Environmental Project

In Project Based Learning, teachers make learning come alive for students.

Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by developing a public product or presentation for a real audience.

As a result, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills in the context of doing an authentic, meaningful project. Project Based Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.

https://www.pblworks.org/

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge.

Characteristics of Project-Based Learning

Here are three characteristics of meaningful project-based learning activities that lead to deeper student understanding:

Inter-disciplinary

PBL focuses on engaging students with real-world problems. This is an interdisciplinary approach because real-world challenges are rarely solved using information or skills from a single subject area. Projects require students to engage in inquiry, solution building, and product construction to help address the real-world issue or challenge presented. As students do the work, they often use content knowledge and skills from multiple academic domains to successfully complete the project.

Rigorous

Project-Based Learning requires the application of knowledge and skills, not just recall or recognition. Unlike rote learning that assesses a single fact, PBL is more complex and can be used to assess how students apply a variety of academic content in new contexts. As students engage in the work of a project they follow a process that begins with inquiry. Inquiry leads to deeper learning, not just related to academic content, but also related to the use of content in real world applications. Inquiry processes can help lead to the development of solutions that address the problem/challenge of the project and the creation of products to communicate solutions to an audience based upon the application of content and skills.

Student-centered

In PBL, the role of the teacher shifts from content-deliverer to facilitator/ project manager. Students work more independently through the PBL process, with the teacher providing support only when needed. Students are encouraged to make their own decisions about how best to do their work and demonstrate their understanding. The PBL process fosters student independence, ownership of his/her work, and the development of 21st century/workplace skills.