Running Head: WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

How Project-Based Learning Helps Our Students

Lindsey M. Blum
Waxahachie Global High School

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Table of Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................... Pg. 3
Introduction, A Brief History........................................................................................ Pg. 4
Figure 1, Elements of Project-Based Learning ............................................................. Pg. 5
Founders of Project-Based Learning ............................................................................ Pg. 6
Project-Based Learning in More Depth ........................................................................ Pg. 7
Benefits of Project-Based Learning, Figure 2............................................................... Pg. 8
Conclusion .................................................................................................................... Pg. 9
Figure 3 ............................................................................................... Pg. 10
Appendix ............................................................................................. Pg. 11
References ..................................................................................... Pgs. 12,13

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Abstract
Project-based learning is actually an old concept of learning by doing
that dates back to the time period of Aristotle; but with increased technology it feels more
like a modern 21st century idea that is currently being reinforced throughout different
schools (Ritz, 2014). Research has proven that there are many benefits to project-based
learning, such as a motivation to learn, as well as a higher percentage of retained
information (Buck Institute of Education, n.d.). However, some schools and educators are
unaware of this teaching technique. Successful ways to carry out this method of teaching
require a shift in the normal pattern of teaching, how facilitators define learning, and the
way teachers plan their lessons (Hosler 2014). In addition, ready and available resources,
the proper technology, good time management, and student cooperation are obstacles that
teachers have to face with project-based learning.
KEY WORDS: project-based learning, education, classroom lessons,
hands-on learning, technology

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Introduction
Encouraging students to learn has become increasingly harder due to the
many distractions that students face. Many students find school boring or not fun
(Schunk 2014) and it causes them to turn away from the idea of achieving and reinforcing
their education. This is where project-based learning comes in. What exactly is projectbased learning? It is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by
working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question,
problem, or challenge (Ritz 2014). PBL takes students who are apart from and makes
them a part of in ways that benefit all! Most importantly, PBL allows students to
experience impacts and outcomes that shape their lives, attitudes and self-esteem a true
triple bottom line from which we all prosper, he says on his education blog devoted to
creative teaching methods and their benefits.
A Brief History
Project-based learning has been around since before the early 1900s. The
George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) says the foundations of the movement
can be traced back to Confucius, Aristotle and Socrates, all of whom fashioned and
modeled the merits of learning through experience. More recently, the roots of PBL as a
practical classroom application can be traced to John Dewey (Hosler 2014), who was an
educational theorist and philosopher (NEA 2014), and his 1897 book My Pedagogical
Creed, which recommended learning by doing.

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Dewey, figure 1, was one of the first few that challenged the traditional
view of the student as a passive recipient of knowledge and the teacher as the transmitter
of a static body of facts (Boss 2011). Dewey is quoted with saying Education is not
preparation for life; education is life itself.

Figure 1. John Dewey; Educator, Philosopher

Elements of Project-Based Learning

PBL is also referred to as Problem Based Learning but that is usually
only focused on the mathematical and technological aspects of education where as
Project-based Learning can be aimed towards a variety, if not all, of school subjects.
The center for teaching, learning and scholarships (CTLS) offers a wide collection of
resources to support Samford Universitys faculty, staff, and administrations desire to be
Leaders in Learning (Samford 2009), and by doing this they are encouraging PBL
teachings and methods of instruction. In 1991 Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson
wrote and published a highly successful book called The Seven Principles of Good
Practice in Undergraduate Education. Their book highlights elements that are key for
effective student learning and for teachers instructional design. The principles are as
follows:

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

1.) Good practice encourages student-faculty contact.

2.) Good practice encourages active learning.
3.) Good practice delivers prompt feedback.
4.) Good practice emphasizes on task.
5.) Good practice communicates high expectations.
6.) Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning.
These Good Practice Principles are the foundation of project-based
curriculums and are what teachers base their fundamental goals on. This is a short excerpt
from the book, The Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
itself:
These seven principles are not ten commandments shrunk to a 20th century attention
span. They are intended as guidelines for faculty members, students, and administrators
with support from state agencies and trustees to improve teaching and learning.
These principles seem like good common sense, and they are because many teachers
and students have experienced them and because research supports them. They rest on 50
years of research on the way teachers teach and students learn, how students work and
play with one another, and how students and faculty talk to each other (Chickering and
Gamson 1991). Chickering and Gamson were so successful that their ideas are still being
used and quoted by today.
Founders of Project-Based Learning
Though project-based learning rests on many antecedent practices, much
of the practice in the 1990s broke new ground by establishing real-world context, adult
connections, student exhibitions and worldwide publication, and authentic assessment

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

(Pearlman 2014). The Autodesk Foundation receives much due credit for bringing
project-based learning to the attention of multiple educators across the country during the
1990s via the internet. Founded by Joe Oakey, former Commissioner of Education in
Vermont and Micronesia and former manager of Autodesk, Inc.s Education Department,
the Foundation spread the word both nationally and internationally about project-based
learning from 1992 until its end in 2000.
Project-Based Learning in More Depth
The Autodesk Foundation supported schools and practitioners through the
Tinkertech network, and the Project-Based Learning Network, and through the annual
Kids Who Know and Do conference. Their ideas and mentalities swept the nation like an
oceans riptide and left their good intentions in their path. Educators and facilitators
quickly grabbed hold of this newfound method of teaching and began to see results right
away. In a project-based learning classroom, the students are the center and everything
focuses on them. The teacher acts as the facilitator for the learning, and their main role is
to prompt thinking by asking questions, planning meaningful activities, and assessing
student progress and growth. The projects created are based on real-world problems or
scenarios that need a solution or has one that needs to be reevaluated or investigated.
Students in project-based learning classrooms are grouped together to
complete the project and work together to solve problems that they encounter along the
way. There has been strong evidence of student growth in low- income schools that use
problem-based learning strategies according to the NMC 2012 Education Edition
magazine. The reason for this growth is the self-motivation in learning and working with
others. Once students became invested in their own learning, their self-esteem rose and so

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

did their achievement (NMC 2012). Scholastic's Administr@tor Magazine notes that
while there are no official statistics on PBL's increasing popularity, a large amount of
new PBL-based schools have emerged. For example, the New Technology High School,
a project-based learning centered school that got its start in California in 1996, just less
than six years after the idea was introduced! According to Education World, there are
now about 40 New Tech schools nationwide, and each year more schools are launched or
reformed with a project-based learning point of view (Hosler 2014).
Benefits of Project-Based Learning
One of the most notable benefits of project-based learning is its
transformative effect on a student's thought process. According to a study published by
the people of the American Psychological Association (2001), when students' primary
objective is to overcome conflict, rather than avoid it completely, skills like memory and
reading comprehension soar. This is why so many schools throughout America have
decided to make the switch from traditional teachings. A 2013 interview with members
and faculty of the Elizabeth Forward School District in Pennsylvania, showed just how
much a project-based classroom helped their students, and gave insight as to why they
carried out the change in their curriculum.
The Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Bart Rocco, figure 2, said about their
schooling system, We were losing children, not only to cyber and charter schools, but
also because of dropouts. They were just

Figure 2. Dr. Bart Rocco

disinterested with school.

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

An actual student, whose first name is Dennis, spoke about his opinions of school before
the curriculum was changed as well; I felt like I wanted to just drop out of school
altogether. I didnt want to be here. In 2013 the Elizabeth Forward School District got a
makeover and changed their classrooms to be more technology friendly and replaced
individual desks with a few round tables. Students today need to be challenged in an
environment with curriculum that is engaging them and that prepares them for the world
in which they are going to advert, says Dr. Rocco. Dennis goes on then to talk about the
drastic change in his grades. Before [project-based learning] I had about a .857 GPA.
And now [because of project-based learning] Im pushing the honor-roll.

Conclusion

Students learn better and retain information more when they are able to
physically experience what is being taught to them. Projects that incorporate essentials,
figure 3, of hands-on activities are proven to increase student interest as well as student
motivation. Not only will PBL impact students, it will also impact teachers as well;
teachers get just as enthusiastic as the students (Keruskin 2014). In the appendix (page
10) there is a brief description of a PBL teacher who is taking an even more unique
approach to project-based learning.

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Fig. 3 PBL Essentials

10

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11

Appendix: A Different Approach

Teachers around the world are changing to fit project-based ideas and
there are many different ways to approach these changes. Sam Seidel wrote a book called
Hip-Hop Genius where he talked about schools teaching curriculum with hands-on
projects involving song writing. In the video shown on his blog, he says that
incorporating hip hop cultures and values into a students education will help students be
able to trust their teachers by connecting on a middle-ground level of similar interests and
have more of a personalized approach to their schoolwork and homework.
In the United Way High School for Recording Arts, students are allowed
the opportunity to take a subject that they are learning and make a song with the
information they research, and present it to the community. This ensures that the students
present something that has real meaning to them and that the students have a direct
impact on the world (Siedel, 2011). Sam Siedels contribution to the world is just one
example of project and problem-based learning being enforced around the globe.

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12

References

Boss, S. (2011, September 20). Project-based learning: A short history. Retrieved from
http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-history, October 31, 2014.

Buck Institute for Education (2013, November 26). BIE [Keep It Real]. Retrieved from
http://bie.org/object/video/keep_it_real .

Chickering, A., & Gamson, Z. (1991). Chickering and Gamson 7 rules for undergraduate
education. Retrieved from http://citt.ufl.edu/tools/chickering-and-gamson7-rules-for-undergraduate-education/ November 3, 2014.

Hosler, A. (2014, November 2). Virtual workshop: Project-based and problem-based

learning. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/
virtualwkshp/virtualwkshp002.shtmlNovember 4, 2014.

Pearlman, B. (2014, June 12). Project-based learning. Retrieved from

http://www.bobpearlman.org/BestPractices/PBL.htm November 4, 2014.

Research Spotlight on Project-Based Learning. (2014, May 1). Retrieved from

http://www.nea.org/tools/16963.htm November 6, 2014.

Ritz, S. (2014, October 13). Blog. Retrieved October 31, 2014.

Schunk, D., Pintrich, P., & Meece, J. (2014, May 7). Why are so many students bored
in school? Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/
why-so-many-students-bored-school/ November 2, 2014.

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University, S. (2009). Course Design and Assessment. Retrieved from

http://web.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/cgibin/docs/newsletter/problem_based_learning.pdf November
2, 2014.

Zulama (2013). Zulama [video file]. Retrieved from

http://zulama.com/resources/videos/ November 8, 2014.

John Dewey [picture file]. Retrieved from http://dewey.pragmatism.org/ November 10,

2014.

Bart Rocco [picture file]. Retrieved from http://info.esparklearning.com/elizabethforward November 10, 2014.