What is project-based learning anyway?

What is project-based learning anyway?

This post was published when I first started my blog about one year ago. This is an updated version. I will be updating other earlier posts on project-based learning throughout June. Stay-tuned.

For several years now, since seeing the documentary "Half the Sky" (if you haven't seen it or read the book I HIGHLY recommend it), I have been doing a women's studies seminar with my students. Part of the seminar is for students to take one topic related to women's history or women's issues and do a project on it. 

Several years ago I had a student who chose to do her project on domestic violence. She chose this topic because it was relevant in her life at the time. She connected with the Sojourner Project, a domestic violence non-profit and shelter in the Twin Cities, to ask an educator from the organization to come to the school to speak with her and her classmates about the issue of domestic abuse. This student also contacted a self-defense instructor from the community to come into the school to teach her and her classmates effective self-defense strategies. The photo on the cover of this blog post captures that experience. I still have students talking about what they gained from that class today. It was memorable and meaningful to my students for many reasons, one of which was its relevance to their lives. 

This student assembled all of the information she gathered into a presentation and created a brochure that included signs of domestic abuse, community resources for victims, tips for friends and family of abuse survivors and more. She placed hundreds of brochures around the community from health clinics to bus stops to school counseling offices, as well as up on all of her social media sites to spread awareness. She also organized a clothing and food drive for Sojourner Project's shelter. 

This student didn't gather statistics and info from a few websites online, copy and paste them into a Powerpoint presentation and regurgitate the information from her slideshow to her classmates. She collaborated with the community, reached out to experts in the field, made an impact on the community by playing an active role in making change, and shared her new knowledge and insight to a relevant audience that could benefit from the information. That is project-based learning.

​My experience and philosophy of teaching is all about project-based learning (PBL). I have been a project-based teacher for 11 years. I talk a lot about PBL right here on my blog and my various social media pages. Almost all of my TpT resources are PBL in nature. Since starting this blog a little less than one year ago, I have discovered that there are a few misconceptions around project-based learning that I hope to clarify in this post. The most common is that it's the same as a project. As you can see from my example above, they are very different things. The result of project-based learning is a deep, meaningful learning experience. Generic projects don't always have the same impact.

So what is project-based learning? 

In short, PBL is learning through projects that are innovative, relevant, and are shared with an authentic audience. Students gather information on a topic or problem through questioning, learning activities, and community collaboration. They share their new skills and knowledge beyond classroom walls in such a way that their final product and presentation make an impact on the local and/or global community.

Passion for Learning by Ronald J. Newell is a great book about project-based learning, which puts a spotlight on MN New Country School, an authentic project-based learning school in rural Minnesota. This book is informative and inspiring for those interested in moving into project-based teaching. Ronald J Newell describes project-based learning as follows:

• Emphasizes depth of understanding over content coverage.
• Development of complex problem-solving skills rather than learning building block skills in isolation.
• Emphasizes student interest rather than following a fixed curriculum.
• Emphasizes a broad, interdisciplinary focus rather than a narrow, discipline-based focus.
• Uses direct, primary, or original sources rather than texts, lectures, and secondary sources.
• Emphasizes data and materials developed by students rather than by teachers.
• Changes the role of the teacher from lecturer and director of instruction to that of resource provider and participant in the learning activities. 
• Changes the role of the teacher from expert to advisor/facilitator. 
• Assessment requires processes or performances and tangible accomplishments to be witnessed rather than products or tests.
• Demonstration of learning rather than reproduction of information. 
• Refocuses the use of technology from an ancillary or peripheral use to a central and integral part of the process.
• Refocuses technology administered by teachers to technology directed by students.
• Technology useful for teacher presentations refocuses to technology enhancing student presentations. 
• Student role in project-based learning becomes one of carrying out self-directed learning activities rather than carrying out teacher-directed activities.
• Students define their own roles, tasks, and time management rather than receiving and completing brief, directed tasks. 
• Students learn how to communicate, show, affect, produce, and take responsibility rather than listen, behave, or speak only when spoken to 
• Short-term goals change from knowledge of facts, terms, and content to understanding and application of complex ideas and processes. 
• Short-term goals change from mastery of isolated skills to mastery of integrated skills. 
• Long-term goals change from breadth of knowledge to depth of knowledge. 
• Long-term goals change from performing successfully on standard achievement tests to acquiring dispositions and skills to engage in sustained, lifelong learning. 

Bullet points taken directly from Passion for Learning by Ronald J. Newell - 2003

It might feel like a lot, and it can feel overwhelming at first. But with the right resources, and by allowing learning to be driven by students, it all tends to fall into place. Not without hard work, mistakes, going back to the drawing board, trying new things, etc. but that is teaching. It's what we do. Changing up our teaching methods based on the evolving needs of our students is not only important, but THAT is our job. 

Examples of Project-Based Learning: 

I had a few students a couple of years ago who were interested in skateboarding. They could have easily done some research on a famous skateboarder, copied and pasted information into a Powerpoint presentation, presented it to the class, and called it a day. That is a project, not project-based learning. That wouldn't fly in my class, so...

This is what they did instead:

The students decided to create their own skateboard clothing brand. They named their company (Abstract Skate Co.), designed a logo, and met with a local screen printing company who taught them how to screen print AND build and set-up their own screen printing workshop at the school on a budget.

​The students met with a local business, JAMF Software, for business tips.  JAMF was so inspired by their project that the company ended up giving the students a grant to set up their own screen printing studio at the school and all merchandise needed to start their business. The students met with marketing professionals from JAMF for tips on branding their product. They printed shirts and skate decks, "hired" out another student to write their business plan, created a website, and planned and hosted a launch party for their brand. Now that's authentic project-based learning! Check out the photos below to get an idea of the process. 

Benefits of PBL:

Although the brand never really took off (students graduated and went on their way), the lessons learned and skills developed from this one project are profound. If they decide to take another crack at it in the future, they will have the skills to do so successfully. 

There are a lot of benefits to project-based learning, but in my opinion the most important is 
​1) the development of skills essential for success in the 21st century, 2) intrinsic motivation to learn, and 3) a lifelong passion for learning.  A poster board project on Tony Hawk would not have produced the same authentic and powerful learning experience. 
​
Take a look at this handy visual that I put together below that compares a standard project with project-based learning and check back next week for specifics on each element of PBL.

If you're interested in project-based learning, continue following this blog throughout the summer and check out my PBL bundle below or any variety of other project-based learning resources in my TpT store, many of which are free (Experiential Learning Depot.) 

My PBL resources require little to no prep and train students to critically think and have their own ideas! The result is student-directed learning. Win! Right now is a great time to start thinking about project-based learning for next year or use it as an entire summer school course. Check out the preview for the bundle below or head to my store for individual PBL resources. 

Follow Experiential Learning Depot on Pinterest and Instagram for more on experiential education. ​ You can also find me on LinkedIn.

#livelearnandexperience

One last example! Check out this three minute video.

I came across a children's book about sea turtles at the library, and grabbed it for my kids. By the second page I discovered that the book is a beautiful illustration of project-based learning at it's finest. Check it out...

Follow the Moon Home by Deborah Hopkinson and Phillipe Cousteau Jr. 
Note: I mention "Classroom Unbound" in this video. That was the name of my blog when I first started. I changed it to Experiential Learning Depot a few months ago to streamline my brand. So to clarify, "Classroom Unbound" is the same as "Experiential Learning Depot".