Project-Based Learning

What Is Project-Based Learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) or project-based instruction is an instructional approach
designed to give students the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills through
engaging projects set around challenges and problems they may face in the real
world.

Project-based learning is more than just “doing a project,” in the way you might
remember from your own school days. 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.1 ArchForKids, an
organization that provides STEAM programs for young learners, puts it even more
succinctly: PBL is “learning by doing.” 2

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge

and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond
to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge.

In Project Based Learning, teachers make learning come alive for students.

Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up

to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or

answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by

creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.

As a result, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical

thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. Project Based

Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.

Why Project-Based Learning? We Live in a Project-Based

World
The truth is, many in education recognize that our modern world is sustained and
advanced through the successful completion of projects. Or, as the Swiss
psychologist, Jean Piaget, put it, “knowledge is a consequence of experience.” 3

It’s true! Your weekend chores, an upcoming presentation, or organizing a fundraising

event—they’re all projects. This is the spirit behind PBL, and we see evidence of its
increasing popularity in things like the growth of the maker movement.4 When we
help students have authentic experiences, we prepare them for the real world. In its
purest form, PBL prepares students to be self-sufficient, creative, and critical thinkers
that can take on any challenge.

For most modern workers, their careers will be marked by a series of projects
rather than years of service to a specific organization. “Solving real-world issues that
matter is important to us as adults—and it’s important to our students,” explain
Lathram, Lenz, and Vander Ark in their ebook, Preparing Students for a
Project-Based World. 5

In short, if we are to prepare students for success in life, we need to prepare them
for a project-based world. Therefore, when relating project-based learning benefits
to students, we must always include examples of real-world application. This will
reinforce for students the notion that they can break down future problems into
their component parts, assemble and lead a diverse team of stakeholders to process
the problem, and implement a solution.
What Are the Essential Elements of Project-Based
Learning?
Although definitions and project parameters may vary from school to school, and
PBL is sometimes used interchangeably with “experiential learning” or “discovery
learning,” the characteristics of project-based learning are clear, constant, and share
the spirit of John Dewey’s instrumentalism.

In essence, the PBL model consists of these seven characteristics:

★ Focuses on a big and open-ended question, challenge, or problem for the

student to research and respond to and/or solve

★ Brings what students should academically know, understand, and be able to do

into the equation

★ Is inquiry-based, stimulates intrinsic curiosity, and generates questions as it

helps students seek answers

★ Uses 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration,

and creativity, among others.

★ Builds student choice into the process

★ Provides opportunities for feedback and revision of the plan and the project,

just like in real life

★ Requires students to present their problems, research process, methods, and

results, just as scientific research or real-world projects must stand before

peer review and constructive criticism

★ Following fifteen years of literature review and distilled educational

experience, the Buck Institute for Education identified seven essential
 elements for PBL that focus on project design. Collectively these elements are
called Gold Standard PBL. According to the BIE, the key elements to project
design include:
★ A challenging problem or question

★ Sustained inquiry

★ Authenticity

★ Student voice and choice

★ Reflection

★ Critique and revision

★ Public product

All of these elements, if combined well, result in students learning key knowledge,
understanding, and skills for success.

An example where all these elements come together is in the Business Incubator
class at Illinois’ Palatine High School.6 Teams of students propose and design a
product based upon a challenging need or intricate problem. These young
entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to business and community leaders in an effort to
gain support for launching their product. It’s like Shark Tank for teens, and it’s
awesome!

One team of students designed a mobile app providing real-time air quality readings
at locations around the world. Raising awareness about air pollution, supporting
health-conscious travelers, and making global connections were galvanizing real-world
catalysts for their project.

Benefits of Project-Based Learning

Too often, traditional learning never ventures beyond the realm of the purely
academic. Project-based learning connects students to the world beyond the
classroom and prepares them to accept and meet challenges in the real world in a
way that mirrors what professionals do every day.

Instead of short-term memorization and summative regurgitation, 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 education7, thanks to its ability to keep students engaged.8 The PBL
structure lends itself to building intrinsic motivation because it centers student
learning around a central question or problem and a meaningful outcome. Students
end up wanting to understand the answer or solution as much or more than the
teacher wants to know what they know, understand, and are able to do!

Daniel Pink, in his TEDTalk and influential book, Drive9, says people are intrinsically
motivated by three things—autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Popular terms like grit
and rigor become embedded dispositions when learners sink their teeth into
meaningful endeavors, like those provided during project-based instruction.

A recent collaborative study conducted by the University and Michigan and Michigan
State University suggests the implementation of project-based learning correlated
positively with student achievement, particularly in schools serving high-poverty
communities.10 This research emphasizes the importance of projects being
standards-aligned and supported with research-proven instructional strategies.

Because of its focus on 21st-century skills, the PBL model also enhances students’
technology abilities. Project-based learning helps students develop teamwork and
problem-solving skills11, along with the ability to communicate effectively with others.
The collaborative nature of projects also reinforces the Social and Emotional
Learning (SEL) programs being implemented at progressive schools around the
world.
These interpersonal aspects of PBL dovetail perfectly with the use of technology in
the classroom. Technology-based projects are interdisciplinary, collaborative,
inquiry-based, self-directed, motivating, and address the full range of student needs
and learning styles.12 Additionally, digital literacies and digital citizenship objectives
become ingrained in tech-based projects, especially when the PBL opportunity is
conducted seamlessly within the friendly confines of your school’s learning
management system.

Challenges of Project-Based Learning

PBL requires you to coach more and instruct less, to embrace interdisciplinary
learning instead of remaining locked in single-subject silos, and to be more
comfortable with uncertainty and discovery during the learning process.

For many instructors, PBL is a stark contrast to the traditional education they
experienced. Change takes time and is seldom without apprehension and challenges.
However, when we consider the types of educational experiences we value for our
modern learners, it becomes apparent the traditional “sage on the stage”
instructional model falls significantly short.

The truth is, though, you can overcome these PBL challenges. Good problems or
ideas can come from your students, parents, or community members. Instead of
lectures and book learning, teachers can think through the steps required to solve a
problem and use those steps as project-learning activities. Instead of planning a
massive project, the learning process can be made more manageable by chunking the
project into smaller parts, with frequent checkpoints built into the timeline. Instead
of a traditional summative exam, authentic assessments can be developed by
communicating with professionals in the field regarding what a presentation would
look like related to a particular project. As challenging as PBL may appear at first, it
can ultimately be so freeing for educators!
References

project-based-learning. (z.d.). PowerSchool.

https://www.powerschool.com/blog/project-based-learning-benefits-examples-and-resour

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