Teacher Guide to the Benefits of Project Based Learning

Written by Savannah Munholland

What is Project Based Learning?

There are many styles of education and many styles of learning. While some students need to see and hear things to retain information, other students prefer to learn by reading or doing. One of the easiest ways to deliver information to a class may be through lectures and multimedia presentations, but this isn't always the best way to help students retain the information.

Project based learning, also known as PBL, is another way teachers can guide their students through a lesson. But what is project based learning? In this type of learning, students study a topic, idea, or problem by working on a project that aims to solve a problem or complete a challenge. These projects often span a longer period, such as a few weeks or even an entire semester.

These may seem like more challenging classroom projects to manage, but the results can be fun and valuable to students. In project based learning, students are doing more than learning about a topic; they are practicing creativity, problem-solving skills, teamwork, critical thinking, and more. They are also being encouraged to apply what they're learning in the classroom to real-world events so that they can see the value in learning outside of the classroom.

Project based learning is an interdisciplinary method of teaching that creates well-rounded students. Plus, students often enjoy these projects more than reading a chapter in a textbook. Students will likely be more engaged, so the information will be better retained.

How Does Project Based Learning Work?

So is project based learning the same as having students do a project? Not exactly. Many classrooms do "projects" regularly, but these are not the same as project based learning. A standard project typically supplements a lesson that was delivered traditionally. These projects are often shorter and help reinforce the ideas from the lesson. There is value in this, but it is not the same as PBL.

In project based learning, the project is the lesson. There is no accompanying lecture or reading. Instead, students are learning through discovery as they work to complete the project. The goal, by the end of the project, is for the students to have reached a certain conclusion.

There are also standards in place for project based learning to help teachers facilitate their students, guiding them toward the desired outcome. Teachers may also learn about project based learning while completing their degrees and certificates. It may not be on the Praxis exam, but it's another tool teachers can use to help keep their students engaged and teach necessary lessons.

There are design and teaching elements that can help teachers ensure their students are getting the most out of project based learning. These standards align with the Gold Standard for PBL, which was developed through collaborative experience and research. It's a great reference for teachers to aid them in facilitating their classroom through project based learning.

PBL Project Design and Teaching Elements

The Gold Standard for PBL outlines how to effectively execute a PBL. This framework ensures students are actively engaged and learning throughout the process of the project. According to the Gold Standard of PBL, there are seven design elements that teachers should be aware of, including:

• A challenging question or problem
• Sustained inquiry
• Authenticity
• Student voice and choice
• Reflection
• Critique and revision
• Public product

Now, let's dive into these steps a little further. First, teachers will start with a question or problem. This problem is meant to be solved through the project and should be at the appropriate level of challenge for their students. Once the problem is posed, students will move into the sustained inquiry phase. They are researching, posing more questions, and applying the information they gathered to start solving the problem. They should continue to ask these questions and research throughout the course of the project.

This project should be authentic, meaning it has real-world relevance and is of interest to the students. It should be something that relates to them or impacts their life. For example, using culturally responsive teaching strategies goes a long way in connecting students with the lessons which can help them understand the importance of the project and remain invested. The project also focuses on student autonomy. They should be able to voice their thoughts and ideas, as well as make their own choices within their group. This promotes independence and team-working skills.

The student should also be given time to reflect on the problem, their work, and what they have learned. This will make the student more aware of their progression, and let them think more deeply about the problem at hand. There should also be a time for students to give and receive criticism from their peers. This helps them learn to think critically and take constructive feedback. This criticism can then be used to revise the project, ensuring that it's in good final shape. Afterward, they should make their project public in some sort of presentation or display.

PBL Steps

Constructing a PBL can be intimidating, but the below steps can help teachers successfully guide their students through a PBL.

1. Pose a Question or Problem

This question or problem should be directly related to the students. They can try and find an answer to a question or create a project or plan to solve a problem. This question or problem should be open-ended, with many possible answers or solutions. Students will be challenged to think for themselves and come up with their own answers.

2. Construct a Plan

Students should work for themselves with the teacher guiding them. However, it will help students if teachers have a plan. This plan can include standards and criteria that need to be met, topics to be addressed, and guidelines on what the outcome should look like.

3. Craft a Schedule

Students should be given a schedule for when certain parts of the project should be completed. Teachers need to decide how much time students are given to complete the project, and when they need to reach certain checkpoints. This schedule should act as a guideline but recognize that every student will work at a different pace and their thought processes will be different. The schedule will help keep students in line to finish their projects by the due date.

4. Make Time for Revision

In the schedule, allow time for students to talk with their peers and their teacher about their project. During this time, students can reflect on the progress they've made and receive feedback from their peers and teachers. Students can then take this criticism back to their project to refine it.

5. Presentation

Students should present their projects to their group. They can explain the information they found, their thought process, and how it guided them to their outcome. This can expose students to different ways of thinking, as well as give them time to think critically about their own thought processes.

6. Reflect

After the project is completed, instruct students to reflect on the entire experience. Have them think about what they learned while solving the question or problem. Do they feel they did it successfully? Would they change anything?

These steps can help teachers construct a PBL that will challenge their students and help them grow from the experience.

Project Based Learning Benefits

Project based learning has risen in popularity in recent years due to the benefits it offers in a classroom. It challenges students, daring them to become more independent and think for themselves. PBL is also a nice break from a cycle of lectures, assignments, and tests. It encourages creativity and teaches skills that will benefit students in and out of school. However, PBL also has many benefits for teachers. It helps teachers get their students engaged, build relationships, and can advance the curriculum to a real-world setting.

Benefits for Students

A successful PBL can advance a student's academic development as well as personal growth. It encourages a deeper understanding of relevant topics and subjects, while also helping students become more independent and creative.

Understanding Real-World Impact

Reading and listening to a lecture can help students learn the overview of a subject or concept, but students may not be able to comprehend its real-world impact. For example, students can understand how scientific theories work in general, but may not see how it impacts their everyday life and the world around them. An effective PBL will help students connect these concepts to their environment and personal life.

Learning by Doing

PBL also encourages students to learn by doing, promoting critical thinking and analytical skills. A teacher's goal should always be to get their students to think for themselves and comprehend subjects, not memorize information. PBL gets students involved in problems important to them and helps them take action.

Practicing Time Management and Organizational Skills

Since students are executing these projects without the teacher micromanaging, students will also be forced to learn organizational and time-management skills. These skills can then be transferred to their personal life and the rest of their academic careers. So not only are they learning about the topic of the PBL but they are growing as students and individuals.

Connecting to Their Community

Some PBLs can ask students to contact other adults and their communities. These connections can expose them to a wider range of people, which is good for development. They can learn about different industries and careers, and start to think about their place in their community and future goals.

Benefits for Teachers

Ever tried to teach a lesson to a classroom full of students who look disinterested or bored? It can be challenging to get students of any age to engage in a lesson, especially if students can't see how it impacts their life. A PBL can reinvigorate a classroom, energize students, and get them invested in learning. Plus, teachers will see development in their students as learners that will help them throughout the rest of the class.

Re-Engaging Students

Many teachers view lectures and multimedia presentations as one of the most effective ways to relay information. And while presenting the information to students can be a good way to teach some lessons, it does not work for all topics. Plus, lecture-style classes every day can get tedious for both teachers and students. Without any change in routine, students are likely to get bored and not pay attention. Lectures also don't always challenge students to think for themselves.

Increasing Academic Development

PBLs can be time-consuming, so some teachers may opt for a project or group work that takes less time and organization. However, the short amount of time that a one-day project takes may not be enough to drive the lesson home. It won't give students time to think critically, analyze, and revise.

Every stage in PBL is purposefully designed to benefit the students and their academic development, which is why projects need to have a certain amount of time dedicated to them. PBL can combine many of the best elements in many styles of teaching, such as group learning, the use of technology, and challenging the students to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions.

Project Based Learning vs Problem Based Learning

When using the acronym PBL in the educational world, it can be interpreted in two ways: project based learning and problem based learning. Both project and problem based learning are methods of learning that put students at the center of the lesson. However, they are very different in their structure and their outcome.

In problem based learning, students are presented with a problem based on an event or occurrence in the real world. By analyzing the problem, the students gather new information about the occurrence. Then, they use this data to create a hypothesis that explains the occurrence. After crafting their hypothesis, they think about any follow-up questions that their explanation opens up. They continue this process to keep gathering more information until they are led to a certain lesson.

In project based learning, the emphasis is more on crafting an end product. Students are also presented with a problem, but they are looking to provide a solution rather than explain an occurrence. They are then testing these solutions, developing them, receiving feedback, revising them, and then presenting the end product to their peers.

When comparing project based learning vs problem based learning, they both have their pros and cons. Both challenge students to think critically and in groups, but the problem based learning method encourages students to explain phenomena while the project based learning method gets students to find solutions. They are also both good for bringing real-world elements into the classroom and changing routines from traditional learning styles. Project based learning is a more structured process with a defined end product for students to showcase their work.

Challenges of Project Based Learning

Project based learning is a great way to change up classroom routines and empower students to take control of their learning. However, like every style of teaching, it does have its own set of challenges. It's crucial to understand these challenges and how to overcome them if a teacher wants to execute a successful PBL.

Time-Consuming

First, project based learning is time consuming. It's designed to be a long-term project for students to delve into the problem at hand, think critically, and go through states of critique and revision. It forces students to think deeply, but also requires teachers to carve out a significant amount of class time to dedicate to the PBL.

For this reason, a PBL cannot be decided at the last minute. It must be worked into the lesson plan to ensure there's a balance between time spent on the project and time spent on other lessons that are laid out by the curriculum.

Staying in Control

The second challenge is staying in control of the class. Project based learning gives students the freedom to learn in their own way, and because of this design, the teacher relinquishes a bit of control. In an unruly class, this freedom and independence could be abused and used inappropriately.

The teacher should come up with rules and guidelines that must be followed and tangible consequences if these rules aren't followed. Also, teachers should ensure they are equipping their students with the right tools to ensure they are using this freedom productively.

Finding Outside Help

Project based learning encourages students to meet with and learn from community members that may be experts in the field or topic of the project. To complete this step, teachers will need to find community members willing to be an asset to the students, which can be a challenge. Teachers should cast a wide net when looking for participants and ensure they relay the value that their participation could bring to the students and community as a whole.

Project Based Learning Ideas for Classrooms

Introducing PBL to the classroom could greatly benefit students in their comprehension of a certain lesson as well as their overall academic development. But it can be hard to come up with ideas for the PBL. Here are several project based learning ideas that teachers could use in their classroom.

• Protecting an Endangered Species: Students can choose an endangered animal native to their community and start developing a plan to protect it. This could require doing field studies, online research, or speaking to a professional to learn more about the animal's behaviors and habitat. With this information, they could start to develop a strategy for how the community can preserve the animal.
• Building a Financial Plan: Incorporate financial education into the classroom with a PBL focused on building a financial plan. Students will need to do research into the cost of necessities such as food, housing, utilities, and clothes to determine their budget. This introduces students to the value of money and other financial topics like investing, credit cards, and inflation.
• Bringing Literature to Life: Students can be encouraged to read with more comprehension by being challenged to create a short film or dramatic reading of a story. The short film should touch on the major themes, plots, and character development. Ensure the presentation ends with students explaining the theme and message.

These are just a few ideas, but there are several ways teachers can incorporate their lessons into an effective PBL that allows students to take charge of their learning. Ensure it's a project that will excite students and give them the tools for success.