From projects to purpose: Developing a district-first PBL mindset

Host (Margie Teiner):
Welcome, everyone—and thanks for joining our Kami-hosted Unstoppable Schools series. This is the second edition of our new thought-leadership series: From Projects to Developing a District-First PBL Mindset.

I’m Margie Teiner, your host today. I’m an EdTech leader with almost twenty years in education and currently serve as the team lead for teaching and learning coordinators at Kami.

Today we’re talking about building learning systems that truly prepare students for the real world. When done right, project-based learning (PBL) transforms not just classrooms but entire communities. Our guest will share experiences to guide you in developing and implementing PBL at the district level.

PBL helps students become problem solvers, teachers become designers, and leaders become architects of learning communities that reflect the real world. But here’s the truth: PBL doesn’t just ask teachers to change lesson plans—it asks leaders to change systems. Without district-wide support, even the best initiatives can fade.

Our guest is Steve Martinez. He’s spent his career bridging innovation and instruction—from secondary classrooms to mentoring the next generation of educators at the College of San Joaquin. He’s a teacher, tech advocate, and mentor who helped move PBL from an end-of-unit add-on to the forefront of instruction. Welcome, Steve!

Steve Martinez:
Thanks! Awesome intro. I kind of feel like a college student back home for Thanksgiving—great to be collaborating with Kami again. I’m pumped to talk PBL.

Margie:
We’re excited to have you. Let’s dive in. People often use problem-based learning and project-based learning interchangeably. Different places interpret them differently. To get us on the same page—what does PBL mean to you?

Steve:
For me, it’s less about the project and more about the journey students and educators take. PBL becomes the vehicle in place of purely traditional instruction—though traditional strategies still have a place. It’s about putting students in the driver’s seat: inquiry, collaboration, and working with local and global mentors on real questions or problems they care about—aligned to standards. It’s a mechanism to ignite learning and prioritize engagement over compliance.

Margie:
Love it—students in the driver’s seat, authentic community work, real-world application. When did you realize that many leaders treat PBL like a side project or just a fun end-of-unit activity instead of a core learning method?

Steve:
I see it whenever we label any “project” as PBL. Sometimes the work is strong, but it’s still a summative add-on, not a standards-aligned driver from start to finish. An example: an administrator at a California district attended my design-thinking session and was tasked with opening a PBL school. He wasn’t thinking “one-off.” He wanted to scale PBL as school culture. When I was at Kami, we built an ongoing professional learning plan for new hires over several months. That’s the mindset shift—from isolated projects to a systemic approach.

Margie:
Such a powerful opportunity. I’ve also seen not-great PBL rollouts tied to state test changes—“PBL” becomes a packaged task, not truly PBL. What myths or misunderstandings do you run into?

Steve:
A big one: people think PBL lacks structure. Leaders worry about management, assessment, and test performance. My pushback: PBL can be highly structured—with checks for understanding, mentor involvement, feedback loops, and standards alignment. On outcomes, my students used to say, “Our learning is wider and deeper.” They’d notice they understood topics—like the Electoral College—more deeply than peers in traditional classes because their curiosity drove the inquiry.

You can compare it to strategies districts already know. For example, if you lean into AVID, you already use essential questions. PBL takes those further: rather than passively taking notes, students pursue the questions. I ask, “What do you want to know? Where do you want to dig deeper?” That changes the game.

Margie:
Let’s talk data. What outcomes did you see?

Steve:
Two parts. First, when I combined flipped learning with PBL, I collected pre-class data (short videos + quick checks). That opened class time for PBL and collaboration. Once I made that shift, my scores rose significantly.

Second, narrative data: when I was at Kami, we filmed a PBL case study with my former students and colleagues. One student said she wished college used PBL because she felt more connected—to peers, teachers, and content—in my PBL class. The social-emotional piece matters: PBL creates authentic interaction and civil discourse that’s often missing in teacher-centered models.

Margie:
Implementation is usually the missing piece—especially district-wide. Do you have a blueprint or recommended course of action for leaders?

Steve:
I’d avoid a one-size blueprint. Start with your strategic plan and map PBL ingredients to it: collaboration, communication, networking, inquiry, entrepreneurship, literacy, supports for multilingual learners, etc. Then design ongoing, layered PD:

Partner with organizations (like Kami) for a multi-month plan focused on pedagogy + tools.

Empower teacher rock stars to mentor peers—and reward them.

Run district/school walkthroughs with sub coverage so teachers can observe, document, and iterate.

Model PBL with your staff—use PBL structures in faculty meetings and committees. That turns it into a culture shift, not a buzzword.

Margie:
That mirrors backward design—model the practices you expect in classrooms. It also sounds achievable in baby steps. What pushback do you hear, and how do you shift the narrative?

Steve:
Common pushback: “It’s too much to build.” It’s not necessarily more work; it’s different planning—unit-to-unit and semester-to-semester. Stagger the rollout with a jigsaw approach:

Group A focuses on assessment (e.g., authentic, equitable checks).

Group B explores AI elements that support inquiry and feedback.

Others map community mentorships or UDL supports.

Teachers implement ingredients first; don’t require the entire PBL cycle on day one. For assessment, I used oral “mic drops” aligned to standards. With a tool like Kami, students record voice comments answering essential questions. Those authentic performances became my primary evidence of learning.

Margie:
Sustainable and obtainable—exactly what teachers need. Final question: in five words, what does it feel like when true PBL is working?

Steve:
Kids say: “Wait—class is over already?”

Margie:
Perfect. That joy and curiosity—especially at the high school level—says it all.

Folks, that’s a wrap. Thank you for joining Projects to Developing a District-First PBL Mindset. Steve, thank you for your time, experiences, and insights. We’ll share resources and links so you can continue the journey. Check out other Kami Unstoppable webinars on our site.

This has been part of the Kami Unstoppable Series. See you next time.