Best of: On Project Based Learning

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Re-posted from August 10, 2012.
 by Lynne Cagle Cox
Cluster Specialist
Arts, AV Technology & Communication

With the 2012-2013 school year just around the corner, it seems prudent to begin thinking of ways to improve or supplement our classroom instructional offerings for the coming year. Every summer I spend a considerable amount of time dreaming up new ways to entice, excite, engage, and educate my incoming students. Many of my students tell me that I spend my time dreaming of new ways to torture them. Ultimately, my goal is to generate new ways to involve them in learning and to stretch them in their thinking, so perhaps my students are correct in their estimation of my intentions. 

As we are thinking parallel thoughts, I would like to discuss a topic that has recently received increased attention in educational circles: project-based learning. I will begin by stating that I am a staunch supporter of project-based learning. When I taught in the high school classroom, all of my instruction for the entire year was based on the exploration of concepts related to a single, multifaceted, complex project. With my position on the topic firmly in place, I will launch this discussion by dispelling a couple of myths as supported by literature and then share some practical “how-to” ideas.

Myth 1: Project-based learning is new.

In 1918, William Kilpatrick wrote, “The word ‘project’ is perhaps the latest arrival to knock for admittance at the door of educational terminology. Shall we admit the stranger?” (p. 319). Since the topic is now almost 100 years old in educational literature, I think we can confidently say that project-based learning is not a new concept.

 

Myth 2: Everyone knows what project-based learning is.

During a recent meeting of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at my child’s school, I was informed by a fellow parent that she was adamantly opposed to project-based learning. She explained that in her opinion, project-based learning is defined as working in groups with the smart kid, ostensibly hers, doing all of the work and the others riding his/her coattails for an easy grade. My PTA friend is a well-educated and highly respected member of our community. I suspect she probably also scores well on tests of intelligence. Unfortunately, she does not really understand project-based learning. Fortunately, we need not rely on my PTA friend for a definition of the concept. 

In 1928, Kilpatrick defined the concept for us, provided a framework for classifying projects, and identified the primary underlying goal of project-based learning:

We understand the term project to refer to any unit of purposeful experience, any instance of purposeful activity where the dominating purpose, as an inner urge, (1) fixes the aim of the action, (2) guides its process, and (3) furnishes its drive, its inner motivation. (p. 283)

Kilpatrick (1928) classifies projects in four types: Type 1, an experience in which the dominating purpose is to make something; Type 2, an experience in which the purpose is to gain experience; Type 3, an experience where the dominating goal is to solve a problem to understand or explain an intellectual concept or challenge; and Type 4, an experience in which the purpose is to acquire certain knowledge or skill. According to Kilpatrick, the key point of project-based learning is that while a project is in process, the students are so actively engaged in the purpose of the project that they possess an inner drive to influence the outcome, guide their own inquiry, and practice self-motivation. Additionally, specifically for my PTA friend, Kilpatrick goes on to distinguish a difference between group and individual projects and states that both are equally valid methods for implementing project-based learning.

Implementing project-based learning in the CTE classroom.

So, how do we design, develop, and implement project-based learning? What makes a good project? In my opinion, a 2002 article by Dale Preuss does a nice job of summarizing six guiding principles presented in Adria Steinberg’s book Real Learning, Real Work. His summary essentially creates a checklist for us to follow as we go about the work of designing new and innovative ways to entice, excite, and engage our students in learning. For each principle, I will briefly define key terms (based on Merriam-Webster) and then provide a few application thoughts.

Principle 1: Authenticity. 

Definition of authenticity: real. 

Projects must be meaningful beyond the four walls of the classroom. The easiest way for me to gauge the authenticity of a project is to apply the standard of appropriateness in the workplace. If the project is not something that someone would be expected to do in the workplace on a regular basis, then I may want to reconsider including the project in my classroom.

Principle 2: Academic rigor. 

Definition of rigor: challenging. 

Projects should require students to stretch their thinking. In the real world we must combine concepts from various academic disciplines in order to solve meaningful problems. Creating an exhibition catalog, for instance, requires knowledge and skill in graphic design, photography, printing, English and math. In addition, an individual must consider the overall purpose of the catalog as well as the minutiae associated with copyright issues and technical editing. If the individual is working with others on the project, he or she must also be able to communicate in a professional manner. Multidisciplinary thinking is a critical part of project-based learning.

Principle 3: Applied learning. 

Definition of applied: put to practical use. 

Projects must require students to use knowledge in practical yet novel ways. Students need opportunities to practically use information to create new things, solve new problems, and respond to new challenges. Rote learning is essential for some things as long as we provide opportunities to apply that learning in meaningful and practical ways. The standard applied to the authenticity principle is appropriately applied to this principle as well: if students will not be expected to perform a task in the workplace, we may want to reconsider how much classroom time should be spent on the activity.

Principle 4: Active exploration. 

Definition of active: engaged.

Projects need to incorporate opportunities for students to seek out information from various reliable resources. Students can use textbooks for some answers, but should also be encouraged to access and evaluate other sources of information to solve problems. While writing this blog, for instance, I have referred to published scholarly articles, opinion articles, and Wikipedia articles; I have used printed publications and internet-based publications; and I have included anecdotal stories of other’s opinions as well as my own interpretations of the information based on my past professional experiences. Students should be required to use multiple sources when solving problems or responding to challenges.

Principle 5: Adult relationships. 

Definition of relationship: kinship.

Projects should incorporate opportunities for students into interact and work with members of the business community in meaningful ways. The word kinship implies a bond between people. We can look to the late Middle Ages at apprenticeships primarily in the trades and crafts for inspiration on creating modern opportunities for students to work with adults. Guest speakers and field trips are wonderful activities, but students also need opportunities to investigate and solve real problems with business professionals so they understand how those adults think, communicate, and work.

Principle 6: Assessment practices. 

Definition of assess: to determine the importance or value of something. 

Projects should provide multiple opportunities for students to assess their process, their progress, and their products. Assessment means more than assigning a grade to a final product. Assessment is a multifaceted, interactive process that should involve self-reflection, peer review, and professional evaluation. Traditional approaches to assessment (quizzes, papers, exams, etc.) are appropriate when they are paired with authentic assessment (presentations, discussions, exhibitions, portfolios, etc.).

Final thoughts.

To reiterate Kilpatrick’s premise, at the heart of project-based learning is student self-motivation: self-motivation to know, do, and learn. The teacher’s responsibility is to design projects that students can relate to and are interested in understanding as this is one of the best ways to set the stage for self-motivation. A Chinese proverb states, “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

I hope you will spend some time this summer thinking about how you can structure your instructional content around a meaningful project or group of projects. Start small with one project to test the waters then progress into more complex projects. Project-based learning works – especially in CTE classrooms.

For further study:

Apprenticeship. (June 17, 2012). Retrieved on July 16, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprenticeship

Kilpatrick, W. H. (1918). The project method. Teachers College Record, 19, 319-35.

Kilpatrick, W. H. (1921). Dangers and difficulties of the project method and how to overcome them: Introductory statement and definition of terms. Teachers College Record, 22(4), 283–288.

Preuss, D. A. (2002). Creating a project-based curriculum. Tech Directions, 62(3), p. 16-18. Provides a summary of benefits of project-based learning and characteristics of project-based activities. The steps of creating project-based curriculum are discussed.

Scott, J. L. and Sarkees-Wircenski, M. (2008). Overview of career and technical education (4th ed.). Orland Park, IL: American Technical Publishers. Provides a broad overview of the history of career and technical education. Includes a discussion of early forms of education for work, an in-depth description of modern career and technical programs, and a chronology of relevant legislation.