Project and Problem Based Learning

PROJECT BASED LEARNING

A.  Definition Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional methodology that encourages students to learn and apply knowledge and skills through an engaging experience. PBL presents opportunities for deeper learning in-context and for the development of important skills tied to college and career readiness
. Project-based learning, or PBL, is more than just projects. As the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) explains, with PBL students "investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex problem, or challenge" with deep and sustained attention. ArchForKids LLC put it even more succinctly: PBL is "learning by doing".

In project based learning, students are usually given a general question to answer, a concrete problem to solve, or an in-depth issue to explore. Teachers may then encourage students to choose specific topics that interest or inspire them, such as projects related to their personal interests or career aspirations. For example, a typical project may begin with an open-ended question (often called an “essential question” by educators): How is the principle of buoyancy important in the design and construction of a boat? What type of public-service announcement will be most effective in encouraging our community to conserve water? How can our school serve healthier school lunches? In these cases, students may be given the opportunity to address the question by proposing a project that reflects their interests. For example, a student interested in farming may explore the creation of a school garden that produces food and doubles as a learning opportunity for students, while another student may choose to research health concerns related to specific food items served in the cafeteria, and then create posters or a video to raise awareness among students and staff in the school.

B.     Characteristics of Project Based Learning

Here are three characteristics of meaningful project based learning activities that lead to deeper student understanding:

1.      Inter-disciplinary

PBL focuses on engaging students with real-world problems. This is an interdisciplinary approach because real-world challenges are rarely solved using information or skills from a single subject area. Projects require students to engage in inquiry, solution building, and product construction to help address the real-world issue or challenge presented. As students do the work, they often use content knowledge and skills from multiple academic domains to successfully complete the project.

2.      Rigorous

Project based learning requires the application of knowledge and skills, not just recall or recognition. Unlike rote learning that assesses a single fact, PBL is more complex and can be used to assess how students apply a variety of academic content in new contexts. As students engage in the work of a project they follow a process that begins with inquiry. Inquiry leads to deeper learning, not just related to academic content, but also related to the use of content in real world applications. Inquiry processes can help lead to the development of solutions that address the problem/challenge of the project and the creation of products to communicate solutions to an audience based upon the application of content and skills.

3.      Student-centered

In PBL, the role of the teacher shifts from content-deliverer to facilitator/ project manager. Students work more independently through the PBL process, with the teacher providing support only when needed. Students are encouraged to make their own decisions about how best to do their work and demonstrate their understanding. The PBL process fosters student independence, ownership of his/her work, and the development of 21st century/workplace skills.

C.     Elements to project design include:

1.      A Challenging Problem or Question

2. Sustained Inquiry
3. Authenticity
4. Student Voice and Choice
5. Reflection
6. Critique and Revision
7. Public Product
8. All these elements, if combined well, result in students learning key knowledge, understanding, and skills for success.

D.    Benefit of Project Based Learning

Too often, traditional learning never ventures beyond the realm of the purely academic. Project-based learning connects students to the real world. PBL prepares students to accept and meet challenges in the real world, mirroring what professionals do every day.Instead of short-term memorization strategies, project-based learning provides an opportunity for students to engage deeply with the target content, bringing about a focus on long-term retention. PBL also improves student attitudes toward education, thanks to its ability to keep students engaged. The PBL structure lends itself to building intrinsic motivation because it centers student learning around an essential central question or problem and a meaningful outcome.

E.     Examples of Project-Based Learning in Action

In one science-based project, students begin with a visit to a zoo, learning about animal habitats and forming opinions on which habitats best suit a selected animal. For this example, the project component included teams of students collaborating to develop a research-supported habitat plan for presentation to professional and student zoologists.

While the sciences fit neatly into PBL environment, the instructional strategy lends itself naturally to interdisciplinary learning. In an example that blends English language arts and the social studies, students answer the classic essential question, "What role does censorship play in society?" Following introductory instruction, students select a banned book, read it, compose a persuasive essay and take part in a censorship-related mock trial experience conducted in the presence of experts.

Want to find solace from the boring, "drill and kill" Math lessons? In this example, students assume the role of a National Security Agency code breaker, with a life-or-death project scenario in which they must decode a message potentially revealing the location of a planned terror attack on the United States. Students decrypt the message, send a coded message of their own and present their work. A professional in a related field visits the class to launch the project and connect it to real-world experience.

Are you looking for more examples of PBL schools? John Larmer, Editor and Chief for the Buck Institute for Education PBL Blog, shares several shining examples of schools making a commitment to deeper learning through PBL instruction. Larmer suggests investigating schools belonging to the Deeper Learning Network. These innovative schools include the essential elements frequently mentioned in BIE’s Gold Standard PBL.