The project method is a medium of instruction which was introduced during the 18th century into the schools of architecture and engineering in Europe when graduating students had to apply the skills and knowledge they had learned in the course of their studies to problems they had to solve as practicians of their trade, for example, designing a monument, building a steam engine.
[1] In the early 20th Century, William Heard Kilpatrick[2] expanded the project method into a philosophy of education.
[3] Unlike traditional education, proponents of the project method attempt to allow the student to solve problems with as little teacher direction as possible.
A project method classroom focuses on democracy and collaboration to solve "purposeful" problems.
Kilpatrick devised four classes of projects for his method: construction (such as writing a play), enjoyment (such as experiencing a concert), problem (for instance, discussing a complex social problem like poverty), and specific learning (learning of skills such as swimming).