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Who can brag
that their students are excited EACH day to learn? Who can brag that their
students eagerly discuss schoolwork during lunch and after school? Teachers who
wisely incorporate project-based learning
(PBL) into their curriculum can! Three different articles on the website
Edutopia’s “What Works in Education” series tell the success stories of
classrooms that incorporate PBL and the enthusiasm that is generated both
within and outside the school walls.
First and
foremost, there are some similar circumstances and design principals that are
constant in each success story. Each project is developed from an interest the
students have. From wondering about a peer’s physical health to earning money
by selling plants, student curiosity plants the seed and teachers coach the
students in the cultivation. The project must be challenging yet attainable,
with real-life, hands-on activities. Flexibility is a must as the projects are done in
real time and are authentic. Each project
must allow the students enough time to do research, experiment or hypothesize,
work in teams, complete a final report or presentation and self-assess,
developing personal goals for future projects.
The teacher’s
role is that of a learning coach. He or she must be enthusiastic and curious
about the projects. Although time consuming, the teachers must know the state
standards and skills that are expected to be learned, and ensure that they are
being covered through the completion of the project. Teachers must be attuned
to their students’ needs and interests in the development of real-life
projects. Teachers must teach students how to work in teams by clearly defining
roles and expectations, predicting challenges and offering advice. Authentic
assessment and differentiated work projects must take place along the way, with
very clear expectations, timetables, models of student work and self-assessment
upon completion. As teacher Eeva
Reeder said so eloquently about varied assessments along the way, “It
demystifies grades, and most importantly, helps students see that the whole
object of schoolwork is attainment and refinement of problem-solving and life
skills" (Armstrong, 2002).
The student’s
role is to be a team player and be responsible in taking ownership of each project task. The three schools in the
spotlight in Edutopia all noted that there was no lack of enthusiasm or
involvement with the students in the completion of projects. As they learned to
plan their time and work together to solve a real-life problem, they became
confident and proud of their accomplishments.
Learning
is increased tremendously with projects. First, there is very little student
absenteeism due to the fact that students are engaged in their learning. They
want to be in class. Students become a part of the project as they are given
the opportunity to help develop it from the start, are given formative and
helpful feedback along the way, work with others, and care about the subject
they are studying.
Students
are motivated (rare today) because they see meaning in the project and are able
to connect it to their lives. It is not just busy work, or complicated or
boring work unrelated to anything they are living, or foresee themselves doing
in the future. No, projects are infused with real work. Students learn outside
the school walls as they go out into the community seeking professionals in the
field or use the computer to access life across the globe. They are able to
utilize technology throughout the process as they research, connect and present
findings to others.
The
skills that students learn not only cross curricular boundaries (incorporating
math, science, reading, writing, etc.) but also are improved tremendously. The student
test scores that are higher than expected in classrooms that utilize PBL tell
the truth. Not only do the best projects incorporate varied subject matter, but
allow for higher order thinking, reasoning and understanding as students
synthesize the information to pull together the project. As Edutopia author Diane
Curtis noted of teacher Fran Koontz, “Koontz says she sees big dividends in the
hands-on approach to learning... from better writing
to deeper investigation skills.”
In
conclusion, it is difficult to argue with success. Students who are engaged in
learning through real-life projects they have helped develop and completed with
the help of a teacher-coach, experts in the field, as well as teammates, are
happier, more educationally advanced, and motivated to learn more. Sign me up!
References:
Armstrong, S. (2002). Geometry students
angle into architecture through project learning. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects
Curtis, D. (2002). March of the monarchs: Students follow the butterflies’ migration. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs
Curtis,
D. (2001). More fun than a barrel of… worms?! Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms
