How to Identify Problems That Students Care About Solving

At the end of a student presentation on a successful project, audiences are often wowed by the quality of students’ products and the creativity of their solutions—from podcasts to performances to publications. But what’s often missing from final exhibitions is the origin story for the project. What was the spark that motivated students to pursue their investigation or take action on an issue?

Finding the right problem for students to tackle in project-based learning (PBL) can be a challenge for teachers. It needs to be engaging but not overwhelming, open-ended but aligned to content standards. Authenticity matters, too. Students are more likely to care about issues that connect to their interests, families, and communities.

For my book Unleashing Student Agency with Project-Based Learning, I talked to educators about how they have identified project-worthy problems. Here are some of the origin stories that emerged.

Start with Your Students

After a massive windstorm swept through their community, students saw destruction everywhere. Work crews shredded downed trees, leaving behind piles of wood chips. Students complained about having to dodge the destruction on their way to school.

Teachers listened and worked to design a service project that connected to standards in social studies, language arts, technology, and more. Challenged to “do something” about the mess, students recruited chainsaw artists to turn debris into art, which was auctioned to raise money for new trees.

Students’ concerns and interests can lead to meaningful projects, from educating classmates about healthy sleep habits to helping families prepare for natural disasters. Before designing a project, invite students to share their ideas through surveys, wonder walls, chalk talks, morning meetings, and similar practices that elevate their voices.

But don’t expect students to be project designers. It’s the teacher’s responsibility to make sure the challenge is right-sized, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with meaningful learning goals. Resources need to be accessible and timelines manageable. The goal isn’t to overwhelm students with issues they can’t begin to solve. Instead, leverage their interests to build their understanding and develop their nonacademic skills, such as collaboration. When they are ready to apply their learning, help them identify small steps within reach that can have a real impact.

Share Your Passions

Although student engagement is key to successful PBL, it’s a mistake to think that project ideas have to come from students. Opening students’ eyes to new topics and interests is an enduring role of educators.

An English teacher whose hobby is carpentry noticed a Little Free Library outside his local grocery store. By having his students design their own miniature lending libraries—and fill them with donated books they recommended for specific audiences—he saw an opportunity for students to combine their study of literature with his passion for craftsmanship.

When teachers leverage their own interests as inspiration for projects, they also open doors to bring in outside experts and partners. Take, for example, the middle school science teacher and avid hiker who makes time outside the school day to support her local parks and other outdoor programs. Through the relationships she makes while volunteering, she often meets people willing to be experts or allies for students’ projects.

Connect to Your Community

After sixth graders read a news story about a recent election, they were disappointed to see a poor voter turnout rate for their own county. Digging into data, they discovered that voting rates were especially low among young voters. They set out to change the pattern by educating local high school seniors on the cusp of voting age.

Projects that have local relevance help students see the purpose of what they are learning.

A social studies teacher from Appalachia knew that his community had a rich musical history. He also knew that most of his music-loving students had no idea they were growing up in the birthplace of country music. He challenged them to write ballads based on their investigations of history and recruited local musicians to serve as mentors and performers.

To bring in local context, teachers may need to learn more about the community beyond the classroom—especially if they are new to the area or live far from where they teach.

In an urban school, parents with deep local connections took teachers on a guided walk. As they pointed out hidden landmarks, shared family stories, and described how gentrification was ushering in changes, they sparked brainstorming about potential projects with neighborhood impact.

Community change can also be the catalyst for projects. An influx of new residents can be an opportunity for students to expand their understanding of cultures and languages. A new employer can spark student interest in unfamiliar career pathways or prompt them to think critically about the use of land and other resources. In communities that have become news deserts due to the loss of local media, students have stepped up as citizen journalists to fill the information void.

Invite Requests

Some projects start with a request from outside the classroom, giving students an authentic client.

A city that wanted to increase its tree canopy—providing shade, health benefits, and beauty for residents—turned to an elementary school for volunteers. Would students like to help get trees in the ground? A science teacher turned the request for volunteer labor into an inquiry project, challenging students to determine the potential benefits and costs of tree planting, then developing a plan to grow the canopy over multiple years.

Requests from real clients can be motivating for students, but teachers need to ensure that such requests will lead to meaningful learning. One design and technology teacher has created an online project bank where potential clients can post requests. He guides students toward projects that will require creative problem-solving, not repetitive tasks. He expects students to document and reflect on their process, including feedback from clients, to ensure that learning stays at the heart of the experience.

Fine-tune with Feedback

Once you have the spark of an idea, invite feedback before developing a more detailed project plan. If the idea didn’t come from students, now is the time to gauge their interest. Ask colleagues for suggestions to fine-tune the idea, including connections to experts or resources. If the focus is on a problem that involves multiple content areas, do other teachers want to collaborate? How might specialists support students who might struggle?

Finally, imagine the potential impact of the project. What difference could students make by tackling this problem? At the end of the project, what story will they tell about their experience?