Project-based learning
Project-based learning is a teaching method that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems.
[1] Students learn about a subject by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, challenge, or problem.
Project-based learning contrasts with paper-based, rote memorization, or teacher-led instruction that presents established facts or portrays a smooth path to knowledge by instead posing questions, problems, or scenarios.
[6] Kilpatrick endorsed project-based learning in his 1918 essay The Project Method, calling for "whole-hearted purposeful activity proceeding in a social environment".
Students learn knowledge and elements of the core curriculum but also apply what they know to solve authentic problems and produce results that matter.
Project-based learning refocuses education on the student, not the curriculum—a shift mandated by the global world, which rewards intangible assets such as drive, passion, creativity, empathy, and resilience.
Artifacts may include a variety of media such as writings, art, drawings, three-dimensional representations, videos, photography, or technology-based presentations.
Another definition of project-based learning includes a type of instruction where students work together to solve real-world problems in their schools and communities.
This type of problem-solving often requires students to draw on lessons from several disciplines and apply them in a very practical way and the promise of seeing a very real impact becomes the motivation for learning.
Activity-based learning takes a kind of constructivist approach, the idea being students constructing their own meaning through hands-on activities, often with manipulatives and opportunities to experiment.
Project-based instruction differs from traditional inquiry by its emphasis on students' collaborative or individual artifact construction to represent what is being learned.
"[16] Project-based learning also gives students the opportunity to explore problems and challenges that have real-world applications, increasing the possibility of long-term retention of skills and concepts.
Project-based learning replaces other traditional models of instruction such as lectures, textbook-workbook-driven activities and inquiry as the preferred delivery method for key topics in the curriculum.
Projects vary greatly in the depth of the questions explored, the clarity of the learning goals, the content and structure of the activity, and guidance from the teacher.
The ongoing assessment and feedback are essential to ensure the student stays within the scope of the driving question and the core standards the project is trying to unpack.
According to Andrew Miller of the Buck Institute of Education, "In order to be transparent to parents and students, you need to be able to track and monitor ongoing formative assessments that show work toward that standard.
Students must collaborate, expanding their active listening skills and requiring them to engage in intelligent, focused communication, therefore allowing them to think rationally about how to solve problems.
This transformation has introduced new team dynamics, with students taking on specific digital responsibilities such as managing online repositories and coordinating virtual communication.
After learning more about environmental concerns and implementing a small scale community project, students in this program reported more positive attitudes towards science and literacy.
