Project Work: You learn the material first, then you make a project about it. It’s a way to prove you listened to the teacher. 

Example:

The Process: The teacher spends two weeks teaching the Past Tense and vacation vocabulary. On Friday, students are given a piece of cardstock to draw a picture and write a postcard about a "fake" vacation.

The Focus: Accuracy of grammar and neatness of the drawing.

Project-Based Learning (PBL): You start with a big, real-world question. It’s learning by doing.

Example: 

The Process: Students are asked: "How can we share our school's stories with the community?" * The Learning: To make the podcast, students must learn how to write scripts (writing), interview teachers (speaking/listening), and edit audio. They learn grammar and tone because they want their podcast to sound professional for the "real" listeners on the school website.

The Focus: Communication, collaboration, and authentic use of the English language.