What PBL Looks Like:
Project-based learning gives students the opportunity to explore authentic problems, build real-world skills, and take ownership of their learning. In collaboration with teachers, I design PBL experiences that center inquiry, creativity, and strong literacy practices. My goal is to help students engage deeply with content while developing the confidence to ask questions, make decisions, and share their learning with others.
I focus on creating projects that are accessible, meaningful, and connected to what students are learning in class. Each project includes clear entry points for all learners, built-in opportunities for choice, and multiple ways for students to show what they know.
Developing research-rich projects where students investigate a guiding question
Designing cross-curricular tasks that connect literacy, STEM, and creative problem solving
Supporting students as they plan, design, build, revise, and present their work
Incorporating reflection, conferencing, and small-group support throughout the process
Using low and high-tech tools, including writing, making, prototyping, and digital media, depending on what best fits the learning goal
As a librarian and a teacher, I help shape projects that feel purposeful and doable for both teachers and students. I curate resources, coach students through research and idea development, and provide space and tools in the library and Innovation Center for hands-on work. My aim is always to empower students to think deeply, create confidently, and communicate their learning in ways that matter.
Students explored how technology supports personal wellness by designing simple wearable devices using micro:bit coding and Cricut vinyl. They identified a real fitness need, prototyped a solution, collected data, and refined their work based on testing and peer feedback. My role included co-designing the guiding question, teaching introductory coding, supporting design revisions, and providing fabrication space in the Innovation Center.
To deepen understanding of body systems and ecosystems, students used VR headsets to investigate structures and relationships they couldn’t easily observe in a textbook. After the immersive experience, they researched a guiding question, gathered evidence from both VR and digital texts, and created a short presentation explaining their findings. I helped build the inquiry sequence, provided leveled resources, co-facilitated the VR sessions, and coached students through research and reflection.
Students analyzed character development and theme by planning, scripting, and recording short podcast episodes. They researched background context, wrote narrative outlines, and used audio tools to produce polished segments. I supported teachers with instructional design, curated texts and digital resources, taught audio basics, and helped students revise and publish their work.
PBL in our library reflects Missouri’s vision for an exemplary school library program—strong instructional partnerships, literacy-rich inquiry, and equitable access to tools and resources. Each project gives students an authentic problem to explore and meaningful ways to read, research, create, and share their learning. My role is to help teachers design learning that feels purposeful and doable, with enough flexibility for every student to participate, take risks, and feel successful.