Project-Based Learning ITECH 711 Summer 2007 Trena Noval, Instructor

Why PBL in the classroom? Builds on children’s individual strengths, and allows them to explore their interests in the framework of a defined curriculum. It is a holistic instructional strategy rather than an add-on. Project- based work is an important part of the learning process. Students have some choice of topic as well as the nature and extent of content of the project. Students can shape their project to fit their own interests and abilities. The teacher acts as a facilitator, designing activities and providing resources and advise to students as they pursue their investigations. Students conduct research using multiple sources of information, such as books, online databases, videotapes, personal interviews (in-person or conducted via telecommunications), and their own experiments. The project usually cuts across a number of disciplines. Students are expected to draw upon a broad range of knowledge and skills, and to "stretch" their knowledge and skills.

Benefits of PBL Enables students to make and see connections between disciplines Provides opportunities to contribute to their school or community Increases self-esteem and motivation. Children take pride in accomplishing something that has value outside the classroom Allows children to use their individual learning strengths and diverse approaches to learning

Benefits continued… Providing collaborative opportunities to construct knowledge, hands-on and cooperative learning experiences Provides a practical, real-world way to learn to use technology Increases problem-solving ability. Research on improving students' higher-order cognitive skills emphasizes the need for students to engage in problem-solving tasks and the need for specific instruction on how to attack and solve problems

Creating and implementing PBL Identifying Goals and Objectives 1. What important cognitive skills do I want my students to develop? (e.g., to use algebra to solve everyday problems, to write persuasively). Use state or district standards as a guide. 2. What social and affective skills do I want my students to develop? (e.g., develop teamwork skills). 3. What meta-cognitive skills do I want my students to develop? (e.g., reflect on the research process they use, evaluate its effectiveness, and determine methods of improvement). 4. What types of problems do I want my students to be able to solve? (e.g., know how to do research, apply the scientific method) What concepts and principles do I want my students to be able to apply? (e.g., apply basic principles of ecology and conservation in their lives, understand cause-and-effect relationships).

Planning Start early - make sure you give yourself enough planning time and account for the time it will take students to successfully complete the project. Be clear about alignment of content to standards. Map out what concepts you plans to teach month by month, so that you can see overlap in different classes and can identify what content will be covered to ensure that the students learn a concept necessary for a project. Make sure that your project will help students to meet benchmarks. Schedule time for students to work on in class and make clear what parts of the project will need to be accomplished outside of class Create a project rubric so that students understands what is expected of them.

Some Ideas Design a living history museum or recreate an historical event. Design and plan a community or campus garden to study plant cycles and growth. Develop a newsletter or Web site on a specific issue relevant to the school or community or curriculum topic (school safety, recycling, how businesses can save energy and reduce waste, etc). Create a wildlife or botanical guide for a local wildlife area. Create an oral history project where students interview their grandparents or other seniors in their community.

PBL and Assessment Assessments: Measure how well the students have met the instructional goals. If the instructional goals are identified before starting the project, both the teacher and student will better understand what needs to be learned and how the learning will be assessed. Set up timelines and project deadlines in advance to provide a structure for project activities. Work together with other teachers to share resources.

Assessment Questions Here are some questions you can ask to find our if your students are meeting project goals: Do they: Match specific instructional intentions? (use models, graphs to solve problems, analyze relationships) Represent skills students are expected to attain? Enable students to demonstrate progress and capabilities? Match real-world activities? Cut across disciplines? Provide measures of several goals?

Assessment continued… Achievement: Focus on outcomes of student learning to monitor progress and determine grades. Diagnosis and Improvement: Focus on process and look at student strengths and weaknesses to identify appropriate programs and students’ learning strategies planning and implementation Reflection  Make sure is time at the end of each project for student reflection about challenges and successes. Make sure that you give yourself time to reflect in the same way. Have students also share what they learned to give them to bring their learning into the forefront of a group dialogue.

References Project-Based Instruction: Creating Excitement for Learning. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (2002). Foundations for The Road Ahead: Project-Based Learning and Information Technologies (1997). International Society for Technology in Education. ad_Ahead_Background_Papers_1997_/Project- Based_Learning.htm#Characteristics ad_Ahead_Background_Papers_1997_/Project- Based_Learning.htm#Characteristics George Lucas Educational Foundation: Special Thanks to Mercedes del Rosario, Instructor, ITECH, SFSU