What does the typical zoo experience look like and what could it become? In this hands-
on, modular workshop, educators experience a full cross-curricular PBL arc from the
ground up. Start with a tech-free design sprint as teams use simple machines to
engineer solutions to a variety of unique challenges in animal enclosures at a
community zoo, then layer in CAD-style design tools and coding to construct a digital
version of the final zoo design. Finally, we’ll explore a wide range of ways to extend the
project into math, literacy, science, and technology based on your teaching goals and
classroom context. You will leave with a replicable PBL framework, ready-to-use tools, a
wide range of ideas on how to any PBL experience into your classroom in a meaningful
and impactful way.
In this highly interactive, modular workshop, educators experience a rich cross-
curricular project-based learning journey anchored in the design and reimagining of a
community zoo. The session is grounded in research-informed pedagogy. Drawing on
constructivist learning theory, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and the science of
learning, This session is structured to honor the reality that meaningful learning
happens when students are active participants in the design of their own experience.
The workshop is built around a low-floor, high-ceiling, wide-walls framework: every entry
point is accessible, every learner can contribute meaningfully from the start, and the
depth of exploration is limited only by curiosity. This design is intentional. Research
consistently shows that open-ended, maker-centered tasks that invite co-design and
student agency produce stronger engagement, deeper conceptual understanding, and
greater retention than prescriptive, single-pathway instruction.
The session is also scaffolded explicitly to build educator capacity, not just student
outcomes. Each segment of this workshop is structured so that teachers experience the
activity as a learner first, then step back to examine the instructional design choices
embedded in what they just did. This dual lens, learner and designer, is central to the
workshop's pedagogical approach and reflects findings from teacher professional
development research suggesting that educators who experience high-quality PBL
firsthand are significantly more likely to implement it with fidelity and confidence in their
own classrooms.
The first forty-five minutes are intentionally tech-free. Participants engage in a fast-
paced, team-based engineering challenge using simple materials to design and build
enclosures for five different animals at a community zoo. Grounded in life science, the
engineering design process, and 3D spatial reasoning, this challenge asks participants
to think carefully about each animal's biological needs, behavioral patterns, and habitat
requirements as they prototype their designs. The structure of the challenge is
deliberately designed to manage cognitive load, introducing constraints and information
progressively so that participants can engage deeply without becoming overwhelmed, a
principle supported by the Cognitive Load Theory and its applications in STEM
education. Because the task is open-ended by design, every participant regardless of
prior knowledge, learning profile, or skill set, can contribute authentically and co-design
a solution that reflects their unique strengths. Woven throughout the build are natural,
authentic connections to the wide diversity of careers found at a real zoo, from animal
nutritionists and enclosure engineers to educators, veterinarians, and gift shop
managers, making this a powerful entry point for career awareness and community
connection alongside science and engineering standards.
The second forty-five minutes shift into technology integration, exploring how the same
zoo design challenge can be extended using CAD-style design tools and coding to
create a digital version of the zoo. This transition from physical to digital prototyping is a
natural scaffold, students arrive at the technology with conceptual grounding already in
place, reducing extraneous cognitive load and allowing working memory to focus on
new skills rather than new concepts. Participants are introduced to accessible,
classroom-ready tools that allow students to translate their physical prototypes into
digital blueprints, bringing together computational thinking, digital design, and
engineering in a cohesive learning arc. The potential for 3D printing is also explored,
connecting the physical and digital design processes in a way that deepens student
understanding of iterative design and real-world engineering workflows.
The third segment of the workshop opens into a broad exploration of cross-curricular
extension pathways, giving educators a clear and practical framework for making this,
and any other pbl experience project their own. We model how the zoo PBL experience
can reach into financial literacy through calculating the cost to build each enclosure, into
geometry through scale, measurement, and spatial design, into digital literacy and
communication through presentation tools like ChatterPix, Book Creator, stop motion
animation, and Canva, and into storytelling and descriptive writing through the
narratives students build around their animal characters and zoo designs. These
extensions are not add-ons, they are natural, standards-aligned entry points that reflect
the wide-walls design of pbl and allow teachers to connect a deeply engaging hands-on
experience to the core academic goals already living in their curriculum. The modularity
of the framework means that a kindergarten teacher and a seventh-grade science
teacher can both find an entry point that is authentic to their context, their students, and
their goals.
The session closes with an open Q&A where participants can dig into implementation
questions, share ideas, and think through how the framework applies to their specific
teaching context. Participants will leave with ready-to-use activities, a replicable cross-
curricular PBL framework, and practical strategies for facilitating student-centered,
hands-on learning that meets every learner where they are. Most importantly, they will
leave with the confidence that deep, meaningful, cross-curricular learning does not
require a perfectly equipped makerspace — it requires a good question, a cardboard
box, and a willingness to let students build something worth being proud of.
