From Classroom to Community: lilyPD's New Course Helps Teacher Build Projects With a Real Audience

lilyPD: Professional Development powered by William & Mary today released "Project-Based Learning for Content Literacy," a microcourse that gives teachers a practical framework for designing projects that build content knowledge and literacy skills, without taking over the calendar.  

Project-based learning asks students to do what historians, scientists, writers and engaged citizens do: pose a real question, research it, build an argument or a product from what they find, and share it with an audience beyond the teacher. Done well, it builds content knowledge and disciplinary literacy together, instead of treating reading, writing and research as separate from the subject.   

It gives students ownership of their learning, and it connects classroom work to their communities, often through local partners who become the audience for what students create. That connection between school and community is at the heart of William & Mary's civic mission, and the reason lilyPD is investing in the approach 

But project-based learning can go wrong in familiar ways. Projects swallow weeks of instructional time, never reach their intended audience, or leave teachers wondering whether students are learning the content at all. The obstacle for most teachers has never been belief in the value of PBL, but in the associated time, management and assessment required to do it effectively. 

 "Project-Based Learning for Content Literacy" is built to solve exactly those problems, treats projects as a method of teaching content and disciplinary literacy rather than a break from regular instruction.  

And a project, the course points out, doesn't have to take six weeks, involve elaborate technology or end in a round of slide presentations.  

“Effective project-based learning requires us to lean into the authentic learning pathways and products associated with our disciplines,” said Sam Futrell, W&M master teacher, who designed and presents the course. “When we approach projects as opportunities to teach content and disciplinary literacy skills rather than something separate from our regular instruction, PBL becomes more manageable. And when we find public audiences for students to share their work with, it becomes more meaningful.” 

 Course Highlights 

The course is built around a three-phase framework: Ideation & Research, Planning & Creation, and Publication & Assessment. Across six modules, teachers learn to: 

• Size projects to their own instructional time, capacity and students' needs 

• Use WAGOLLs ("What a Good One Looks Like") and mentor texts to teach disciplinary skills and spark student creativity 

• Help students generate topics, develop inquiry questions and conduct meaningful research 

• Support student planning, creation and revision with timely, practical feedback 

• Connect student work with community partners and audiences beyond the classroom 

• Publish student work and assess it collaboratively, with students as partners in defining success 

Teachers leave with a flexible framework, classroom-ready templates and tools, and a plan for applying it in their own setting. 

Course Availability 

"Project-Based Learning for Content Literacy" is available now for $79.99. Through Nov. 7, educators can save 25% on their first lilyPD course purchase with the code LAUNCH25. The course takes about five hours to complete and carries five professional development hours, with a certificate issued by the W&M School of Education.