Project-Based Learning

              Before we can assess our students innovatively, we must teach our students innovatively. One of my favorite instructional approaches is project-based learning in which students engage in authentic learning activities. After a question, problem, or challenge has been presented, the students participate in a motivating and engaging process of inquiry. Groups of students work collaboratively on a project in response to the driving question. The students are held accountable for their individual input as well as the overall final product. Students are also given the opportunity to give and receive feedback, reflect on their process, and make revisions.  

                With an endless supply of information available through the Web, we can hardly expect students to sit through a long lecture to receive information when the same information can be found in seconds using the internet. PBL gives students a chance to learn in a way that is natural to them.

                Students are given a degree of freedom in their research, organization, and presentation. This can be scary as a teacher to let go of some control. The students must learn communication, team work, responsibility, organization, and various ways to present learning. The teacher must teach these prerequisite skills and design and a project that requires students to use 21^st century skills to learn academic content. The teacher must also monitor, manage, and assess student learning.

                Many Web 2.0 tools can be used in PBL. Google docs, wikis, PrimaryPad, and many other tools are available to help students organize, collaborate, and present. www.go2web20.net offers an extensive list of online tools and applications. Not all of these are appropriate for classroom use, but teachers can explore and decide what would be beneficial for their students.

                PBL can be use as the main instructional strategy used in all academic areas, or it can be used on occasion. Projects may vary from a few days to a whole semester and can be used in any grade level in any subject. Teachers can assess student learning by using rubrics that measure objectives displayed in the students’ presentations. Rubrics are a great way to measure meaningful learning. As students use various Web 2.0 tools and presentation software to display their learning, the teacher can have a list of criteria that must be met. A rubric allows the teacher to list what objectives are to be met and to what degree the student demonstrated mastery of these objectives.

                This innovative approach to learning gives students the opportunity to exercise critical skills for the 21^st century such as problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry, collaboration and communication. The students can create something for an audience of more than just the teacher and take pride in their finished product. This is an exciting way to look at the learning process and students may not even realize all that they are learning. This approach is a more natural way to learn and helps students retain information and apply it to real life rather than simply cram for a test and forget the content almost immediately.

BIE.org offers many ideas and resources for PBL.

Integrating Web 2.0 Tools into PBL Webinar