The last week of March, I had the privilege of working with the educators and students at Limerick ETSS (LETSS) during a PBL support visit. We have had the honor of working with LETSS since their opening with 14 teachers. Their growth and scaling has brought them to 80 staff currently and growing each year! Each day this week was filled with rich learning, meaningful conversations, and powerful moments that showcased the depth of student understanding through project-based learning (PBL) and the hard dedicated work of their staff and the vision of their leadership of Eoin Shinners (principal). The experience reaffirmed the impact of well-designed PBL structures and how they empower students to engage deeply with their learning while making meaningful connections to the real world.
Observing Best Practices: Learning Through the Eyes of Teachers and Students
The first day was dedicated to observing best practices in action. I spent time in classrooms, watching teachers facilitate student-centered learning experiences while guiding students toward critical thinking and problem-solving. What stood out most was the intentional use of best practices to ensure students were not just engaged but actively constructing knowledge. Teachers used the success criteria developed based on the Irish curriculum and standards as the outcomes for the lesson. Their focus was getting students engaged using deep and transfer level strategies and engaging students in cognitively demanding tasks.
I had insightful conversations with students about their learning journeys. They shared how they navigated the challenges of their projects, the strategies they used to deepen their understanding, and the real-world connections they were making. Their reflections demonstrated an awareness of their own learning process—an essential outcome of high-quality PBL. It was clear that students were moving beyond surface-level comprehension and into deep and transfer learning, as they articulated how their projects related to broader concepts beyond the immediate task at hand.
Differentiation Strategies from Re-Envisioning Rigor: Empowering Educators
The second day focused on working closely with the staff to explore strategies from the book, Re-Envisioning Rigor: Powerful Routines to Enhance Learning, that can be seamlessly integrated into their classrooms. The goal was to support teachers in easily differentiating their instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners within their PBL environment.
Teachers engaged in collaborative discussions via a “Chalk Talk”, identifying ways to apply differentiation strategies that honored students’ varied levels of readiness and learning preferences. It is a strategy that uncovers what every learner is thinking as well as their experience. We then explored how to design projects that provide appropriate scaffolding while still challenging students to engage in rigorous thinking. Through this session, teachers reflected on ways to refine their instructional approaches to ensure all students could access, engage with, and succeed in PBL.
The highlight of modeling the strategies was when the very next day, a teacher took the strategy and implemented it in their SEN (SPED) classroom. The power of having students do the heavy thinking through engaging processes is for all students, not just a select few students. This also shows the power and dedication of the LETSS staff who are continually learning and pushing forward in their implementation of projects for all students.
Industry Day: Bridging the Gap Between Education and the Professional World
The final day was a culminating experience—Industry Day—where the power of authentic learning was on full display. More than 50 local business leaders, including CEOs, CFOs, and other professionals, visited the school to engage with students, examine their work, and listen to project pitches. Students eloquently presented their projects, demonstrating how they applied the Irish curriculum to solve real-world challenges. Clearly on display was the Irish curriculum standards in all the student work. The learning intentions and success criteria was evident in each project that was shared with the professionals. Their ability to separate the context of their project from the underlying learning objectives allowed them to authentically transfer their knowledge to local and global problems.
One of the most impactful moments of the day was hearing from an industry panel. Professionals shared their career journeys, offering invaluable advice to students about skills, resilience, and adaptability in the ever-evolving workforce. They reassured students (who were in the room) that it is ok that they don’t know what they currently want to do, but to “lean into their passion” and to leverage the skills you are learning at LETSS as that will go further in your career path. The synergy between education and industry was evident as students saw the direct relevance of their learning to the demands of the real world.
The Power of Success Criteria: Driving Meaningful Learning
Throughout this experience, one theme remained consistent—the clarity of success criteria. Educators are often torn between the regulations of meeting state and national curriculum standards all while still making learning relevant for students. Teachers and students used surface, deep, and transfer-level learning as a framework to drive their projects. This clarity allowed students to not only engage with their work meaningfully but also articulate their learning process and apply their knowledge authentically. Limerick ETSS has been on this journey since they opened the school. They have done a masterful job of doing “both…and.”
Limerick ETSS has created a model of excellence in PB in all of Europe, demonstrating that when students understand the purpose behind their learning and are given the tools to transfer their knowledge beyond the classroom, the impact is profound. Witnessing this firsthand was inspiring, and I look forward to seeing how their PBL journey continues to evolve.
Final Thoughts
The past few days at Limerick ETSS have been a powerful reminder of what is possible when educators commit to meaningful, student-centered learning. The blend of best practices, targeted differentiation strategies, and authentic real-world connections through Industry Day highlighted the true potential of PBL. Seeing students engage deeply with their learning and confidently articulate their knowledge beyond the classroom was a testament to the strength of the staff and the leadership to guide the vision of clarity in PBL.. As we continue to refine and expand these approaches, the future of learning at Limerick ETSS—and beyond—looks incredibly bright and a model of learning.
