What Is Project-Based Learning?

What Is Project-Based Learning?

Project-Based Learning, or PBL, is a teaching method where students actively learn by tackling real-world problems and challenges. Instead of just receiving information, students work over an extended period to investigate a complex question, applying their knowledge to find solutions. This student-centered approach helps them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills while making learning more meaningful and relevant.

Project-Based Learning Strategies and Activities

Implementing project-based learning effectively involves specific teaching strategies and well-designed activities. These methods provide structure to the learning process, guiding students as they work through complex problems. The goal is to move beyond simple projects to create meaningful educational experiences.

PBL strategies often focus on giving students more agency through voice and choice, while activities are designed to be open-ended and require in-depth inquiry. This approach centers on a central driving question and requires students to apply subject-area knowledge to find solutions.

Here are some strategies and activities to consider for your classroom:

• Driving Question: Center the project around an open-ended question that guides student work and inquiry.
• Authentic Audience Engagement: Involve community members or experts throughout the project for feedback, not just at the final presentation.
• Student Voice and Choice: Allow students to make decisions about the project, including how they work and what they create.
• Disciplinary Practices: Have students engage in the work of professionals, such as acting as a scientist or historian to solve problems.
• Critique and Revision: Build in time for students to give, receive, and use feedback to improve their work through multiple drafts.
• Collaboration Support: Intentionally structure group work by defining roles, using protocols, and monitoring participation to make teamwork effective.
• In-Depth Inquiry: Guide students through a process of asking questions, finding resources, and applying information to their project.
• Real-World Problem Solving: Present a challenge that is complex, open-ended, and connected to real-world issues or scenarios.
• Iterative Presentations: Have students present their progress in short bursts for feedback, rather than holding a single, final presentation.
• Designing a Play Area: Students apply geometry skills to design a new playground, calculating area and perimeter for different components.

Project-Based Learning Benefits

Project-Based Learning is an instructional approach with a range of potential outcomes for both students and educators. While it can foster important skills and deeper engagement, it also introduces practical challenges that require careful planning and classroom management.

This method can lead to better knowledge retention and the development of real-world skills like collaboration and critical thinking. However, it can also present difficulties with group dynamics, consistent curriculum coverage, and objective assessment.

Here are some of the benefits associated with Project-Based Learning:

• Cooperation and teamwork: Students learn to communicate, solve problems together, and develop valuable interpersonal skills.
• Improved critical thinking: By tackling complex problems, students exercise their ability to analyze information and create solutions.
• Better knowledge retention: Students often remember information longer because they apply it directly in a meaningful context.
• Increased student engagement: Giving students an active role with relevant, real-world tasks helps hold their attention and interest.
• Development of real-world skills: Students practice problem-solving, time management, and collaboration, which are skills they will use throughout their lives.
• Support for different learning styles: The flexibility of projects allows you to design activities that cater to the diverse learning preferences in your classroom.
• Increased student responsibility: When students have choices in their projects, it fosters a sense of ownership and accountability for their own learning.
• Authentic assessment: You can measure student learning through portfolios, presentations, and other real-world tasks, providing a more complete view of their understanding.
• Hands-on learning: Students connect theoretical knowledge to practical application by participating in live projects.
• Opportunities to use technology: Projects naturally encourage students to use digital tools for research, collaboration, and creating their final product.

Project-Based Learning Examples

Project-based learning activities can be adapted for any grade level or subject area, connecting curriculum standards to real-world tasks. These projects often ask students to investigate an open-ended question and create a public product or presentation to share their findings.

While this approach can result in higher student engagement and better knowledge retention, it also presents certain considerations. Educators point to the potential for subjective assessments and the need for careful planning to ensure projects meet learning objectives.

Here are some examples of project-based learning activities:

• Shark Tank Pitch: Students develop a business plan, conduct market research, and present their startup idea to a panel of "investors."
• Community Map Project: Learners build a model of their local community, labeling key landmarks and proposing ideas for new additions.
• PSA Video Project: Teams create a short public service announcement video about an issue at their school, using surveys and data to support their opinion.
• Model Bridge Engineering: Students use physics principles to research, design, and construct model bridges, which are then tested for structural integrity.
• Ancient Civilization Design: Learners imagine a newly discovered ancient civilization, explaining how it meets human needs and borrowing elements from real historical societies.

Project-Based Learning Best Practices

To guide project-based learning, educators often use a set of research-backed principles and teaching practices. These practices help structure projects around acquiring key knowledge and skills through real-world problem-solving. The goal is to create a framework that supports both you and your students throughout the project.

Implementing these practices involves a shift in the teacher's role from instructor to facilitator. You would design or adapt projects, align them to standards, and manage activities while coaching students through the process. This approach reframes many traditional teaching methods within the context of a project.

Here are some best practices for project-based learning:

• Design and Plan: Create or adapt a project for your context and students, planning its implementation while allowing for some degree of student voice and choice.
• Align to Standards: Use standards to plan the project and make sure it addresses key knowledge and understanding from the subject areas to be included.
• Scaffold Student Learning: Employ a variety of lessons, tools, and instructional strategies to support all students in reaching project goals.
• Assess Student Learning: Use formative and summative assessments of knowledge and skills, and include self and peer assessment of team and individual work.
• Engage and Coach: Work alongside students, identifying when they need skill-building, redirection, encouragement, and celebration.

Teach with TeachShare

Project-Based Learning is a powerful method for making learning stick, as it engages students in authentic, real-world challenges that build deep content knowledge and critical skills. If you're ready to design these engaging experiences for your classroom, start creating resources with TeachShare now.