Impactful PBL Podcast

Candice Wilson, Ed.D, MBA
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Hi, I’m Dr. Candice Wilson, the founder of Impactful PBL Network, where we cultivate a community of practice for 3rd-5th grade teachers so they can transition students from being passive learners in their classrooms to active participants in their schools and community via real-world project-based learning experiences.  This podcast provides proven strategies and invaluable tips for building a sustainable project-based learning culture at your school without overwhelming instructional leaders, teachers, and students. If you are an educator who desires to move from theory to practice with project-based learning, follow the podcast to receive notification of new episodes. Let's talk PBL!

  1. 01/28/2025

    [3.14] Sustaining PBL: Measuring your initiative success

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. Have teachers implemented a PBL unit but have not seen immediate results? Are you wondering if it's worth continuing? You're not alone. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons schools abandon their PBL initiatives - but here's why that's a costly mistake. This episode reveals a crucial insight: building an effective PBL initiative takes time, typically spanning three years for full implementation. The impact of project-based learning directly correlates with the fidelity of implementation, but many schools cut their journey short before seeing real results. In this episode, you'll discover: Why expecting immediate gains on standardized tests sets your PBL initiative up for failureThe three key areas you should actually be measuring to track PBL successA practical 12-week cycle approach to implementing and measuring progressHow successful schools maintain momentum during the crucial initial monthsThe often-overlooked stakeholder feedback that indicates your program is working Don't let impatience derail your PBL journey. Learn how to measure what really matters when building a sustainable project-based learning culture in your school. P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    11 min

  2. 01/21/2025

    [3.13] Sustaining PBL: Customizing instructional resources

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. Are you wondering how teachers can use predesigned project-based learning curriculum but still make it authentic for students? Most teachers prefer to have ready-to-facilitate lessons but also worry that the resources may not meet their students' academic needs and interests. This feeling leaves educators wondering how to solve this dilemma.  Don't worry. In this episode, you'll discover: How to identify and integrate local issues into existing PBL unitsPractical ways to incorporate student voices and choicesStrategies for connecting with community experts and organizing field experiencesMethods to design projects that create real value for your community Don't allow even a well-designed PBL unit to feel generic and unrelatable to students. The good news? You don't have to start from scratch to make your projects relevant and meaningful. Listen to this episode to explore four easy ways to adapt instructional resources to create authentic project-based learning experiences for your students. P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    11 min

  3. 01/15/2025

    [3.12] Sustaining PBL: Selecting high-quality instructional materials

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. When launching project-based learning initiatives, school leaders often ask teachers to create resources from scratch or modify existing curricula. While this might seem cost-effective, it's actually compromising both teacher effectiveness and student outcomes. This episode explores why teachers shouldn't create project-based learning resources from scratch and reveal a concerning trend I've observed while working with schools. Talented educators spend countless hours on curriculum development instead of focusing on what they do best - teaching. Through real implementation examples, including one partner school's dramatic transformation, you'll discover: Why creating PBL resources requires specialized expertise beyond content knowledgeHow DIY curriculum development leads to inconsistent learning experiences and teacher burnoutWhat makes pre-designed PBL resources more effective for sustainable implementationThe true cost of asking teachers to create resources from scratch (hint: it's higher than you think)Essential criteria for selecting high-quality PBL resources that support both teachers and students Don't let curriculum development distract your teachers from their core mission. Let's prepare your teachers and students for PBL success. P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    14 min

  4. 01/08/2025

    [3.11] Sustaining PBL: Building a community of practice

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. Is your project-based learning initiative struggling to gain traction? You're not alone. Many schools invest in PBL training only to see enthusiasm fade and implementation stall. But there's a crucial element that successful PBL schools have discovered: the power of teacher communities. Our latest article explores how communities of practice amplify project-based learning impact by revealing why isolated PBL implementation often falls short – and how teacher collaboration transforms theoretical knowledge into sustainable practice. Through my work with hundreds of teachers, I've seen how the right community structures turn struggling PBL programs into thriving learning environments. It's not about adding more workshops or training sessions. It's about creating the connections that sustain and strengthen practice over time. In this episode, you'll discover: Why even the most passionate PBL educators need community supportHow teacher collaboration creates ripple effects across entire schoolsFive specific ways educators can leverage peer expertiseThe key elements that make PBL communities successfulHow the Impactful PBL Network structures teacher collaboration for maximum impact Don't let your PBL initiative become another "great idea" that fades away. Learn how to build the teacher communities that make project-based learning stick. P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    10 min

  5. 12/10/2024

    [3.10] Sustaining PBL: Aligning existing goals with your project-based initiative

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. What's one of the biggest challenges instructional leaders face? Viewing project-based learning as separate from their priority initiatives. You're focused on reading scores, math benchmarks, and other pressing goals. PBL feels like a luxury you can't afford right now. But what if PBL could be the framework that makes your existing initiatives more effective?  In this episode, we will explore how project-based learning: Naturally aligns with your current curriculum goalsIntegrates multiple subjects into one meaningful learning experienceEnhances (not compete with) existing initiativesTune into the episode to discover how to stop viewing PBL as another item on your overflowing to-do list.  P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    10 min

  6. 12/03/2024

    [3.9] Sustaining PBL: Co-designing professional development with teachers

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. Remember the last time you sat through a professional development session that had absolutely nothing to do with your needs? That sinking feeling of wasted time while your actual challenges went unaddressed? Let's avoid accidentally hosting a dreadful professional development experience for project-based teachers. It's time to flip the script on traditional professional development. Instead of top-down mandates, we're advocating for something revolutionary yet simple: letting teachers help design their own professional learning journeys. In this episode, you'll discover: A proven 5-step method for creating a co-design PD experience that teachers will enjoyHow to assess what your teachers really need (hint: it's not what you might think)Practical ways to offer multiple learning pathways that respect different learning stylesTips for leveraging existing expertise within your schoolStrategies for monitoring and adjusting your PD plan based on real feedback The days of one-size-fits-all professional development are over. Your teachers deserve training that's as engaging and differentiated as the lessons they create for their students.  P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    11 min

  7. 11/27/2024

    [3.8] Sustaining PBL: Helping teachers create a personalized growth plan

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. Are you struggling to connect teacher professional development with actual student growth in the classroom? You're not alone, and here's the good news: there's a way to ensure every step of teacher growth directly impacts student success! In this episode, we explore how to help teachers make professional development plans that are meaningful to them and impact students' academic outcomes. We challenge the idea that teacher development and student outcomes are separate journeys.  In fact, when you pair them together, you create a powerful engine for school-wide transformation. In this episode, you'll discover: How to help teachers create growth plans that target both their development AND student successWhat's really required to implement effective professional development that sticksWhy this strategy works for teachers at all experience levels (not just veterans!)The five-step process that turns teacher growth into student achievement P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    8 min

  8. 11/26/2024

    [3.7] Sustaining PBL: Conducting a needs assessment

    Do you have a topic to suggest or insight to share? Text me. Picture this: You're excited to bring project-based learning to your school. Your teachers say they're experienced with PBL, and you're ready to dive into advanced implementation strategies.  Sounds promising, right? But here's what we recently discovered at one school: While leaders believed most of their teachers were PBL-savvy, a simple needs assessment revealed that less than half had actually used project-based instruction in their classrooms. This gap between perception and reality could have derailed their entire implementation. This episode explores why understanding your actual starting point is crucial for PBL success. I’m sharing the exact process we use with our partner schools to ensure project-based initiatives don't just start strong – they stick. In this episode, you'll discover: The six essential steps to create an effective needs assessment surveyWhy sending surveys 3 weeks before training is the sweet spot for successWays to evaluate both novice and experienced PBL practitionersHow to use assessment data to get genuine teacher buy-in P.S. Have you taken the Impactful PBL Readiness Assessment yet? It's a great resource for instructional leaders like you who want to make informed decisions about implementing or strengthening PBL in their schools. Get Your Free Planning Guide Now >> Support the show Thank you for listening! If you find this podcast useful and would like to support the show, please rate, review, and follow using your favorite podcasting app. Sharing is caring. When you leave a review, you are helping fellow educators find this podcast, enabling them to design impactful project-based learning experiences for their students.

    10 min
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4.7
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About

Hi, I’m Dr. Candice Wilson, the founder of Impactful PBL Network, where we cultivate a community of practice for 3rd-5th grade teachers so they can transition students from being passive learners in their classrooms to active participants in their schools and community via real-world project-based learning experiences.  This podcast provides proven strategies and invaluable tips for building a sustainable project-based learning culture at your school without overwhelming instructional leaders, teachers, and students. If you are an educator who desires to move from theory to practice with project-based learning, follow the podcast to receive notification of new episodes. Let's talk PBL!

Information

  • Creator
    Candice Wilson, Ed.D, MBA
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Impactful PBL Podcast
  • Show Website
    Impactful PBL Podcast