From the third-grade teacher that has his students grow plants, to the physics teacher that has her students build safety restraints for eggs, nearly every teacher has a favorite “project” that he/she does in class.
But while hands-on activities like these are certainly valuable, it’s important to understand that Project-Based Learning goes far beyond simple classroom activities. Here are three key components that form the foundation for project-based learning.
Key Components
Problems are real-world situations that are important beyond the classroom. The project should grow from issues of real importance to students and the community. A well-designed project can energize student work with the purpose and passion that comes from truly caring about the project’s outcome. In other words, it must be a meaningful project with a real purpose and a real audience.
Students actively engage in their learning and make important choices during the project. A well-designed project allows for student choice and creativity while still demanding mastery of essential content. In addition, students and teachers interact as co-learners throughout the project. Teachers are the “guide on the side” rather than the “sage on the stage.”
Students demonstrate mastery of key concepts and skills in tangible ways. Students produce observable evidence (often a “product”) that shows they have mastered rigorous curriculum standards to solve the problem at hand. The project also provides extensive evidence of process work and self-directed learning.
For a more in-depth discussion, see this article on the TeachThought website. It includes a great “project vs PBL” comparison chart by Ann Mayer.
The Six A’s
In addition to the three foundational principles above, Adria Steinberg (Steinberg, 1997) has developed six factors that can serve as a quality check for teachers as they design Project-Based Learning.
Authenticity – The project is authentic and is connected to real-world issues. Students write best when they’re writing for an authentic audience (not just the teacher).
Academic Rigor – The project challenges students to fully-engage their minds, mastering content standards by using professional-level thinking skills.
Adult Connections – Students are motivated and inspired through the meaningful involvement of adults beyond the classroom.
Active Exploration – The project engages the bodies and minds of students through hands-on, field-based work with real-world applications.
Applied Learning – The project pushes students to use their learning right away and to practice important skills that are demanded by today’s workplace.
Assessment – Quality assessment practices provide opportunities for students to receive relevant feedback during and after their project work.
Implementation Tools
Project Design Templates – A comprehensive template developed by the West Virginia Department of Education leads teachers through key elements of the project design process. (Scroll down to the bottom of their webpage.) An even more extensive design template is available from the Buck Institute for Education.
Examples
Seeing what others have done often leads to a better understanding of Project-Based Learning than reading any number of articles or books. Here are some examples of what other schools have done around the country.
•Research ways to help your campus increase environmental sustainability (e.g. – reduce waste). Expand this to include local businesses. Your audience could include the district administration team, the school board, the community, and the businesses themselves.
•Interact with Forestry Service staff, Fish & Game, etc. to discover the biggest potential threats to the Ozark National Forest and the Buffalo River. Develop an action plan for addressing at least one of these problems. Share your findings with the community.
•Compile a list of “Top 10” apps for specific student groups. Consider the needs of K-2, 3rd-6th, and specific subject areas in high school. Your audience could not only include students in our district, but also students across the state.
•Design a way to leverage the wisdom of older Americans in your community … grandparents, nursing home residents, etc. What kinds of things do they know that would be valuable to younger people? How would you access this? How would you share the knowledge you gain with others? (Note: The Foxfire Books did an amazing job of this in the pre-digital days of the ’60s and ’70s.)
•Create an interactive family tree with voice-overs from living family members. Consider using VoiceThread, YouTube, Ancestry.com, etc.
Additional examples (updated regularly) can be found on TeachThought’s website. I also encourage you to share any PBL successes you and your teachers experience. I’d be happy to add them to this list!
ADDENDUM – April 1, 2022
Here’s a unique Project-Based Learning webinar by two highly-respected educators.
I once worked on a small project with Jay McTighe, and I corresponded with Carol Ann Tomlinson back when I was working on my doctorate, and I found them both to be wonderful people. Carol Ann is the primary source for all things related to Differentiated Instruction and Jay is the same for Understanding by Design … and the fact that they’re collaborating on this PBL webinar is fascinating.
The link above has details and registration information. I’m not sure how long this will be available, so be sure to share it with your teachers right away!