The PBL Audience

The purpose of a public audience is to bring out the best in the students.  I've had a project where the students did not present at the end and the results of the project were dismal.  I had classes where many students didn't even turn the project in.  When choosing an audience for your project, consider the following:

• The classroom - This is the most common audience and is great for the beginning projects.
• Other classrooms - Presenting to your class is one thing, presenting to another class is a different story.  If the project can involve other subjects or is broad enough that others outside the class can benefit, have the students present to 5 other class rooms during the period.
• Other schools - Does the topic apply to other schools?  Having a group of high schoolers present to middle school students has a big impact on both groups of students.
• Administration - My government class did a project regarding the laws of cyberbullying and presented it to classes around campus.  One group, however, presented to the administration office.  Needless to say, I made sure they were on top of things throughout the making of the project!
• Parents - Invite parents to watch on presentation day.  The kids need to do a good job when mom is watching.
• Community/business leaders - If your project has an impact in the community, invite community member in to see what the students know.  As a former business owner, this was something I enjoyed doing.