Through Project Based Learning in Pflugerville ISD, students explore the real world, apply information and skills to create a product, performance, or presentation that matters to themselves, the community, and the world, and reflect on their process of learning to authentically develop essential knowledge and skills.

PBL can be defined as a “series of complex tasks that include planning and design, problem solving, decision making, creating artifacts, and communicating results” (Mergendoller, Markham, Ravitz & Larner, 2006). It is student-centered, self-directed, and frequently collaborative. In a PBL classroom, the teacher serves more as a facilitator than a “sage on the stage,” helping guide students in using their “voice and choice” to acquire new information about an engaging, challenging real-world question, make new connections and meaning through sustained inquiry, and then reflect on and share their learning in a tangible, personally meaningful way.

To be fully prepared for post-secondary success, students increasingly need to master knowledge and skills beyond the purely academic. A 2018 McKinsey & Company report predicts that employer demand for “cross sector competencies” like active listening, critical thinking, problem solving, and speaking will increase by 26% by 2030. However, in a 2016 study by PayScale Human Capital, nearly two-thirds of surveyed managers said recent college graduate hires lacked critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and almost half said they lacked both oral and written communication skills.

PBL provides a structured process for helping students practice and develop those skills, as well as a means for increasing student engagement, a powerful predictor of success. A growing body of research suggests that quality PBL correlates to a decline in absenteeism and disciplinary referrals, an increase in cooperative learning skills, and an improvement in overall student achievement.

Real World Purpose for Learning

Traditionally, learning experiences in schools often feature application of knowledge and skills as an extension of the learning gained within an academic setting. Project-based learning experiences reverse that process, setting learning in context right from the start by employing real-world problems and real-world audiences as a catalyst for authentic inquiry, application, and skill development.

Exploration

Curious students wonder about their world and collaborate with others that share their interests to engage in inquiry processes. Through the use of Driving Questions and associated "Need to Know" information and skills, learners apply an inquiry-driven mindset that propels their learning forward.

Application

Students deepen their learning by thinking critically about information they encounter. They seek additional understanding through collaboration with peers or experts, participation in field work, and/or further research or investigation. The cyclical process of analysis and synthesis then allows students to transfer knowledge and skills to new situations.

Creation

Students make thinking visible-- to their peers, to themselves, and to the world-- when they transfer ideas into tangible products and/or performances. By valuing voice in what students learn as well as choice in how they represent that learning, students refine their understanding while also developing key skills of communication, collaboration, and creativity.

Reflection

To paraphrase Peter Drucker, action followed by reflection elicits even more effective action. Long-term transfer of knowledge and skills is accelerated by intentional acts of reflection on both successes and challenges throughout learning. Experiences rich with goal-setting, self-monitoring, and feedback help students recognize the impact of individual effort on knowledge and skills, promoting development of a growth mindset as a catalyst for lifelong learning.

Essential Knowledge and Skills

Central to the efforts of project-based learning is the development of essential knowledge and skills, represented not only by local, state, and national standards, but also by the competencies necessary for success within any given field. The engagement inspired by infusing elements of PBL into the learning process helps ensure that students are able to hone essential understanding for use in current and future pursuits.

The PfISD PBL approach empowers students to take charge of their own learning by being:

• curious, prompting them to ask deep, purposeful questions about real world issues.

• informed, teaching them how to gather and evaluate information from a variety of sources.

• open-minded, encouraging them to consider diverse perspectives in order to build understanding.

• self-directed, helping them learn how to set goals, monitor their progress, and reflect on their learning.

• engaged, challenging them to creatively apply their learning as citizens of a 21^st century global community.