize thoughts, questions, mistakes and turnarounds, standards, and even details about community partners. As students work through the project to answer the question, they are always aware of who they are “working for” and who will see their end solution.
This has been very powerful in my classroom as we ask “what were the client specifications?’ I like to also add in a project calendar so that students can pace themselves and know that there is a definite timeline that they need to work towards. It teaches students the importance of good timekeeping within an authentic real-world context. Sticky note reminders and notes always play a big part too!!
Displaying themed posters is also a great way to introduce a new topic as the kids will be so excited to figure out what the next project will be. You can use the display as an entry event!! If you want to know more suggestions about entry event ideas you can grab my free Guide to Project based learning.
Example of using a focus wall
Some examples of project based learning ideas that I’ve taught have included designing a road trip around the world. That’s why I used driving themed PBL posters. I used the focus wall display as a prompt for our essential questions and tracked individual learning using car stickers and cut-outs to record formative assessment throughout the project. You can grab these Project based learning posters HERE and get started right away. Just attach them to your display wall and or clear document files to hold rubrics or other resources.
Driving is always a hit especially if the kids envision getting their pen license at the end of it. I incorporate this theme with writing goals. As each student works towards personal targets, it gets recorded on the focus wall. It all adds to an engaging and interactive display too!!
So that’s my top tips of all the things i find useful about using a focus wall for a PBL unit. it really is very versatile. Once you start using it in this way you will find that it really engages your students and makes your job easier too! I would love to see your displays and hear about how you are using it. leave me a message below and share your tips too. Happy creating!
