PBL
Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge. It does not replace traditional learning but supports it by allowing students to go deeper in their learning and understanding of curriculum content
Why PBL?
In PBL, students are active, not passive; a project engages their hearts and minds, and provides real-world relevance for learning.
After completing a project, students remember what they learn and retain it longer than is often the case with traditional instruction. Because of this, students who gain content knowledge with PBL are better able to apply what they know and can do to new situations.
In the 21st century workplace, success requires more than basic knowledge and skills. In PBL, students not only understand content more deeply but also learn how to take responsibility and build confidence, solve problems, work collaboratively, communicate ideas, and be creative innovators.
Modern technology – which students use so much in their lives – is a perfect fit with PBL. With technology, teachers and students can connect with experts, partners, and audiences around the world, and use tech tools to find resources and information, create products, and collaborate more effectively.
PBL allows teachers to work more closely with active, engaged students doing high-quality, meaningful work, and in many cases to rediscover the joy of learning alongside their students.
PBL
What is Project-Based Learning (PBL)? Project-Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge. Essential Elements of PBL include:
Key Knowledge, Understanding and Success Skills - At its core, the project is focused on teaching students important knowledge and skills, derived from key concepts at the heart of academic subjects. Students build competencies valuable for today’s world, such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity/innovation, which are explicitly taught and assessed.
Challenging Problem or Question - Project work is focused by an open-ended question that students understand and find intriguing, which captures their task or frames their exploration. It is also known as Driving Question.
Sustained Inquiry - Students are engaged in an extended, rigorous process of asking questions, using resources, and developing answers. It should take place over an extended period of time.
Authenticity - Students see the need to gain knowledge, understand concepts, and apply skills in order to answer the Driving Question and create project products. Authenticity increases student motivation and learning. How real-world is the project?
Student Voice and Choice - Students are allowed to make some choices about the products to be created, how they work, and how they use their time, guided by the teacher and depending on age level and PBL experience.
Reflection - Students should reflect on what they’re learning, how they’re learning, and what they have accomplished in a project.
Critique and Revision - The project includes processes for students to give and receive feedback on the quality of their work, leading them to make revisions or conduct further inquiry.
Public Product - Students can display projects online, on a wall, or provide a product or service that is actually used by people in the real world. Students may chose to present their work to other people, beyond their classmates and teacher.