While almost all teachers have heard about and tried project-based learning (PBL), it remains under-utilized as a primary means of learning in most secondary classrooms. Three major obstacles that seem to interfere with its use are:
(a) disappointing results from previous attempts, (b) the uneven responses of students to fully carry out and complete the project, and (c) the time it takes to re-design such learning experiences to avoid a. and b. The concept, however, persists as a “best practice” and has convincing examples for elementary through high school.
Increasingly, we are seeing project results equal to college level work and/or respected by leaders in businesses and organizations. Learning by doing has always been a powerful methodology, and with the support of new technologies and increased connectivity, project-based learning for high school students is quickly becoming an expectation rather than an option.
So how do we actually get better at applying it in the classroom, especially at the secondary level? Here are three tips, three websites, and three books that might help (the 3-3-3 plan for PBL…)
1. Teach students how authentic learning works by using familiar experiences such as learning to walk, learning to drive, learning to play basketball, learning to play an instrument, learning video games, etc. Authentic learning begins with a need or prospect of learning something that you want to know or be able to do. The pursuit often involves setbacks, difficulties, risks, etc. Those who achieve – get licensed, make the team, win the day – didn’t get there overnight or easily. They probably persisted, practiced, failed and tried again – and continue to do so in order to maintain or expand their knowledge or skill. Point out from current events the current challenges that serve as “projects” for individual or groups of adults in the real world (e.g. saving the planet, feeding the jobless, rebuilding after a flood or earthquake).
2. Design the PBL task to utilize and/or stretch every element of an authentic learning process: (a) a complex problem to solve or a perplexing challenge to figure out, (b) a need to know important and relevant knowledge and/or skill in order to achieve a. (c) the utilization of varied resources in order to achieve b., (d) a product and/or presentation that proves deep understanding or a well-reasoned solution to a., and (e) a structure that assists and supports quality completion of a, b, c, and d. (For more detailed information on ways to enhance projects see page 4 of the Quality Content Teaching & Learning Reference Packet below.)
Vital Signs of Learning & Key Strategies Resource Packet
3. Model for the group and teach students how to monitor their own progress, ask for instructive feedback at critical points, advocate for what they need to succeed, and recognize their own growth. Some teachers begin the year with a class project, move on to a group project, and finish the year with individual projects. Other teachers develop a more systematic approach that results in the compilation of results over time (e.g. learning portfolios). Either way can lead to authentic learning because students will discover that authentic problems rarely have single or simple answers, there are pros and cons to every possibility, problems and obstacles are inevitable, and miscalculations and missteps can be, ultimately, enlightening. The teacher’s role, then, is to observe, allow time for trial and error, and maintain an appropriate level of tension between what is known and what is yet to be discovered.Learning is a process, not an event. Realization and recognition of learning, however, are often eventful and always fulfilling.
Dr. Carol Dweck’s research on differences between students praised for high achievement and students recognized for high effort reinforce the idea that hard work, rather than “right” work, is more fulfilling. It also reinforces the concept advanced by Tugend’s work that learning through mistakes (i.e. learning by doing and redoing) lasts longer than playing it safe and “getting it right the first time.” Dr. Chen identifies the challenge of teaching, itself, as the resources, tools, and opportunities for learning are now available anytime, anywhere, on any subject.
Recommended websites and books related to Project-based Learning:
http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-overview-video
http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-introduction-video
http://www.commoncraft.com/video/project-based-learning
Chen, Milton (2010) Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Dweck, Carol (2006) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
Tugend, Alina (2011) Better By Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong. New York: Riverhead Books.
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