Blog Assignment #9

What can teachers and students teach us about Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning is a 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. In PBL, students are active, not passive; a project engages their hearts and mind, and provides real-world relevance for learning. After completing a project, students remember what they learn and can retain it longer than is often the case with traditional instructions. From a teacher stand-point, a project should be meaningful and fulfill two criteria. First, students must perceive the work as personally meaningful, as a task that matters and that they want to do well on. Second, a meaningful project fulfills an educational purpose. Well-designed and well-implemented project-based learning is meaningful in both ways. Also every good projects should incorporate the Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning; a need to know, a driving question, student's voice and choice, 21st century skills, inquiry and innovation, feedback revision, and a publicly presented product. Because of this, students who gain content knowledge with PBL are better able to apply what they know and can do to new situations.

By using Project Based Learning techniques, teachers can teach us how to work together over an extended period of time answering a driving question. Using PBL can teach a person to use collaboration skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and career and life skills. Also PBL allows a person to take advantage of what technology has to offer, such as using Google slides, Google docs, Popplet, QR codes, movie maker, Skype, and several other cool tools that technology has to offer (Project Based Learning for Teachers). Also, when creating a project, it is helpful to know what motivates and excite students to learn. Students can teach us about PBL by explaining their motives, like what catches their attention or what topic is more interesting to them, or what help them stay focus over an extended period of time. In the video What Motivates Students, one of the students mentioned that receiving positive feedback from his teacher helps keep him motivated and make him feel like he accomplished something. Being that I am still a student, I must say that I totally agree with his statement because I still find myself getting excited when I receive good positive feedback from my professors. Positive feedback re-ensures me that I am doing the right thing and makes me want to continue doing my best. By seeking this information, teachers would be better prepare when trying to create a project that he or she find meaningful and exciting for the entire class.