"Some "projects" border on busywork. Others involve meaningful inquiry that engages students' minds."-(Larmer & Mergendoller, 2023)
In order for PBL to be effective, it has to include 7 crucial ingredients. These ingredients should guide your planning of PBL. If it does not contain these key elements, then it is just another project and will not engage your learners the way we hope. These elements include the following:
1. A need to know the content
Many times we develop a lesson with all the bells and whistles just to find that our students did not learn or retain any of the information. It can be frustrating when we had high hopes. The reason that this happens is because many of our students find the content meaningless. They do not foresee themselves needing the information anytime in the near future. Just telling them that the content will be on a test is not a meaningful enough reason. However, if we explain to them that they need to know the information for a real-life scenario, which they will be playing a part in, it will get them engaged and create a reason for them to need to know the content.
2. A driving question
Have you ever asked a student what they are doing when they are working on assignments and they have no clue? Yeah, same here! This is because there is not a driving question. A driving question provides purpose to the project. The student knows exactly why they are doing the project and what they are working to solve. So now instead of "I don't know", they will be able to give you (or admin if you happen to have a walk-through), an exact reason why they are working on the project and what they are attempting to solve or do.
3. Student Voice & Choice
By giving your students a voice and choice in their learning they will feel more connected to the project and therefore the content. Now this does not mean let them go wild by no means. I teach 4th graders and they simply could not handle that. They need structure and more guidance than say high schoolers who could probably handle finding and using an assortment of media, websites, and applications. However, there is a way to allow them to still have choices in their work. For example, if I was to tell them they needed to make a presentation to improve pollution conditions in the United States, they could choose how they want to deliver this presentation. I would probably also use a choice board outlining their options. Those options would include slides, video, podcast, brochure, poster, or website. Before I turn them loose, we would brainstorm a checklist of what this presentation should include, the structure it should have to make the message clear, and a rubric that they can refer to along the way. Without doing this my students would easily become overwhelmed and frustrated. After we developed the checklist, structure, and rubric they would be free to start their project.
4. 21st Century Skills
Having students build skills that they will use in the real-world is crucial for their development into adulthood. The earlier we have them develop these skills, the better. These skills include collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, and the use of technology. The PBL model is designed to give students the opportunities to utilize and perfect these skills before they enter into their careers. Most students do not encounter these things until they are much older. They will use these skills for the rest of their lives, so it is important that we get them acclimated to them early on. This will prepare them for the numerous hurdles they will face from now on and lead them to be quick thinkers and ultimately leaders. They also need to be able to assess & critique themselves throughout the process. When entering into their professions and even everyday life, they need to be able reflect, assess, and adjust if something is not going according to plan. Students need to be taught these skills in order to develop the habit of implementing them.
5. Inquiry and Innovation
Questions lead to learning. By the end of the project your students should have more questions that they have researched and explored than just the driving question. They should not merely just copy and paste answers. Quality PBL involves inquiry and research to really understand what they are attempting to solve. For example, in regards to pollution they need to be able to determine what caused the problem in the first place, what are the effects of the problem, and how could it have been prevented. With that being said, curiosity drives innovation. Through questioning and research they will be able to innovate new solutions to their problem. They will be able to establish new methods, develop new ideas, and maybe even invent new products! Heres to hoping that one of our little innovators will be the next Shark Tank inventor!
6. Feedback and Revision
It is important for students to receive feedback and critiquing along the journey and not just at the end of the project. This is an important part of PBL as it teaches students that their first attempt is probably not the best and it is natural for even the geniuses of the world to have to go back and revise their work. It is vital for students to realize that qualitative work is better that quantitative. When giving the feedback, students need to be trained to use a constructed rubric so that both sides know the expectations. Not only does the feedback need to come from the teacher, but also their peers. When students know that other people will be reviewing their work they take more care in ensuring they are trying their best. After receiving this feedback students need to make a routine habit of making revisions based on the feedback they received. This is another life-long skill students will utilize from now on. Might as well get them adjusted to it now! In order for this to be effective a trusted community environment should be developed within the classroom. Students should feel supported from peers and the teacher so that when they receive the feedback they know it is intended to be helpful rather than harmful.
7. Public Presentation
The final key element of PBL is the public presentation. Students need to be able to present their projects to outsiders (if possible the people that will benefit from the project). Outsiders can be any audience that is not in the classroom. The presentation should also be held in an area outside the classroom walls. This creates a sense of importance for the project rather than just another daily classroom task. Students deserve the opportunity to get their work recognized. When they know that other people will be seeing their final projects, they will work hard to impress and showcase their best!
"Even a poster can be meaning-heavy if it's part of a project embodying the seven essential elements of project-based learning." -(Larmer & Mergendoller, 2023)
References:
Larmer, J & Mergendoller, J. (2023) Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/seven-essentials-for-project-based-learning
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