Project-Based Learning

                                       Source: https://weareadmirals.weebly.com/project-based-learning.html 

Project-based learning is a type of learning that uses active questioning, inquiry and peer learning to create an environment where everyone has a voice and teachers and students can collaborate to find solutions to authentic problems. (Boss & Larmer, 2018)

WHAT

Project-based learning makes use of authentic projects to encourage students to collaborate, brainstorm, research and use higher-level thinking skills to create, produce and demonstrate real life application of their learning. Students work on a project over an extended period of time, to solve a real-world problem or answering a complex question. 

The elements of a problem-based learning include (i) a challenging problem/question; (ii) sustained inquiry; (iii) authenticity; (iv) student voice and choice; (v) reflection; (vi) critique and revision; and (vii) product.

How this Strategy Links to Inventive Thinking

1. Dispositions and Values: 

• Being curious and inquisitive to notice, observe, ask questions and seek to address them; 

• Being open-minded, creative and imaginative to consider different possibilities; 

• Being courageous to take calculated risks and persevere through failure by seeing them as opportunities for growth; and

• Being caring and responsible for others and the world in creating solutions.

2. Socio-emotional Skills: 

• Empathy;

• Problem-solving;

• Self-motivation;

• Self-reflection; and 

• situation analysis.

3. CAIT 5 (Explores possibilities and generates novel and useful ideas)

• Knowledge and understanding of the issue being explored

• Strategies to investigate issues and generate ideas in response to them

• Framing, investigating and exploring issues

• Generating different ideas, perspectives and responses through divergent thinking

4. CAIT 6 (Evaluates and refines ideas to formulate novel and useful solutions) 

• Understanding the iterative process of generating and refining ideas to address a particular issue

• Awareness of cognitive strategies to evaluate and refine ideas

• Having awareness and control over one’s thinking through reflection

• Evaluating ideas, perspectives and responses through convergent thinking and the use of relevant cognitive strategies

Problem-based learning, when applied fully, can help our students gain the different aspects of knowledge, skills, dispositions, values and socio-emotional skills associated with inventive thinking. Alternatively, teachers can choose to focus on just some of the strategies of problem-based learning to help students develop specific facets of inventive thinking.

Suggested Strategies for Using in the Music Classroom

• Lower/Middle Primary: Building a Music Instrument - The teacher can task students to create a music instrument for another teacher in the school (e.g. Form Teacher). With reference to the design thinking process, students can interview their teacher to find out what the requirements were. They can then observe how music is produced from a range of different instruments and explore how sounds are produced through vibration. Students can then sketch out different ideas, brainstorm the materials they could use before coming up with their prototypes. They can then ask for feedback from their teacher to improve their instrument and later perform on them for their music assessment before presenting their instruments to their teachers. (Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=CrpXlUJ4Smc) 

• Upper Primary: “What’s Your Song?” - The process of learning basic ukulele playing can be made into a project-based learning project for students to have the opportunity to choose their favourite song to perform for their assessment. They can be given opportunities to listen to, practise and analyse different versions of the song to enhance their own performance. (Reference: https://www.pblworks.org/blog/pbl-music-driving-questions-invoke-deeper-musical-learning) 

Other music activities that can be implemented as a Project-Based Learning

• • Musical composition (e.g. with authentic constraints/contexts to guide students’ creative exploration of possibilities)

  • Soundscape (e.g. encourage students to explore how the music can evoke emotions)

  • Change of lyrics / remix of existing songs

  • Improvisation as problem solving (e.g. creating a rhythmic response to an unfamiliar sound/music)

  • Exploration of different musical cultures (e.g. students can attempt combining traditional drumming patterns / folksongs with contemporary instruments and styles)

  • Thematic performances (e.g. Students can come up with their own performances based on a given theme such as ‘water’)

  • Musical Storytelling (e.g. challenge students to use music to represent a scene from a story)

  • Exploring the structure of music (e.g. teacher can present students with a finished piece of music and ask them to deconstruct it and give a presentation on how the music is structured)

More Information on Project-Based Learning

• [Website] Project-Based Learning in the Music Classroom https://knilt.arcc.albany.edu/Project-Based_Learning_in_the_Music_Classroom

• [Website] Project-Based Learning in the Music Room https://aileensmusicroom.com/42-project-based-learning-in-the-music-room/ 

• [eBook Chapter] Project Based Teaching: How to Create Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences - Chapter 1: Build the Culture https://files.ascd.org/staticfiles/ascd/pdf/siteASCD/publications/books/Project-Based-Teaching-Sample-Chapters.pdf 

Lesson Ideas on Project-Based Learning

References

Project-Based Learning in the Music Classroom: 

(https://knilt.arcc.albany.edu/Project-Based_Learning_in_the_Music_Classroom) 

Boss, Suzie and Larmer, John (2018) Project Based Teaching: How to Create Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences. ASCD.