Project based Learning - Project based Instruction

“Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.” Project-based learning (PBL) or project-based instruction is an instructional approach designed to give students the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills through engaging projects set around challenges and problems they may face in the real world.

Project-based Learning?is more than just “doing a project,” in the way you might remember from your own school days. As the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) explains, with PBL, students “investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex problem?or challenge” with deep and sustained attention.1?Arch For Kids, an organization that provides STEAM programs for young learners, puts it even more succinctly: PBL is “learning by doing.” The truth is, many in education recognize that our modern world is sustained and advanced through the successful completion of projects. Or, as the Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget, put it, “knowledge is a consequence of experience.” It’s true! Your weekend chores, an upcoming presentation, or organizing a fundraising event—they’re all projects. This is the spirit behind PBL, and we see evidence of its increasing popularity in things like the growth of the maker movement.4?When we help students have authentic experiences, we prepare them for the real world. In its purest form, PBL prepares students to be self-sufficient, creative, and critical thinkers that can take on any challenge. For most modern workers, their careers will be marked by a series of projects rather than years of service to a specific organization. “Solving real-world issues that matter is important to us as adults—and it’s important to our students,” explain Lathram, Lenz, and Vander Ark in their eBook, Preparing Students for a Project-Based World. In short, if we are to prepare students for success in life, we need to prepare them for a project-based world. Therefore, when relating project-based learning benefits to students, we must always include examples of real-world application. This?will reinforce for students the notion that they can break down future problems into their component parts, assemble and lead a diverse team of stakeholders to process the problem, and implement a solution.

There are a variety of ways educational technology can lead students to be more successful. There are five examples:

Blended Learning Instruction

Blended Learning supplements traditional classroom learning with online activities that students can complete on their own time. You can provide students with projects that utilize blended learning principles by giving them online learning options to access on their own time. Additionally, there are countless other ways to merge blended learning with project-based learning by using technology, such as collaborative projects between students and embedded media in online modules.

Game-Based Learning

Students can use technology for a project-based approach to game-based learning by creating their own digital or online games to act as teaching and learning aids or as practice assessments. Online learning games such as?Quizlet can be customized by the student to teach or assess specific content, while other students might opt to create their own game by coding or programming their own interface.

Videos and Animations

Videos and animations can be an efficient way for students to express their understanding of a large amount of learned information in a visual and creative way, supporting project-based learning through media creation. This approach offers options for students with any level of understanding of video production and editing. For less experienced students, applications and websites like?Animoto?provide a drag-and-drop video maker where students are able to import their content and create a video in just a few clicks. For more experienced students who are looking for more customization, iMovie is a popular video-creation application on Apple devices that works well and is easy to use. Advanced students can design their own cartoons and animate them with computer programs like Adobe Flash or?Toon Boom.

Robotics and Programming

Project-based learning thrives through hands-on activities, and robotics is a great use of technology to combine these two concepts. Students are able to assemble actual mechanical parts while learning about the functions of and relations between each part to create a working robotic machine. This is an extremely invaluable learning experience for students to understand complex STEM principles and ideas. Students can discover further STEM concepts by learning how to program their robots to do actions and complete tasks. For classrooms without access to the proper building materials or workshop, online robotics coding programs such as?Code Z?or?Robo Mind Academy?offer the ability to code virtual robots and can be an accessible way to provide valuable STEM instruction.

Learning Management Systems

Because of the wide variety of learning options offered by a learning management system (LMS), it is easy to implement project-based learning. An LMS offers the ability to manage all parts of a project, including student collaboration and communication, access to a variety of rich media content, presentation options and teacher rubrics and feedback. Students can present their findings in several ways, including blogs and discussion boards directly on the platform, file submission to the assignment, or by submitting documents and digital presentations from supporting platforms that can all be accessed through one login. “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.”