How Does Project-Based Learning Work?

Project-based learning, as with all lessons, requires much preparation and planning. It begins with an idea and an essential question. When you are designing the project and the essential question that will launch the activities, it is important to remember that many content standards will be addressed. With these standards in mind, devise a plan that will integrate as many subjects as possible into the project.

Have in mind what materials and resources will be accessible to the students. Next, students will need assistance in managing their time -- a definite life skill. Finally, have multiple means for assessing your students' completion of the project: Did the students master the content? Were they able to apply their new knowledge and skills? Many educators involve their students in developing these rubrics.

Here are steps for implementing PBL, which are detailed below:

Start with the Essential Question

The question that will launch a PBL lesson must be one that will engage your students. It is greater than the task at hand. It is open ended. It will pose a problem or a situation they can tackle, knowing that there is no one answer or solution.

"Questions may be the most powerful technology we have ever created. Questions and questioning allow us to make sense of a confusing world. They are the tools that lead to insight and understanding." --Jamie McKenzie, The Question Mark

Take a real-world topic and begin an in-depth investigation. Base your question on an authentic situation or topic. What is happening in your classroom? In your community? Select a question about an issue students will believe that, by answering, they are having an impact on. Make it relevant for them. The question should be a "now" question -- a question that has meaning in your students' lives.

Among many other wonderful resources for understanding PBL, the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) offers a great tutorial on how to "Craft the Driving Question." BIE consultant Andrew Miller recently wrote two blog posts for Edutopia.org, How to Write Effective Driving Questions for Project-Based Learning and How to Refine Driving Questions for Effective Project-Based Learning.

Edutopia.org PBL blogger Suzie Boss describes a variety of project kickoff ideas in How to Get Projects Off to a Good Start.

Design a Plan for the Project

When designing the project, it is essential that you have in mind which content standards will be addressed. Involve the students in planning; they will feel ownership of the project when they are actively involved in decision making. Select activities that support the question and utilize the curriculum, thus fueling the process. Integrate as many subjects as possible into the project. Know what materials and resources will be accessible to the students to assist them. Be prepared to delve deeper into new topics and new issues that arise as the students become increasingly involved in the active pursuit of answers.

Create a Schedule

Design a timeline for project components. Realize that changes to the schedule will happen. Be flexible, but help the students realize that a time will come when they need to finalize their thoughts, findings, and evaluations. Consider these issues when creating a schedule:

"We have to know the curriculum. We've got to know the standards inside and out. Even though it looks like the kids are doing all the hard work, there's a lot of planning that goes on behind it to make sure that the work is there for them." --Patty Vreeland, kindergarten and first-grade teacher, Newsome Park Elementary School, Newport News, Virginia

Enable success by practicing the following tactics:

Also, allow students to go in new directions, but guide them when they appear to digress from the project. When a group seems to be going in a different direction, ask the students to explain the reasoning behind their actions. They may have an insight to a solution you haven't seen. Help the children stay on course, but don't accidentally set limitations.

Check out guest blogger Andrew Miller's post How to Build a Calendar for Project-Based Learning for more tips on scheduling.

Monitor the Students and the Progress of the Project

To maintain control without preventing students from taking responsibility for their work, follow these steps:

"As the number of ideas to consider or the number of procedures that need to be followed increases, students may need to stay organized, track their progress, and maintain a focus on the problem rather than get confused by its elements." --Phyllis P. Blumenfeld and others, "Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning," Educational Psychologist magazine

What's the difference between team rubrics and project rubrics?

Team rubrics state the expectations of each team member: Watch the group dynamics. How well are the members participating? How engaged are they in the process? Assess the outcome.

Project rubrics, on the other hand, ask these questions: What is required for project completion? What is the final product: A document? A multimedia presentation? A poster? A combination of products? What does a good report, multimedia presentation, poster, or other product look like? Make the requirements clear to the students so they can all meet with success.

Discovery Education offers a great resource; a collection of assessment rubrics and graphic organizers that may be helpful to you as you create your own.

Assess the Outcome

Assessment meets many needs. It

"Project-based learning is focused on teaching by engaging students in investigation. Within this framework, students pursue solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating their ideas and findings to others, asking new questions, and creating artifacts (e.g., a model, a report, a videotape, or a computer program)." --Phyllis P. Blumenfeld and others, "Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning," Educational Psychologist magazine

Whenever possible, give the students the opportunity to conduct self-assessment. When a student's assessment and the teacher's assessment don't agree, schedule a student-teacher conference to let the student explain in more detail his or her understanding of the content and justify the outcome.

Edutopia.org PBL blogger Suzie Boss also wrote a great post on culminating events in How to End Projects on a High Note.

Evaluate the Experience

Little time for reflection is available in the busy schedule of the school day, yet reflection is a key component of learning. How do we expect our students to synthesize new knowledge if they are not given time to reflect on what they have discovered? Too often, we teachers do not allow ourselves that time, either. Designate a time for reflection of the daily activities. Allow for individual reflection, such as journaling, as well as group reflection and discussion. (For example, validate what students have learned and make suggestions for improvements.)

To enable effective self-evaluation, follow these steps:

Continue to the next section of the guide, Workshop Activities.