EDIM 502 u01a1: Project Based Learning Exemplars

  Project-Based Learning, also known as PBL, allows students to think creatively about the information they are learning in the classroom and apply it to real-world situations. Within PBL, students can work collaboratively to answer an essential question by doing an in-depth investigation that includes researching, planning, and sharing their findings (Edutopia, 2007). Oftentimes, PBL will include aspects from different subject areas, allowing students to build meaningful connections between the content they learn. Project-Based Learning allows students to show their mastery of content knowledge and is also a way for students to develop critical skills in today’s society. As expressed by Edutopia, solving complex real-world problems allows students to work on fundamental skills, like reading, writing, and math, but also allows them to practice their 21st century skills, such as teamwork, time management, research gathering, and using tech tools (Edutopia, 2007). John Larmer, developer of the Gold Standard PBL model discusses the elements of “gold standard” PLB; “Our conception of Gold Standard PBL has three parts: 1. Student Learning Goals, 2. Essential Project Design Elements and 3. Project Based Teaching Practices” (Larmer, 2020). In the three PBL examples provided by Edutopia, it is clear that much planning and preparation had been done by the teachers. When examining the three examples, there were several similarities between them, even though they occurred in different content areas and grade levels:

  • Cross-curricular - Each of the projects included material from different subjects. Students were able to apply science, math, reading, writing, speaking, and more when they were working on the various parts of the project, making meaningful connections between different subjects.
  • Inclusion of experts - In one way or another, all of the projects involved experts. Either contributing information, answering questions, or being physically present during evaluations, experts in the field were included in the project. It serves as a way to include outside sources for students to interact with and gain insight from.
  • Teacher serves as a facilitator - Rather than just providing information with direct instruction, the role of the teacher is to serve as a guide for the students. The teacher can ask questions to promote deeper thinking and float between different groups. In this case, the students are really in the driver's seat, as they are the ones that direct the project from beginning to end. Students can work collaboratively to foster teamwork and project design, while the teacher is there to provide assistance when needed,
  • Use of technology - Technology played a huge role in all of the examples as a way to enhance student research, design, and final products. Technology and available tools have come a long way from those included in the example videos, the ways that technology can be infused in PBL in the modern classroom are much more extensive. Adding the technology element really enhances the learning that can be done, since it gives students access to materials, resources, and experts from around the world related to the topic at hand. The internet makes it easier than ever to connect with people that students might not regularly get the chance to interact with, so technology is truly an integral part of the design process in PBL.
In my opinion, each of the examples met most, if not all, of the Gold Standard PBL criteria, explained by Larmer. PBL put the focus on preparing students for school and life experiences, and I do believe that all of the examples examined were able to reach curriculum standards while fostering 21st-century skills by solving real-world problems (Larmer, 2020).


 Larmer also lists 7 essential project design elements for successful PBL: posing a challenging problem or question, sustained inquiry, authenticity, student voice and choice, reflection, critique and revision, and public product (Larmer, 2020). While examining each of the examples, I do believe that these elements were touched upon in one way or another. For example, the PBLs at Newsome Park Elementary in New York have students choosing what they would like to learn about while having them do their own research and eventually sharing their findings at the end of the project (Curtis, 2001). It can be argued that student choice/voice was missing in Eeva Reeder’s geometry project and the March of the Monarchs project in terms of topic choice, but students were still responsible for leading the direction of the projects and taking leadership in their own learning (Curtis, 2002 and Armstrong, 2002). Each of these projects increased student engagement, as the majority of the research and inquiry required students to be hands-on. The geometry project had students working together and challenging the thinking of each other by presenting new points of view (Armstrong, 2002). Even if it may not have been covered in the articles or video, it is assumed that each project touched on all 7 of the essential design elements.

Project-Based Learning, when executed correctly, allows students to work collaboratively to answer questions and solve real-world problems by applying content knowledge from all different areas of their learning. When teachers take the time to commit to PBL, learning takes place that cannot happen with traditional lessons.

References

Armstrong, S. (2002, February 11). Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/mountlake-terrace-geometry-design


Curtis, D. (2001, October 1). More Fun Than a Barrel of...Worms?! Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

Curtis, D. (2002, June 6). March of the Monarchs: Students Follow the Butterflies' Migration. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

Edutopia. (2007, October 19). How Does Project-Based Learning Work? Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-implementation

Edutopia. (2007, October 19). Why is Project-Based Learning Important? Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-importance

Larmer, J. (2020, July 22). Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements. PBLWorks.

https://www.pblworks.org/blog/gold-standard-pbl-essential-project-design-elements

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