Review of Project Based Learning (PBL) Exemplars - EDIM 502 (u01a1)

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