The Boss Level Challenge: Designing and Doing

Amy Woods

ET

Selkirk, K. (2014). Boss Level Challenge: Designing and Doing. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/boss-level-challenge-designing-doing-kate-selkirk

Summary: 

Boss level, a project based inquiry unit, provides students with the opportunity to learn by doing. Students are presented with a real-life challenge, "taking on the role of an artist, filmmaker, chef, or any other number of real life jobs." Students must then acquire the skills necessary to complete the challenge. For example, one project required students to prepare an authentic Thai meal for 100. To make this happen, students had to not only learn to cook a meal, but also had to advertise and promote the event. Though this type of challenge seems daunting, the author offers five tips to help teachers create their own boss level challenges: Start with a passion, plan a window of time for the project, design an achievable challenge that fits your topic, enlist the help of others, and plan mini-lessons to support students through each step of the process. 

Evaluation: 

The video that accompanies this article is inspiring. The enthusiasm of both the teachers and the students involved in the Boss Level is contagious and a reminder of what learning should look like.