Project based learning

From PBL Tech

1 What is Project-Based Learning
2 Five Reasons to Use Project-Based Learning
3 Planning
4 Gathering
5 Building
6 Presentation
7 External Resources

[edit] What is Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning (PBL) is a comprehensive approach to instruction. As students participate in engaging, multi-faceted investigations, they develop an array of multi-disciplinary skills. Project-based learning allows teachers to create tasks whose complexity and openness mimic problems in the real world. Students collaborate with peers to tackle real-world problems.

The key components to project-based learning are clear objectives, student autonomy, investigative activities, and real-world results:

Teachers clearly define the instructional objectives: The first step to creating your own project is to define your objectives. Knowing where the project is going is more important to reaching the destination than any other single variable.
Students direct their own work and take control over their own learning: Students work independently as well as participate in flexible cooperative groupings. Rather than divide students by abilities, allow students with similar interests to work cooperatively. As the range of materials and interests of the students develop and expand, so will the need for different kinds of collaborations and group interactions.
Students conduct multi-faceted investigations: Students use authentic tools (including technology), seek resources, and solve problems in response to an overall challenge. Students learn that knowing how to find information and making connections is more important than memorizing the facts. They use primary source documents, conduct experiments, construct models, and conduct interviews and surveys.
Students create real-world products: Students make choices about how to demonstrate learning and are accountable for the choices they make. Products can include multimedia presentations, letters, posters, brochures, newsletters, maps, videos, and more.

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[edit] Five Reasons to Use Project-Based Learning

Students search for answers and solve in-depth problems.
Students develop and integrate higher-order cognitive skills and problem solving strategies into lifelong learning habits.
Students collaborate and take ownership of learning.
Research suggests that student attitudes towards learning improves!
Research suggests that student achievement improves!

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[edit] Planning

Essential Question Start with your standards and develop an essential question. An essential question is any question that requires the student to develop a plan or course of action, solve a problem, or make an informed decision. Essential questions challenge students to think at the highest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy by requiring critical evaluation and reflection

For example, let's examine the question, "What is heart disease?" This type of question sits at the lowest level of Bloom's taxonomy (Knowledge) and simply asks students to move information from one point (the resource) to another (their paper).

Instead of the this question, we may ask students the essential question: "What plan could you develop that would reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease?" This questions resides at the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy (Synthesis) and asks students to develop a plan based on their research.

According to Grant Wigins, an essential question

causes genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas and core content.
provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions.
requires students to consider alternatives, weigh evidence, support their ideas, and justify their answers.
stimulates vital, on-going rethinking of big ideas, assumptions, and prior lessons.
sparks meaningful connections with prior learning and personal experiences.
naturally recurs, creating opportunities for transfer to other situations and subjects.

Supporting Questions After the essential question is developed, it is important that your students develop supporting questions. Supporting questions are the underlying questions that provide a factual "foundation" from which the answer to the essential question can be developed. Their purpose is to target the types of information required to answer the essential question and serve as a guide to their investigation.

For example, if the essential question is "What plan could you develop that would reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease?", supporting questions might include "What is heart disease?" or "How does diet impact heart disease?"

Supporting questions are essential as they provide organization to the investigation process so that students know what they need to research. The answers to these questions will be incorporated into the answer to the essential questioin.

As students develop their supporting questions, teachers should assess these questions and provide feedback relative to the appropriateness and quality of these questions.

Things to Consider

How long will the project last? - Develop a realistic timeline with milestones noted. Allocate time during the day/week for the project.
What hardware and software is available? - Make arrangements for use of laptops, computer labs, etc.
What materials will be needed? - Books, chart paper, etc.
What support staff (librarian, media specialist, etc.) will be needed? - Notify support staff of the project and discuss what assistance you may need.
Should I inform parents? - You should send a letter home informing parents of the project, it goals and timelines, as well as a presentation date.
How will students demonstrate learning? - Have students choose an ending product such as PowerPoint, Movie, Podcasts, etc.

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[edit] Gathering

At this stage, student groups gather information from a variety of sources and synthesize, analyze, and derive knowledge from it. They gather (or create) pictures, graphics and charts to illustrate what they have researched. If students are to create movie as an end product, they plan and shoot all the necessary video.Since their research is connected to something real and involves adult skills such as collaboration and reflection, their learning is inherently valuable.

During the gathering stage, they collect all the raw materials necessary to answer the essential question and build their final produt.

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[edit] Building

At this stage, students have gathered the factual information necessary to answer the original essential question. They must now combine the information, graphics, video, audio, etc. to develop a product that represents their knowledge about the essential question.

Products may include multimedia presentations, a videos, a wikis or other websites, podcasts, and prnted material such as newsletter and brochure.

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[edit] Presentation

Student presentations are an important aspect of project based learning and will give your students a genuine opportunity to share their accomplishments.

The focus of the presentations should be to provide students with an opportunity to share and teach what they have learned to their peers. Students should be involved in planning this day as much as possible. They should feel that this is their day!

What should presentations look like? There is no “model” presentation. Project based learning encourages student creativity: no two finished products will be the same. This variety will enrich and enhance your presentation day!

Each class, teacher, or team should prepare a brief presentation of the best work. Allow your students to participate in the selection of which pieces will be presented as well as how they will be presented. Depending on the type of project you completed, you may want your students to emphasize process (rather than product) in their presentation. To keep the event to a reasonable length, limit each class to a specific amount of time. You should set up a gallery of projects to make sure all students’ work is seen and appreciated by visitors.

How can we best prepare our students for their presentation?” Student preparation is extremely important to a successful presentation. Students should never read their work to the audience. Instead, have them summarize or discuss what they learned and how they accomplished their task. Give students plenty of time to rehearse prior to the event. If students haven’t presented in front of an audience before, you may have to model this for them. Discuss criteria for presenting, such as making eye contact and speaking clearly.

Provide students with a checklist or rubric of presenting to help them self-evaluate their performance.

Who should come to the presentations? Having a real audience is an important component of project based learning. If space permits, include other classes (who were not involved in the project) to join the audience. Your students can teach their peers about what they learned. Invite other teachers, administrators, and parents. In addition, you should make a point of inviting regional or district level administrators, local politicians, and supportive community members.

Teachers are often concerned about having outsiders to these presentations, especially if it is the first event for your school. Keep in mind, however, that it can be very empowering for students to know that adults beyond their school and family are interested in what they are learning. It is also a wonderful opportunity to show what your school is doing!

Provide invited guests with a program of the presentation. Include student names in the program. If possible, students should design and layout this program.

Where should we hold the presentations? Most schools have very limited choices about where they hold the presentations. Your first consideration should be to select a space that is large enough to accommodate all your visitors. In addition, you should make sure that your selected space has sufficient electrification and (if applicable) Internet access.

Since there will not be time for every student to present all their work, you should designate a separate area for student displays. Work that was created digitally (such as slide show presentations or web sites) should be presented digitally whenever possible. For example, you can set up laptops as kiosks.

Creative pieces, such as brochures and newspapers, should be displayed attractively using display boards, bulletin boards, or large tables. Designate students to “man” each display to explain their work to visitors.

What other set up do we need to do? You should test all your presentation equipment. It is important to have a microphone or sound system set up ahead of time. There should be one or more projectors and a large screen. Determine if you need to run extension cords or provide power strips. Take care that these cords or cables do not cause a safety hazard!

If you have transferred student work from one computer to another, make sure you run through the entire presentation to make sure the graphics, sounds, and transitions still work. If the presentation depends on Internet access, consider alternatives for what to do should the Internet go down.

This is your reward for a job well done! MOST OF ALL HAVE FUN!

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