What Is Project-Based Learning?
Project-based learning is a form of experiential education that involves students in real-world projects, many of which happen outside the classroom. This approach to education has grown in popularity over the past several years and has become a key part of many school curricula because it teaches students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world situations.
Project-based learning can be used in elementary school, middle school, high school, and even college classrooms. In addition to being an effective teaching method for helping students learn subject matter such as science, English, history, and math, it also provides them with valuable life skills such as teamwork and critical thinking.
What Are the Benefits of Project-Based Learning?
Project-based learning is a powerful way to engage students, encourage critical thinking, and help them develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
Here are some of the benefits:
- Projects motivate students to learn because they are invested in an outcome. When they have to create something, they have a stake in their learning. This can help students stay focused and interested in what they are doing.
- Projects allow students to develop their skills in a variety of ways. They might need to research information online, communicate with others via email or text message (or even social media), organize their thoughts on paper, or use various software programs or apps on the computer. They will learn how these tools work together as part of a project that is meaningful to them — and this will help them get ready for the real world where these technologies are used every day!
- Projects give students opportunities for reflection and self-evaluation as well as collaboration with others (whether from their own school or from across the globe). These experiences can help kids become more self-aware learners who know how they learn best — and that knowledge will benefit them throughout their academic careers as well as later in life when they might take on new roles at work or home!
How Do I Implement Project-Based Learning in My Classroom?
Implementing project-based learning in your classroom is simple. Here’s how:
- Choose a topic for your project.
- Have students research their topic and come up with a question based on what they have learned.
- Have students formulate a hypothesis based on their question and start to form an argument around why they think their hypothesis is correct or incorrect.
- Once they have formulated an argument, give students time to find evidence to support their claim (i.e., primary sources or data) and then allow them to share their findings with the class — this part will be most rewarding for them!
- After students have presented their findings, ask them how they would answer the original question differently now that they have seen different perspectives through their research methods and findings.
