Exploring Project-Based Learning
How Students Tackle Real-World Problems
By Sheila Dayton and Everett Catts
When we think of education, we often picture a classroom full of students sitting at their desks, watching with various levels of interest as a teacher stands in front of the blackboard discussing the day’s lesson.
But these days, there are many different education methods, including ones like Montessori and experiential learning. where students take a more hands-on approach.
One such method that has been gaining in popularity is project-based learning (PBL), in which students learn by engaging in long-term projects, developing helpful life skills in the process. In fact, many different metro Atlanta schools and school systems incorporate PBL into their curricula.
So what is project-based learning, and what are the advantages to this style of learning?
What Makes PBL Different?
Instead of a traditional classroom where students sit and listen to a teacher’s lecture, PBL classes feature students working together toward a common goal, developing skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving.
In PBL, students work on extended projects over a period ranging from days to months, applying lessons from across different academic disciplines. And they direct their own learning by making their own decisions, rather than following a teacher’s instructions; the teacher might work as more of a facilitator or a sounding board.
At the earlier grade levels, project-based learning programs may introduce students to such concepts as collaboration and working together toward a common goal.
At Pace Academy in Buckhead, for example, second graders take part in a PBL program in which they explore the question of “How does food tell the story of past and present cultures?” says Amy Underwood, lower school director of curriculum and professional development.
“The classes partner with their families to get family recipes, and the parents come into the classroom and prepare the dishes, and the students help make them,” she says. “They put it all together in a recipe book that will be shared with our community.”
In addition, PBL allows students to apply lessons they learn in a real-world setting.
At Wesleyan School, an independent Christian school in Peachtree Corners, students begin studying a foreign language early on, learning Spanish during their first three years of school, says Glenn Archer, chair of the school’s Bible department.
“So we’re looking at ways where students can practice that knowledge and apply it by going on a service trip somewhere around the world and immerse themselves in that culture,” he says.
By embarking on a mission trip to a nation where Spanish is the primary language, the students interact with locals in Spanish, applying their language lessons in a real-world context that wouldn’t be possible in a classroom.
“As much as you can read an article in Spanish, if you can go somewhere where Spanish is spoken, it will accelerate the student’s learning and understanding of the material,” he says.
Solving Problems Beyond the Classroom
Another common component of PBL is that it encourages students to tackle problems and pursue projects outside of the classroom setting.
This approach provides students with “a framework that emphasizes real-world application, critical thinking, and hands-on experiences,” says Rebecca Williams, executive director of academic programs for Fulton County Schools. “It increases student engagement, and it increases collaboration, which as we know is an essential skill for work and life.”
Tommy Usher, chief of schools for Atlanta Public Schools, describes project-based learning as “an instructional approach that actively engages students in real-world projects or problems.”APS employs PBL in 31 of its more than 70 schools.
At Warren T. Jackson Elementary School in Buckhead, PBL takes the form of a program in which fourth-grade students grow thousands of trout from eggs and eventually release them into the Chattahoochee River.
The students nurture the fish from the fertilization process all the way through to adulthood, and house them in special aquamarine “labitats” on the school campus, says Usher. “Once the eggs hatch, the students care for the fish until they release them into the Chattahoochee River. This is done twice a year, once in the fall and again in the spring.”
As the students care for the eggs, they learn to problem-solve as challenges arise.
“Last fall, students had an added problem to solve,” says Usher. “they had to figure out why many of their fish were dying or missing from the labitat. After noticing lots of bird droppings in the area, the students deduced that birds were eating the fish. Consequently, they designed a screen to cover the labitat.”
Wildlife is also the focus of Woodward Academy’s endangered animal project, in which fourth graders use different tools including modeling clay and TinkerCad 3-D design software to design habitats and ecosystems for different animals.
“We incorporate two main types of experiences: traditional project-based learning and shorter performance tasks,” says Conne White, Woodward’s director of learning and innovation.
“Both are designed to align academic learning with real-world contexts. Students engage in learning that’s set in meaningful, real-world scenarios and often target a real audience beyond the classroom,” she continues.