Project Based Learning
Bring learning to life with project based learning
Elaine thinks the best way for her students to learn is to let them apply their thinking to a real world problem or challenge.
“It’s more authentic because the things they’re investigating are tangible and current. They’re in the news or online and not just the stuff of school textbooks or a teacher’s imagination. I’ve seen a huge improvement in things like problem solving, research and collaboration.
“Because the real world experiences are tailored to the interests or learning styles of my students it becomes a fun challenge, not just another piece of school work.”
Planning for Project-Based Learning can be done in these five simple steps and is essential to personalized learning approaches:
- Begin with the end in mind
- Craft the driving question
- Plan the assessment
- Map the project
- Manage the process
Get started!
Latest posts
Project Based Learning More Pigeon PBL My class started publishing books as part of their "" at the end of last school year. Our class requested and received permission to use the characters from one of their favourite authors, Mo Willems. Initially, we published our books online and shared them through blogging and social media. However, my young students REALLY wanted to see their books in print. Thanks to a grant from our school division, my students' wish has come true! Their amazing stories are actually in print! Before we ...
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Project Based Learning National Sweater Day: A Chilling Project! Our most recent project was organizing National Sweater Day at our schools this month to promote energy awareness and energy conservation. National Sweater Day is a which Kindergarten class invited us to take part in. (You can read about their project ) Although this was a "smaller" project compared to some of our more massive PBL undertakings, it was a meaningful learning experience. Students researched National Sweater Day and learned some of the reasons why turning down the heat can help ...
Project Based Learning Step by step with history and ICT in Project Based Learning When I look back upon my life, I get aware how much my students and I appreciate project based learning and how immense its didactic role in our school daily life is. Whatever the topic of the project is – all the interdisciplinary subject areas of PBL open us to the world – its present, past and the future, with all the branches of world knowledge we are interested in. It seems that PBL has always made a big difference in well planned didactic processes, and resulted in tangible achievements ...
Project Based Learning Curiosity in action Working on a video on the most important skills for the XXI st century trainers, I asked myself, if we, as teachers using Project Based Learning, need curiosity too. What about our students? Are they curious about what they do at school or how to make them be curious about at least a few educational areas? What is curiosity? According to Oxford University Dictionary, it is a strong desire to know or learn something. Numerous dictionaries inform that it is a quality related to inquisitive ...
Project Based Learning Knowledge in action – our paths of ICT I have always wanted to do something exciting, something creative, something artistic. As a girl I was taught to play the old piano, my grandma had; I really liked drawing and painting and I loved writing compositions because I dreamt of being a journalist. In fact, I decided to follow in the footsteps of my mum, who as a teacher, had the best of all – she was loved by her students. Since the beginning of my school career, the role of a teacher has changed, although this feeling of being liked ...
Project Based Learning Digital Storytelling Using Microsoft PowerPoint As the coach of our school’s Student Technology Leadership Program, I have had the privilege of engaging students in digital storytelling and entering the best stories into a contest held each year at the state level. My students have been quite successful and have won first place in 4 out of the past 5 years. Each year the students have used Microsoft PowerPoint as the building block for the digital stories. Microsoft PowerPoint is quite flexible, but normally is used for lectures or ...
Project Based Learning Incorporating the creative process in day to day basis to yield effective learning outcome The Creative process allows the creation of new ideas and the solving of problems. The process can be strengthened by instilling a culture of inquiry. The students are allowed to ask questions, share discoveries and test theories. They are allowed to try their ideas or research their questions. The purpose of genuine conversations is not to elicit the right answer from children, but rather to open the door to constructing meaning together. The questions can be "I am curious about……………………………………………...
Project Based Learning Kids Who Code Code-a-thon Our latest project based learning has focused on planning and preparing for hosting our own unique Hour of Code event. On Friday, December 12th our class co-hosted the Code-a-thon with Kindergarten class at Oak Lake Community School. After over the last few weeks, my Grade 2s were very excited to lead their coding activities and share their coding expertise. I was incredibly proud of my students as I watched them teach other (younger and older) students and community members about coding. ...
Project Based Learning Project based learning- Creating a culture of inquiry Project based learning allows the students to create a culture of inquiry by making them curious. They start testing theories, sharing discoveries and move towards innovative solutions. When the students are encouraged to ask know-how and know-why questions, they are indulged with intellectual thirst. Reflecting critically on ideas, actions and outcomes will lend a way for constructive restructuring. It is a teacher's job to give them opportunities to maintain and develop analytic skills. I ...
Project Based Learning Nurture Creativity with Computer Programming As kids, we embrace imaginative play, we ask questions, paint colorful pictures, and build elaborate things with our blocks, but somewhere along the way our capacity for creative thinking diminishes. It’s not because we lack the “creative gene”, we just haven’t reinforced it or, as researcher George Land concludes from his longitudinal study on creativity and divergent thinking, we have "unlearned it". There are many aspects of computer programming that can nurture creativity. And if reinforced...
Project Based Learning Kids Who Code: Exploring and Evaluating Coding Tools The project is well underway in our classroom! Our class has been exploring coding for the last couple of weeks. We've learned that coding is "giving computers instructions/directions" and students have had the chance to try out a variety of coding tools. My students have learned a lot (and so have I!) Here is what we've been up to: Exploration Time: Students have used different devices to explore a variety of coding tools including Lightbot, Hopscotch, Kodable, Code Monkey, ScratchJr., Tynker...
Project Based Learning The Pigeon Meets Flat Matt Once you get the PBL train rolling, it's hard to stop and sometimes... projects collide! My class has been working on the since earlier this spring and they are doing a great job of planning, writing, illustrating and publishing their own books. When we were invited to join the "" project, we enthusiastically accepted. Eventually the two projects collided and The Pigeon met Flat Matt. Here's the details: Matt, also known as "Flat Matt", was sent to us by a 1st Class (six and seven year olds) at ...
Project Based Learning Kids Who Code Code-a-thon Meets Project-Based Learning! My teaching partner and friend, , and I have worked together for a number of years on a variety of learning projects. For the past few years, our collaborations have focused on service-based projects where we have strived to make a difference, both locally and globally. A great deal of rich, real-life learning has taken place, and it has been inspiring to guide our students as they have become change agents in their homes and communities. From selling cookies and iced tea to , to planning and ...
Project Based Learning 'It's the Economy Stupid...' 'It's the economy stupid' is a variation on what was said by Bill Clinton in running for the 1992 election against George W Bush. What Clinton focused on was an obvious issue: without economic growth there would be no prosperity and not much could happen. I was thinking about this and the response to my last post when I was in Buenos Aires a couple of weeks ago at an educational conference. Great people and huge enthusiasm for change. Yet the country struggles in the light of a global economy ...
Project Based Learning Progress Slippage... Looking out at education 2014 to 2015 one cannot help but feel that the global context is getting rather worse. Governments around the world are still wrestling with budget difficulties caused by the 2008 collapse. And now new economic gloom is descending in Europe and the Far East. Meanwhile renewed war and instability in the Middle East, the Ebola outbreak and armed conflict in Ukraine all paint a picture of things spinning out of control. Of course the world has been at such cross roads ...
Project Based Learning Progress with the Pigeon Project If you haven’t yet checked out the Pigeon Project, read about our latest learning adventures and hop over to my classroom blog to see some wonderful student-authored books that my class has recently published! (If you’re up for a romantic story, read . Or perhaps you need a reminder about manners? Try reading . If you love the farm or just enjoy the Pigeon’s hilarious antics, read “. Maybe just read them all if you have time; my students are happy to share their books with you!) Here's our ...
Project Based Learning Decide the theme and design for change The teachers and the students can project their views and identify the real issues and concerns in the community and bring a change for a better world.Diverse issues can be jotted down and the ideas can be implemented with systematic strategies. I have taken an issue for 3 months as a project and thereby planned 4 issues per year. I have devised strategies to implement the same through brainstorming session and by informed choices of the students. So, active participation and motivation was ...
Project Based Learning Project Based Learning and Multiple Intelligences Project based learning situations allow students to choose their own topics and create learning activities based on their interests and capabilities. ,"the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn,remember,perform and understand in different ways." According to his MI theory,we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis,spatial representation,musical thinking,the use of the body to solve problems or to make things,an ...
Project Based Learning I really didn't know that... Learning math could actually be fun! MSEN Community, have you heard about Jumpido? I was amazed when I first saw the video introducing this really cool app. To many of us growing up, math existed in the form of ink on a page, dull numbers that didn't mean much as they lived in a separate world within the textbook. Now with technology, we can make math come to life through platforms such as Xbox Kinect, which tracks movement and allows students to solve math problems through motion! Using ...
Project Based Learning The Pigeon Project: Our Journey to Authoring Pigeon Books I am excited to start a new school year, especially since I know I have a great group of students and parents to work with! For the first time, I am looping up to Grade 2 with my Grade 1 class from last year. I think it is going to be great and I can't wait to see what incredible things we will do together this year! In the whirlwind that occurs during the end of the school year, our class started an incredible writing project. We were so busy that we didn't really even have the chance to share,...
Project Based Learning Computer Programming Helps Develop Math Skills If you are looking for a project-based way to support math learning in the classroom, try computer programming. Several teachers have described to me how they are using Tynker (a creative computing platform) to support math – by easily creating fun math simulations, or creating real-world connections and structured collaboration with math concepts. If kids are creating games with computer programming, they are using and observing math skills in a fun way! Math is a critical skill for kids to ...
Project Based Learning Observations on gender differences while engage in PBL Although the day was so busy with students and usual obstacles and challenges in daily routine at school ,I feel really wonderful at the end of the day.Because i have succeeded with my "tricks" to attract more girls to ICT integrated learning activities! Usually boys lead project activities in the field (outside classroom) and integrate with ICT tools.When the project was started boys initiated with ideas,plans,activities-girls just nodding heads agree or pretend to agree.Activities were assigned...
Project Based Learning Recruiting NOW: Microsoft Global Enterprise Challenge Teachers are increasingly turning to project-based learning to engage students and to bring together all the important 21st century skills they’ll need in higher education and post-school life. At their best, these projects not only teach real-life skills, they also teach collaboration and maybe even connect students to peers in other schools. So when the UK’s Broadclyst Community Primary School (a Microsoft Mentor School) brought its idea for a Global Enterprise Challenge to the Global Forum’s ...
Project Based Learning Robótica desde temprana edad El objetivo es incluir la robótica en el aula, y aprender conceptos iniciales de programación de forma lúdica y práctica. La experiencia se desarrolla en talleres en horario extracurricular con sesiones de 40 estudiantes de 4 a 7 años de edad que asisten a la escuela publica al sur de la capital salvadoreña. CONTENIDOS: Organización Espacial: Direccionalidad y Lateralidad. A modo de juego debemos de llevar al bee bot por el camino correcto para llegar donde se le indica, programando el robot ...
Project Based Learning Something Interesting to Teach Body language! This is excellent so have a look and have a think! How could you use this in a lesson.... ...
Project Based Learning Design an app One of the problems in school is that scenarios - even PBL scenarios -- are not authentic. So business classes can end up making banal products that sell to family and friends based on sympathy rather than actual use. What to do? Well you could start here and learn how to make a real product - an app in this case. See: Yes maybe it sounds crazy. But why not? A lot of new businesses start with a crazy idea and a lot of conviction. Could students do this too? Why not try! ...
Project Based Learning What about an envelope? We all know what an envelope is - something that (mostly) contains paper. But what about a container form ideas at school? Where do we find such an envelope for that? Too often ideas for students appear that show little overall connection. This can be true for PBL as much as anything else, so it all seems as someone wrote about history, 'just one damn thing after another.' So I would like to recommend an idea. A book no less. A short one and a significant one: Jean Francois Rischard: 20 Global ...
Project Based Learning Projects Based Assessment What is the best way or ways for assessment of project based learning? Is it possible to conduct project based assessment on prior learning ( non PBL)? How can each individual be given a score on their individual knowledge building when the final product is a group effort? ...
Project Based Learning Back to the Future: It's all about skills An article by two academics (Frey and Osborne) late last year looks at the number of jobs that are currently under threat from computerisation. By that they mean either robots or computer algorithms. After a lengthy analysis their conclusion is nearly half (47 per cent) of jobs could be replaced (or are being replaced) today and this figure is only likely to go higher in future years as computing power increases. You can read the whole piece here: Straws in the wind maybe but last week the well ...
Project Based Learning One Hour, No Power Challenge My Grade 1s have been working on reducing our classroom energy consumption as part of the . One part of is the One Hour, No Power challenge. The task was to go without power in our classroom for an hour or try to accumulate multiple hours without power. Student Goal Setting: Students chose to aim for accumulating 10 hours without power. For this challenge, the description stated "One hour of no power is defined as one classroom not using power for one hour. That is to say, if you have two ...
Project Based Learning New thoughts on... assessment. Just to summarise: assessment in PBL does not have to be simply or even mostly undertaken by the teacher. There are other routes: External assessment: setting a real life task and having someone from the world of work come and listen to the students talk about their work is always a good idea. The only proviso is that the external person needs a good communicative personality that students can respond to. Peer assessment: this is an increasingly popular avenue in all areas as it allows ...
Project Based Learning A Strong Start to the Track Your Trash project! Our latest focuses on tracking our garbage and finding ways to reduce the amount of trash we create in our classroom. We are learning about measurement right now, so measuring the amount of trash fit well with our current math goals. Our class is good at using a balance scale for comparative measurement, but we had to learn to use a different scale to measure the amount of garbage in our classroom garbage cans. I purchased a new bathroom scale to try, but our garbage was too light to ...
Project Based Learning Our Latest Project: The Classroom Energy Diet Challenge Our latest project work has a little different twist than our usual project based learning format. If you are a teacher using PBL or considering PBL, keep in mind that a challenge or contest can be a great way to incorporate a project into your teaching! We have been participating in the , which is a contest for K-12 students that encourages energy awareness and energy-saving actions. There are key components that I like to include in our projects and this challenge includes a number of those ...
Project Based Learning Project Based Learning Webinar Highlights I was pleased to be a presenter for the webinar on Project Based Learning. The evening presentation which I was part of was not recorded, however you can view the similar morning presentation . Project based learning has become an important part of my approach to teaching and learning. I really enjoyed hearing from the other presenters, and , and it was nice to share what I've learned and experienced with PBL. Some of the key ideas which resonated with me were: The best projects are the "...
Project Based Learning A Topic We Should Pay Attention To Most readers outside of the UK will not have heard of Fahma Mohamed a 17 year old school girl from Bristol in England. In February she led a campaign to stop female genital mutilation and quickly attracted a 250,000 petition in the UK plus the support of Pakistani school girl Malala Yousafzai and UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon. Within a month of launching her campaign Fahma had also met with Michael Gove the Secretary of State for Education for England. He promised to write to all schools ...
Project Based Learning Small project presentation We want to present a small project, which our children presented at the lesson. Anna Sumanskaya is our English teacher (school 1329, Moscow). Please, find bellow her post: "I agree that project work is really important, inspiring and motivating. I also think, it is essential to apply the knowledge acquired during the lessons in order to perform some practical tasks. That is why I always try to think of the assignments that would be both interesting and useful. For example, having learnt the ...
Project Based Learning Find Your Starting Place for PBL If one of your goals for this school year is to give project-based learning a try, now’s the time for a check-in. Have you introduced at least one in-depth inquiry project yet? If so, what have you—and your students—learned from the experience? If not, you may find that spring offers an ideal time to remodel a traditional unit of study into a project that puts students in the driver’s seat of their own learning. Recently, I listened to a team of three grade-one teachers reflect on their first ...
Project Based Learning Promoting Student Engagement and Learning Incorporating the 8 Elements of PBL It is wonderful to join this professional learning community. As a National Faculty member of BIE (BUCK Institute) I wanted to share a posting on Project Based Learning's eight essential elements. As you know PBL is an amazing process that allows students to engage in authentic work while allowing students to discover connections between content and real world applications. PBL is made up of these Eight Elements as identified by researchers and educational experts at BIE (BUCK Institute)… a ...
Project Based Learning More on Character Skills The Jubilee Centre at the University of Birmingham in the UK is very active on the issue of character and its teaching. See here: Personally I think the word 'character' is a bit confusing and also a bit old fashioned. I prefer 'non cognitive skills' reflecting our growing understanding of the psychology of skills development. But there is confusion too about what skills are and which ones are important. Talking to one group in China this week the following 'skills' were mentioned: creativity...
