Project 5: What is PBL?

http://www.gsn.org/web/pbl/newold.htm


Project-Based Learning:

• Is student-centered
• Requires students to solve complex, realistic, real-world problems and challenges
• Includes students in setting learning goals
• Requires critical thinking and problem solving
• Allows teachers to model and facilitate problem-solving strategies rather than giving one set solution
• Has students working collaboratively in pairs or groups
• Involves formative assessment and feedback by teacher facilitator
• Allows students to present findings
• Can be used in all content areas and grades 

Project-based learning is a 21st century learning tool that allows students to be actively involved in the learning experience by providing hands-on, real world problems for which students provide an answer. This approach to learning requires students to think critically and problem solve, rather than simply recalling information on a subject. Students are allowed to show their learning in a variety of ways. This allows students to focus on their strengths when presenting information. PBL is a great way to provide students with authentic experiences and 21st century skills that will serve them in the workplace in which they will find themselves as adults.  

I use some aspects of PBL in my teaching already, but after researching the practice more in-depth, I would like to incorporate it more into my classroom. The "status quo" in our district is teacher-led instruction, so that it what most of my teaching is right now, but I am working on changing slowly. I think students need to have authentic PBL experiences in the classroom in order to really internalize and retain the information that is presented, which is a goal most teachers have. By involving students in the project and learning goals, PBL and teachers who use the method are giving students control over their learning. Students will need to have skills such as group collaboration and effective presentation of ideas in their future careers and PBL offers them an opportunity to create and refine those skills more than a traditional classroom model would. 

References

Buck Institute for Education (2013). What is PBL?. Project Based Learning for the 21st  
        Century. Retrieved from http://www.bie.org/about/what_is_pbl

Gallow, D. (n.d.). What is problem based learning. Problem Based Learning Faculty 

        Institute. Retrieved from http://www.pbl.uci.edu/whatispbl.html