By Kristen Weatherby Project-Based Learning Around the World PART 2 ISTE and Microsoft’s Partners in Learning joined to create project-based curriculum that can be adapted for classrooms across the globe. In our second installment, we look at how these PBL lessons are being localized and used in Estonia and Hong Kong. n Part 1 of this article, I in- troduced you to Microsoft’s Iworldwide K–12 education initiative, Partners in Learn- ing, and gave you some background as to why Microsoft was interested in developing project- based learning cur- ricula for teachers to help them better integrate technol- ogy into learning and teaching (L&L, February 2007, pp. 12–16). We discussed the part- nership with ISTE in creating project- based learning cur- riculum as part of Partners in Learn- ing and explored the use of the curriculum in Denmark, a country that has a long history of integrating technol- ogy into education and is a longtime supporter of project-based learning. It’s time for you to get your passports ready once again, because this article will take you on a trip to two very different locations and two very different education systems, both making great use of the project-based learning curriculum. First, we’ll con- tinue to head east from Denmark to IMAGES: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JGROUP ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/LUCATO Estonia, and then we’ll cross Asia to Copyright © 2007, Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with Permission. Requests for Reprints should be directed to ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. 26 Learning & Leading with Technology | March 2007 ISTE and Microsoft’s Partners in Learning joined to create project-based explore the use of project-based learn- are teaching. By far, most teachers are and so on) surrounding technology in curriculum that can be adapted for classrooms across the globe. ing in Hong Kong. Pack your bags and not confident enough to do this and all of the nation’s schools. One of the In our second installment, we look at how these PBL lessons let’s go! save it to do administrative classroom other mandates of the TLF is to be the tasks. The reasons for this are as they link between the Ministry of Educa- are being localized and used in Estonia and Hong Kong. Estonia? Estonia! are in many countries: the average tion and corporations who want to When I told friends and family that age of Estonian teachers is about 50 provide resources to Estonian schools. I was traveling to Tallinn, Estonia, in and many don’t want to change, and This is how Microsoft and Partners in April, 2006, the common response I the state-mandated curriculum is so Learning were able to enter the scene received was, “Where?” Estonia is the packed already that there isn’t time for in Estonia. smallest and northernmost of the three new content. Baltic states (Lithuania and Latvia are As a result, 25% of students in Es- Project-based Learning in Estonia the others). It’s directly across the Bal- tonian schools spend only about 30 Estonia’s education system has been tic Sea from Finland, and the Estonian minutes to 2 hours on a computer at undergoing a process of curriculum language is very similar to Finnish. school each week. reform for the past several years. The population of Estonia is about 1.3 Since 1995, the curriculum used in million, making it about the size of San A Tiger’s Leap to 21st-century Skills schools has been largely decentral- Antonio, Texas. Estonia regained its This little country is not content with ized, with teachers and schools having independence from the former Soviet these statistics, however. The govern- some freedom to use the materials Union in 1991 and became a full mem- ment recognizes that Estonia does not they want to accomplish the goals set ber of the European Union in 2004. have many natural resources to offer forth by the Ministry. However, much Here are some fast facts on Estonia: the global market, and has decided to of the curriculum that is available is invest in human capital, in the form of very fact-centered and does not allow • 601 primary and secondary schools a trained IT workforce. For that rea- students to learn skills they’ll need • 170,994 students (2006–07 year) son, in 1997 Estonia’s Parliament made in the real world, such as working in • 15,800 teachers what was at the time an unprecedented teams, creative thinking, delivering There are approximately 19,000 declaration that access to the Internet presentations, and so forth. Project- computers available in Estonian is considered a basic human right for based learning is not very popular in schools. Of those computers, only Estonian citizens. Since then, progress Estonian schools yet; currently only about 9,300—roughly half—are avail- has been made all over the country— those teachers who know about it are able to students, giving Estonian from large industries such as banking choosing to use it with students. schools an overall ratio of 18 students to remote villages—in getting technol- In February of 2005, I brought two per PC in schools. Most computers ogy and the Internet integrated into all ISTE trainers—Lynn Nolan, senior in schools (approximately 60%) are aspects of work and daily life. director of education leadership, and located in computer labs, with only To help with technology integration Mila Fuller, director of strategic initia- about 28% in classrooms and the re- in schools, the Tiger Leap Foundation tives—to snowy Budapest, Hungary, to maining 12% in administrative offices. was created. The TLF is responsible participate in the second regional Part- Today, almost every school in Es- for the strategy, planning, and all tac- ners in Learning curriculum training. tonia has a few teachers who are able tical matters (purchasing computers, Attending that training were represen- to integrate ICT into the subjects they providing professional development, tatives from the TLF, who were there to learn more about the curriculum and determine whether it could be There are approximately 19,000 computers available in a good fit for Estonian schools. After Estonian schools. Of those computers, only about 9,300— the training, the people from the TLF roughly half—are available to students. were among many countries that made the decision to use this project-based curriculum locally. Copyright © 2007, Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with Permission. Requests for Reprints should be directed to ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. March 2007 | Learning & Leading with Technology 27 The Making of ProjektiPaun teacher he trained felt that they could (roughly the size of Phoenix, Ari- When the TLF team returned to Es- make at least one of the projects work zona), most of which is uninhabitable, tonia, they worked with Microsoft’s in their subject area, commenting that rugged mountains. local academic program manager, “Even the physical education teacher Here are some fast facts about Hong Lina Abola, to begin creating the would like to work with the project of Kong: project plan for the localization and World Heroes Hall of Fame adopting • Population: 6,940,000 implementation of the curriculum. it into Famous Skiers from Võrumaa • 1,286 primary and secondary The foundation nominated experts or something of that kind.” schools to do the translation and localiza- The only problems that occurred • 50,801 teachers tion work. They found that unlike were with the format of the training. • 936,015 students the Danish team, they didn’t need Although many teachers thought the to make any major changes to the two-day training wasn’t long enough As Hong Kong was for years a Brit- content. The localization team simply and wanted even more time to de- ish colony (it is now a Special Admin- added some local Web sites and ref- velop and share ideas, some teachers istrative Region of China), its system erence materials in Estonian for the weren’t comfortable with the format. of education for primary and second- students and teachers to access. As it The training was designed to put ary schools largely resembles that of was in Denmark, the curriculum was teachers in the students’ shoes, with England. English is still used by more renamed, “Projektipaun,” which in the trainers walking teachers through than 30% of the population, and all Estonian roughly translates to “Project the projects as if the teachers were the education materials must be produced Backpack.” The finished curriculum students. One trainer commented, in English and Chinese. was printed in hard-copy books and “There were teachers who started to The computer-to-student ratio in posted online to a national Projekti- play along enthusiastically and some Hong Kong is similar to that of the paun Web site. Final materials were who considered it to be a waste of United States. There are 7.4 PCs per reviewed for quality by the TLF and time... They were like schoolchildren student in primary schools and 4.6 were then translated into Russian, as who think that once they are ready, PCs per student in secondary schools. approximately 30% of Estonia’s teach- they can leave.” All of Hong Kong’s teachers have basic ers still speak and teach in Russian. Nonetheless, the positive feedback IT literacy skills, and 89% of them Once the curriculum was localized, far outweighed the negative, and Mi- have intermediate skills.