Project Based Learning: 25 Projects for 21st Century Learning

by Ralph Maltese

Project Based Learning (PBL) is a strategy to effectively engage students in the classroom. PBL has been incorporated by good teachers for quite some time,but modern emerging technologies and true educational reform have refocused the energies of many more teachers on engaging students in higher level thinking. Project Based 25 Surefire Projects for 21stCentury Classrooms contains some of the best learning units an award winning Teacher of the Year successfully executed in his own classroom. This text also contains chapters on how to structure collaborative learning (a necessary underpinning of PBL),methods for developing and implementing projects, and assessment tools for evaluating student work. Each project is prefaced by the author's reflections on the context of the project, its challenges, and the means to overcome those obstacles. Additionally,each project is followed by a closure which leads students to bigger and better questions (and possibly future projects!). Ralph Maltese, an adjunct professor for integrating technology in the classroom, received a B.S. in education from Villanova University, followed by a master's degree in English from Indiana University.Ralph taught high school English for 38 years in Abington Senior High School as well as numerous electives from Cinema to Computer Assisted Composition. Ralph was selected as Pennsylvania's 2002Teacher of the Year,representing the Commonwealth in national meetings, and in 2003 he was awarded a Fulbright Memorial Scholarship to visit schools in Japan.His school district chose Ralph as the Classrooms for the Future Instructional Coach for the high school, and, later, he served as one of nine Coach Mentors in the state, working with districts and coaches to help teachers rethink the challenge of teaching. His first book, A Class Act, attempts to assist novice teachers through their first year. Visit his website at

337 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012