This morning we kicked off a session at #NTAC15 with a room full of 60 electives teachers from around the country who are learning more about project-based learning (PBL). The participants came from a wide range of subject areas across the spectrum of electives.

The day is a bit of a blur in looking back, but, by the afternoon, we ended up in some project ideation that was no less than inspiring. And I think that’s what sometimes gets left behind in the PBL equation through attempts to overly systematize the approach. No doubt you need those fundamental elements and strategies for PBL to meet your learning objectives, but a healthy dose of inspiration pushes toward a bolder set of outcomes for kids (and adults too).

Meeting with a local nursing home and its residents to design and build a flower garden on site. Reaching out to partner on marketing materials with a non-profit recently started by a young teenager whose life was altered by a drunk driver. Exploring how performed music can heal through interpreting a selection to be performed for patients at St Jude’s children’s hospital. Exploring the artistic style of Realism and biological habitats through development of educational signage for a riverfront park.

Some of these projects have already happened, and stories about those experiences were shared today. But some of these projects are just starting to take shape. And, with that inspiration built in, I’m confident that the stories to be told about those projects will also give me the chills.

Keep the inspiration coming.