April Smith - Performing in Education

My name is April Smith and I'm a teacher and lover of all hands-on teaching methods. If you came to visit my classroom, you would hardly ever see all students at their desks quietly working. My students are masters of inquiry and collaboration. I attribute a lot of that to implementing project-based learning early in the school year.

I began project-based learning in my classroom in 2011. As I learned more about project-based learning, I was able to merge activity ideas like this and the different parts of PBL to bring authentic learning experiences to my students. I learned how to integrate the standards and create a structure that allowed students to have voice and choice, but also made it less of a free-for-all. I am still perfecting my process every time we do a PBL.

Last year I began working remotely with K-5 teachers and districts that are looking to replace their traditional teaching methods with project-based learning. Most people find me through the information I post on my blog, which can be found at www.performingineducation.com. I work hard to provide teachers and support staff with explicit, easy to implement project ideas.