Presenters: Tania Crane

“ Project work in the curriculum promotes children’s intellectual development by engaging their minds in observation and investigation of selected aspects of their experiences and environment, ideally those aspects worthy of their attention and energy”
(Katz and Chard, 2)
Katz, Lillian & Sylvia Chard. Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach 2 nd Edition. Ablex
Publishing Corporation. Stamford: Connecticut.

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Is an instructional method centered on the learner
Allows in-depth investigation of a topic worth learning more about
Learners represent what they know through a personally-meaningful artifact
Students have more autonomy over what they learn and take more responsibility for their learning
Learners shape their project to fit their own interest and abilities
Enables the expression of diversity in learners, such as interest, abilities and learning styles
Getting a Grip on Project-Based Learning: Theory, Cases and Recommendations- Michael M. Grant

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Katz & Chard use the term project to refer to an “indepth study of a particular topic, usually undertaken by a whole class working on subtopics in small groups, sometimes by a small group of children within the class, and occasionally by an individual child” (Katz and
Chard, 2).
Katz, Lillian & Sylvia Chard. Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach 2 nd Edition. Ablex
Publishing Corporation. Stamford: Connecticut.

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A key feature of a project, according to Katz and
Chard is that it is an investigation—where children are seeking answers to questions that are formulated by themselves or in cooperation with their teacher and that arise as the investigation proceeds
The exploring and investigating a topic can usually extends over a period of days or weeks depending on the children’s age and nature of the topic
Katz, Lillian & Sylvia Chard. Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach 2
Corporation. Stamford: Connecticut.
nd Edition. Ablex Publishing

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“To cultivate the life of the young child’s mind” (Katz & Chard, 5)
Encourages students to pose questions, pursue and solve puzzles, and increase their awareness of significant phenomena around them
“Children’s minds are engaged in ways that deepen their understanding of their own experiences and environment and thereby strengthen their confidence in their own intellectual powers” (Katz & Chard, 7).
…are for adults and children to experience their lives together
…are for the children to experience the class as a community
…are for teachers themselves to experience their work as engaging and challenging
Katz, Lillian & Sylvia Chard. Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach 2
Corporation. Stamford: Connecticut.
nd Edition. Ablex Publishing

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What does Project Based Learning Look Like?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGes
Rz8

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According to the Buck Institute for Education
(BIE), project-based learning has its roots in experiential education and the philosophy of
John Dewey
The method of project-based learning emerged due to developments in learning theory in the past 25 years

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The BIE suggests, “Research in neuroscience and psychology has extended cognitive and behavioral models of learning — which support traditional direct instruction — to show that knowledge, thinking, doing, and the contexts for learning are inextricably tied.” (Heather Coffey)
Learning is a social activity-- teaching methods can scaffold on students’ prior experiences and include a focus on community and culture
More technological and global society--teachers realize that they must prepare students not only to think about new information, but they also must engage them in tasks that prepare them for this global citizenship
Based on the developments in cognitive research and the changing modern educational environment in the latter part of the 20th Century, project-based learning has gained popularity.
 http://www.bie.org/

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Project-based science:
◦ Emphasis is placed on a driving question to guide an investigation
◦ In teams, the class performs similar experiments and collects data to help answer the driving questions, and the students help determine how the data is analyzed, what it means and how the results will be presented
◦ This process take a considerable amount of time and requires that students to work collaboratively and collectively
◦ The process, in the end, is representative of authentic scientific investigation
Getting a Grip on Project-Based Learning: Theory, Cases and Recommendations- Michael M. Grant

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WebQuests:
◦ Usually are inquiry-oriented
◦ Require an engaging task or project
◦ Uses a predefined list of resources, that are prescreened by the teacher, from:
 World Wide Web (primarily); Textbooks; CD-ROM; Videos; Subject matter experts
◦ Focus is on using information instead of looking for
◦ can incorporate cooperative or collaborative artifacts and guidance on cognitive and social skills
◦ Often includes an embedded scenario or role for the student to play—or the anchor
◦ They provide an opportunity to reflect on the inquiry process and on an individual’s results
Getting a Grip on Project-Based Learning: Theory, Cases and Recommendations- Michael M. Grant

Phase 1
• Teacher either introduces a topic or it is selected in agreement between teacher and the children
• Pool prior knowledge on topic
• Teacher helps students formulate inquiry questions
• Discussions, conducting investigations, classroom visitors
Phase 2
• Teachers are enabling students to learn new information
• encourage independent work; support and encouragement when needed
• Classroom visitors
• Teacher may collect related books, objects or artifacts for children to study
Phase 3
• Teacher helps students bring their project to a completion
• Students summarize what they have learned
• Gallery walk and a celebration of work accomplished

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An introduction to “set the stage” or anchor the activity
A task, guiding question or driving question
A process or investigation that results in the creation of one or more sharable artifacts
Resources, such as subject-matter experts, textbooks and hypertext links
Scaffolding, such as teacher conferences to help learners assess their progress, computer-based questioning and project templates
Collaboration, including teams, peer reviews and external content specialists
Opportunities for reflection and transfer, such as classroom debriefing sessions, journal entries and extension activities
Getting a Grip on Project-Based Learning: Theory, Cases and Recommendations- Michael M. Grant

http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/win2002/514/ holocaust
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Getting a Grip on Project-Based Learning: Theory, Cases and Recommendations- Michael M.
Grant

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Topic selection
Facilitator
To provide expertise and specialized resources
Helping children with difficulties they are likely to encounter
Advisor
Modeling inquiring disposition
Teachers can help children to adopt criteria or develop rubrics for evaluating their efforts by encouraging them to think about whether the work is as clear, detailed, accurate or as complete as it could be
Teachers can encourage children to create second or third drafts of how they wish to display findings
A teacher can indicate his/her criteria as to how they are going to assess the students work
Debriefing learners
Katz, Lillian & Sylvia Chard.
Connecticut.
Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach 2 nd Edition. Ablex Publishing Corporation. Stamford:

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Third Grade Classroom Teacher notes:
“By giving children the tools and opportunities to self-assess and self-evaluate their work, we are teaching children to become responsible for their learning and to be responsible for what is expected of them”
(Katz & Chard, 17).

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 work in small, collaborative groups in the project-based learning model
Self managers
◦ Find sources
◦ Conduct research
◦ Hold each other responsible for learning and the completion of tasks throughout
Ask thought provoking questions
To ask for assistance
Be motivated and responsible for their own learning and the learning of others

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Project-based learning can involve, but is not limited to:
◦ Asking and refining questions
◦ Debating ideas
◦ Making predictions
◦ Designing plans and/or experiments
◦ Collecting and analyzing data
◦ Drawing conclusions
◦ Communicating ideas and findings to others
◦ Asking new questions
◦ Creating artifacts

Systematic Instruction
The teacher focuses on helping children acquire skills
Project Work
The teacher provides opportunities for the children to apply skills
The children are motivated by their desire to please the teacher and obtain rewards
Children’s interest and involvement promote effort and motivation
The teacher chooses learning activities and provides materials at the appropriate instructional level
The children choose from a variety of activities provided by the teacher; they determine their own level of challenge at which to work
The teacher is the expert; the teacher addresses children’s deficiencies
The children are the experts; the teacher capitalizes on the children’s proficiencies
The teacher is accountable for the children’s learning, progress and achievement
The children and teacher share accountability for learning and achievement

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Constructivism
◦ Explains that individuals construct knowledge through interactions with their environment, and each individual’s knowledge construction is different
◦ Through conducting investigations, conversations or activities, an individual is learning by constructing new knowledge by building on their current knowledge

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Constructionism
◦ Posits that individuals learn best when they are constructing an artifact that can be shared with others and reflected upon (i.e. play, poems)
◦ Artifacts must be personally meaningful, where individuals are most likely to become engaged in learning
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By focusing on the individual learner, projectbased learning strives for “considerable individualism of curriculum, instruction and assessment—the project is learner-centered”
Getting a Grip on Project-Based Learning: Theory, Cases and Recommendations- Michael M. Grant

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Project-Based Learning= Differentiated Learning
Every student is different (i.e. has different background knowledge, forms and degrees of intelligence, learning styles, interests, goals, and motivation)
◦ teaching all students at the same level and in the same way, and maintaining the same expectations, and using the same reinforcement structures for all students makes little sense teachers can differentiate instruction (i.e., use a wide array of teaching and motivation techniques, match expectations to each student’s developmental levels) according to the characteristics of each individual student
Capitalize on students talents and skill which promotes motivation and a love for learning

You Tube Video
Math Board Games http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUDDh0Wx bAc&feature=relmfu
School Wide Project on Gender Roles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPVXg8fmt dM&feature=relmfu

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 http://pbl-online.org/About/whatisPBL.htmx
http://www.bie.org/ http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/win2002/514/holocaust http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4753 http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/PBL/pbl_handbook_introduction
/#history http://www.una.edu/faculty/onlineacademy/State/Adobe%20Reader
/DO%20NOT%20OPEN%20program%20files/Instruction/Designing%2
0Lessons/ACTIVITIES/PBLS/Why%20use%20PBL.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUDDh0WxbAc&feature=relmfu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPVXg8fmtdM&feature=relmfu
Getting a Grip on Project-Based Learning: Theory, Cases and
Recommendations- Michael M. Grant
Katz, Lillian & Sylvia Chard.
Connecticut
Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project
Approach 2 nd Edition. Ablex Publishing Corporation. Stamford: