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| Harnessing the Power of Project-Based Learning |
Learn about project-based learning and its benefits. Read more › |
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Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning has gained a greater foothold in the classroom as researchers have documented what teachers have long understood: Students become more engaged in learning when they have a chance to dig into complex, challenging, and sometimes even messy problems that closely resemble real life.
Technology and project-based learning go hand-in-hand; the realistic nature of project work naturally leads students to use technology as they plan project work, collaborate with group members, solve problems, and share their work with others. A browse through the collection of unit plans demonstrates the range of places that technology supports authentic tasks during project work and final products and performances.
Roles Change in the Project-Centered Classroom
As teachers and students work together on projects, their roles change. Students become more active in their own education, making thoughtful decisions about the path their learning will take. Project work has students planning their progress with teammates, managing multiple tasks with open-ended outcomes, meeting deadlines, and presenting the results in embedded assessment of performance or products. No longer passive recipients of knowledge, their higher-order thinking skills are brought to bear as they analyze, synthesize and evaluate information on their way to constructing new meaning. As they gain new understanding, they also practice thinking, studying, and collaborating in ways that will serve them the rest of their lives.
Teachers' roles change, too. Acting less as dispensers of information and more as agents of meaning, teachers change how they plan, instruct, and interact with students. In project work, when the lines blur between traditional subjects and open-ended learning processes get messy, good planning becomes more important than ever. Teachers who plan projects based on a foundation of sound design principles ensure that students meet important learning objectives.
Planning Is Key
Developing effective projects that balance rigorous content objectives with student-driven tasks and outcomes takes time and skill. The best projects result from careful planning and anticipation of every detail. Fortunately, teachers can turn to each other, share their best work, and borrow from each other's successes. The Unit and Project Plans resource is designed to help teachers plan for project-based learning. Readings, design ideas and templates, unit plans, and teaching strategies help teachers plan and implement project-based instruction.
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