Project
based learning (PBL) is nothing new to education and it isn't a program that a
teacher can buy and implement in their classroom. PBL is a philosophy that student
learning can take place if a teacher believes in providing real world, hands on
experiences in their classroom.
Through the
educational website, Edutopia, I was able to examine three exemplary PBL
projects that highlighted how PBL can succeed in different parts of the United
States and in different grades and subject matters.
I have referenced these projects in the citations below, but I wanted to highlight
some of my observations of these classroom environments.
It is
clear that one of the important pieces to a successful PBL learning environment
involves the students being included in the choices of what is being
studied. This choice is important because
it generates high levels of “buy in” from students who may otherwise be
questioning the content they are being told they must learn. The design of these learning environments is
also based on students being involved in high interest topics that shows
application to the content they will be or have learned. This application to the real world is a
critical piece to PBL, because it allows students to experience the “why” when
it comes to learning (Armstrong, 2002) . It also adds the necessary seasoning that may
be needed for content that on its own may be quite boring to students. Not only is application to the real world
important, but application to the student’s world is important (Curtis, March of the Monarchs: Students Follow the
Butterflies' Migration, 2002) . If they can connect their learning to their
own world, it goes a long way in retention of that concept or
information.
The use
of and access to experts in the field of study is another commonality among
these PBL exemplars. Bringing in experts
helps students experience how these individuals can play a critical role in
acquiring information or finding answers (Curtis, More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?!,
2001) .
A final
piece that was evident in all of the PBL exemplars was the use of multiple
forms of assessment. Teachers who use
PBL offer students different ways to show off their expertise. This helps students see that in the real
world, solving problems and wrestling with issues is assessed on multiple
levels and by many different stakeholders.
The role
of the teacher and students is different in a PBL experience than a more
traditional learning environment. The
PBL teachers in these exemplars all talked about how this isn’t less work, it’s
just that the work shifts. PBL educators
understand that in this environment, planning time and effort increases while “in
class” responsibilities often shift.
Teachers using PBL are more of a facilitator than the traditional
teacher with all the answers. PBL
environments drive home to students that questions are good and its ok if
teachers don’t have all the answers (Curtis, More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?!,
2001) . Student’s experiences are very different in
PBL environments as well. Students find
themselves having to work very collaboratively with other classmates and
realize that teamwork is key to succeeding in a project based world. Students also learn that one team member
doesn’t have all the knowledge or skills to complete the project. It often takes different skill sets for a
team to be successful.
In a PBL
environment, teachers find that student engagement almost always
increases. Student choice certainly
helps that, but the fact that students are getting to work on something
relevant and meaningful to their own world sparks interest, curiosity and a drive
to want to impress those who are viewing their work (Armstrong, 2002) .
Students
today, like adults of today, are careful consumers of information. There is a lot of information out there and
it must be relevant to our lives for us to take the time to really invest in
learning it. This is why PBL can be so
successful with today’s students. PBL
gives them the opportunity to work with content and topics they are interested in
and it offers them a chance to see how this content impacts their own
lives.
Citations:
Armstrong, S. (2002, February 11). Geometry
Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning. Retrieved May
11, 2014, from Edutopia:
http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects
Curtis, D. (2001, October 1). More Fun Than a
Barrel of . . . Worms?! Retrieved May 11, 2014, from Edutopia:
http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms
Curtis, D. (2002, June 6). March of the Monarchs:
Students Follow the Butterflies' Migration. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from
Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs
