Project Based Learning

An Overview

What is Project Based Learning? PBL

A teaching and learning model that focuses on:
the central concepts and principles of a discipline involves students in problem-solving and other meaningful tasks allows students to work autonomously to construct their own learning culminates in realistic, student-generated products
Buck Institute for Education http://www.bie.org

Features of Project Based Learning

Content Compelling Ideas Activities Investigating and Engaging Conditions Support Student Autonomy Results Real World Outcomes

PBL Benefits
Skill Development
Team Skills Life Skills Technological Skills Cognitive Process Skills Self-Management Skills

Character Development
Attitudes Dispositions Beliefs

Project Based Learning

DOES
incorporate technology into the classroom remove the need for the teacher to be an expert in all areas adapt to all student learning abilities enable students to derive real world meaning from learning experiences support the development of critical thinking skills.

DOES NOT
have one final solution to a problem use the same teaching strategies as Problem Based Learning not allow projects to be easily solved always result in a "right" answer follow a straight curriculum path focus on one particular discipline

Differences From Other Activity Based Learning Strategies

Project Based Learning

Based on fundamental concepts and principles of a discipline.

Activities are generated and completed to aid in solving a problem solving venture. PBL is a realistic simulation of a real-life investigation, often with real difficulties to overcome and real feedback to absorb.

Activity Based Instruction Based on student interest or ease by which they translate into activities. Activities involve teacher presentations and student conducted tasks. Learning is based upon curriculum mandates, printed curriculum, or teacher chosen topics.

Learning Strategy Comparisons

Themes
Civil War Battles Sound Pollution

Activity Based Instruction

Take a field trip to Gettysburg. Write a report on the experience Listen to different sounds. Create a graph that identifies the features of common sounds that are disturbing to the ear.

Project Based Learning

Investigate the question, "How could wars be made more humane?" Use Gettysburg as an example of a high-casualty battle. Write a report. Identify the five major sources of sound pollution in the community. Form a task force to investigate the problems and devise technically feasible solutions for each. Complete a case study of the construction of the pyramids that addresses five controversial questions: source of the design, source of materials, time to completion, method of transportation of materials, contents of the chambers

Ancient Make posters depicting Architecture the architecture of ancient Egypt.

Differences From Traditional Instruction

Comparing Education Features
Focus of Curriculum Scope and Sequence Use of Technology Classroom Context Student Role Short-term Goals Long-range Goals

Teaching Role
Focus of Assessment Materials of Instruction

The Problem With PBL

The problem on which learning centers:
is ill-structured in nature is met as a "messy" situation often changes with the addition of new information is not solved easily or formulaically does not always result in a "right" answer

Changes in Instructional Practices

With increased use of PBL most teachers experience:
More coaching and modeling More finding out (along with students) More cross-disciplinary thinking More teamwork More use of multiple and primary sources More multi-dimensional assessment More performance-based assessment More varied materials and media Less telling Less knowing for certain; less being an expert Less specialization Less privacy and isolation Less reliance on secondary sources and texts Less paper and pencil testing Less knowledge-based assessment

Common Fears
Making mistakes or feeling stupid.

Uneasiness about the subject content.

No-right-answers aspect of project work can be threatening. Vulnerability to the criticisms of parents and the community. Administrators can fault you for not covering the curriculum. Control of student movement and behavior. Lack of student participation. Students will have difficulty with higher-order thinking or open-ended problems. Students might not learn specifics from Project Based Learning.

PBL Obstacles
It takes a lot of preparation time. Students can forget the project's purpose. Difficulty in having long-duration projects with very young students. It's cumbersome to use PBL in large classrooms or with younger students. Boys are less willing than girls to talk freely in groups. Girls are less willing than boys to take charge of building products.

Not enough resources.

Lack of administrative support. Mandates to cover the curriculum. District focus on learning the basics and standardized test scores. Difficulty in communicating to parents what students are learning. Assessment is can become difficult. Defining goals for a project.

Teacher Experiences
Students can't be dragged away from working on the project. Student excel whenever they are given real responsibility and control. Realistic self assessment is meaningful to students when their performance is evaluated in terms of results or public reactions. Students who are withdrawn or sullen begin to participate. Greater participation and inclusion for special needs students. Off-task behavior is sometimes minimal. Student interest and self confidence carries over to other activities. The element of risk-taking pays dividends in heightened student feelings of self-worth. Increased respect and understanding of others viewpoints. Students become more connected to the community and more aware that they can make a difference

Students Experiences
We got to choose what to work on. We learned that we can make a difference. There was a clear goal that was a challenge to work on. There was an audience for the product and we knew we had to meet the deadline and present it to the audience. We weren't afraid to try things we didn't know because the teacher said we could do things over until we got it right. Everyone felt needed and had a part. Nobody got left out. We didn't need to use our texts, and we were actively doing things and learning something. We were using skills we knew we would need in our jobs, like using time wisely, exercising responsibility, and not letting the group down. We learned that when the real world is the source of evaluation, you had better have your act together

Master Projects
Open-ended challenge Applies PBL with teaching technology Requires students to apply knowledge from Mini-Projects to solve a problem Uses the Project Based Learning team approach to solving a problem Projects do not have one single solution

PBL Obstacles
It takes a lot of preparation time. Students can forget the project's purpose. Difficulty in having long-duration projects with very young students. It's cumbersome to use PBL in large classrooms or with younger students. Boys are less willing than girls to talk freely in groups. Girls are less willing than boys to take charge of building products.

Not enough resources.

Lack of administrative support. Mandates to cover the curriculum. District focus on learning the basics and standardized test scores. Difficulty in communicating to parents what students are learning. Assessment is can become difficult. Defining goals for a project.

Long-Range Goals
Traditional
Breadth of knowledge Graduates who have the knowledge to perform successfully on standard achievement tests

Project Based
Depth of knowledge Graduates who have the dispositions and skills to engage in sustained, autonomous, lifelong learning

Thank you for your attention

Project Based Learning Features

Content Compelling Ideas
Problems presented in their full complexity Students finding interdisciplinary connections between ideas

Students struggling with ambiguity, complexity, and unpredictability

Real-world questions that students care about

Project Based Learning Features

Activities Investigating and Engaging
Students conducting multi-faceted investigations extending over long periods of time Students encountering obstacles, seeking resources, and solving problems in response to an overall challenge Students making their own connections among ideas and acquiring new skills as they work on different tasks Students using authentic tools (i.e., real-life resources and technologies) Students getting feedback about the worth of their ideas from expert sources and realistic tests

Project Based Learning Features

Conditions Support Student Autonomy
Students taking part in a community of inquiry and pursuing coursework in a social context Students being called upon to exhibit task - and timemanagement behaviors both individually and as part of the group Students directing their own work and taking control over their own learning Students simulating the professional work of the scholar, researcher, engineer, reporter, planner, manager, and other practitioners

Scope and Sequence

Traditional
Follows fixed curriculum Proceeds chapter by chapter, unit by unit Narrow discipline focus

Project Based
Follows student interest Large units composed of complex problems or issues Broad, interdisciplinary focus

Teaching Role
Traditional
Lecturer and director of instruction Expert

Project Based
Resource provider and participant in learning activities

Advisor/Colleague

Focus of Assessment
Traditional
Products Test Scores Comparisons with others Reproduction of information

Project Based
Process and Products Tangible accomplishments Criterion performances and gains over time Demonstration of understanding

Materials of Instruction
Traditional
Texts, lectures, and presentations Teacher developed exercises and worksheets

Project Based
Direct or original sources: printed materials, interviews, documents, and others Data and materials developed by students

Use of Technology
Traditional
Ancillary, peripheral Administered by teachers Useful for enhancing teachers' presentations

Project Based
Central, integral Directed by students Useful for enhancing student presentations or amplifying student capabilities

Classroom Context
Traditional
Students working alone Students competing with one another

Project Based
Students working in groups Students collaborating with one another Students constructing, contributing, and synthesizing information

Students receiving information from an instructor

Student Role
Traditional
Carry out instructions Memorizer and repeater of facts Students receive and complete brief tasks Listen, behave,speak only when spoken to

Project Based
Carry out self- directed learning activities Discoverer, integrator, and presenter of ideas Students define their own tasks and work independently for large blocks of time Communicate, show affect, produce, take responsibility

Short-Term Goals
Traditional
Knowledge of facts,terms, content Mastery of isolated skills

Project Based
Understanding and application of complex ideas and processes

Mastery of integrated skills