Project-based learning (PBL) is the process whereby students take control of their own learning by participating in group projects. There is a difference, however, between assigning projects and project-based learning. A project is an assignment usually added at the end of a unit to strengthen the knowledge learned through traditional educational methods like direct instruction, such as creating a model of the solar system following a unit on that topic. Project-based learning, on the other hand, poses a specific goal that the students must meet throughout the unit. Guidelines for completion and grading rubrics are given to the students. From start to finish, the student knows what is expected and how to attain the goal, and subsequently, their grade. PBL allows for continuous feedback from the teacher while the students work within their groups. The unit usually ends with a classroom presentation so everyone can learn from each group's efforts. And the best part is that not all presentations or product creations are the same. You don’t have 25 solar system models around the room!
So, how
are PBL units organized? The teacher chooses 4-6 topics
related to the unit. Then the students
are divided into the same number of groups.
Within those groups, 3-5 mini-projects guide the students to understand
their topic and prepare them to present it to their class. A week or so later, when all the students
have completed their “tasks,” they explain their section of the topic to the
rest of the class. Do you see what
happened here? The students do all he
work and all you have to do is the prep for each group. AND, once you get the groups prepared and the
tasks written, you can use this system from year to year!
Benefits
to students
Aside from
the obvious benefit of learning the PBL topic of the week, your students learn
a number of other valuable life skills.
· Cooperation – When students work in groups, they
learn to cooperate with each other. They
can divide up tasks according to group members’ interests and abilities. They learn to accept that other students may
not be as skilled at certain tasks as others.
· Time management – When a PBL deadline is posted in
the front of the room, students learn to divide up their time so that the
project assignments can be done on time (with the threat of grade deductions
looming if they are late!) They also learn that certain tasks take more time
than others and would therefore deserve more attention, and perhaps even work
at home to complete it.
· Public speaking - On presentation day, students learn
public speaking skills. When they are
prepared with their PBL activities, they are more likely to feel confident in
front of the room explaining their section of the unit to the rest of the
class.
· Enhanced learning – Remember the learning
pyramid? People of all ages retain 90% of
what they learned when they teach others.
If the students know ahead of time that they will be presenting their topic
to the class, they will be more inclined to complete the tasks so they look
good in front of their peers.
Benefits
to teachers
If you are
fortunate enough to have PBL activities included with your curriculum guide,
you are among the lucky teachers who can lift the projects from the teacher’s
guide and hand them out to the students. Most of us aren’t that lucky! And even
if you do have that golden PBL unit in your curriculum guide, the activities
may not appeal to you or to the climate of your classroom. Other alternatives include ordering PBL units
from TeachersPayTeachers and creating your own PBL units. Either way, below are the benefits of using
PBL in your classroom.
· Less work/more learning – With a bit of advance preparation,
you can allow your students to work at their own pace. Your PBL packet for each group increases
student learning of the topic without you standing in front of the room
providing direct instruction.
· An energized classroom – When students work in groups to solve
a problem, answer a question, or create a 3-D or digital project, they become
more engaged in their learning. Boredom
disappears as if by magic. Sit back for a moment and watch your students being actively engaged in their own education!
· Ready-made lesson plans – With PBL, you can lift the objectives
directly from the project guidelines for the students and drop them into your
plan book. You don’t need to list all
the topics you will be covering and the manner in which you will do so. The students do all this for you. How great is that!!
In
conclusion, I offer you this quote: "Two major new gold-standard studies conducted by researchers from
the University of Southern California and Michigan State University, provide
compelling evidence that project-based learning is an effective strategy for
all students, outperforming traditional curricula not only for high achieving
students, but across grade levels and racial and socioeconomic groups.” Go here for more information: https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-research-makes-powerful-case-pbl
Look at
my collection of Project-based Learning units on TeachersPayTeachers. I think you’ll find a topic of interest for
your classes. They range from state
histories (all 50 + DC) to middle school social studies to Women’s History Month: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/My-Products/category:534947 Each is designed for 4-5 groups of 3-4 students. Each tasks students to complete their
assignments within a certain time frame.
Each has a variety of activities within each group: Develop a
presentation, answer questions, research a topic, create a game, write an
interview script, etc. All groups have links
to helpful Internet sources, so your students don’t waste time googling the
information. AND, many of my PBL resources also ask the students who have
finished their topic to go help those who are struggling to complete
theirs. It’s a win-win classroom where
everyone cooperates to learn the topic you have chosen. Also check out my FREE grading rubric for
middle school PBL: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Project-Based-Learning-Grading-Rubric-Middle-School-5113042
