University of Manitoba
Summer Session 2012
EDUA 5730, EDUA 5740 & EDUA 7740
PROJECT BASED LEARNING
PROJECT BASED LEARNING IS NOT NEW
SOCRATES
470-399 B.C.
CARL ROGERS
1902 - 1987
JOHN DEWEY MARIA
LEV VYGOTSKY JEAN PIAGET
1859-1952
MONTESSORI 1896-1934
1896-1980
1870-1952
BENJAMIN BLOOM SEYMOUR PAPERT
1913-1999
1928-Current
JEROME BRUNER
1915-Current
ACTIVITY # 1

In groups of 3 or 4, in chart form, summarize the
contribution(s) each one of the men; Socrates, Dewey,
Montessori, Vygotysky, Piaget, Rogers, Bloom, Papert, & Bruner,
have made to project based learning.

When completed, hang chart up on the wall

In carousel fashion, read the other groups’ charts & reflect on
what has been identified as the contributions of Socrates,
Dewey, Montessori, Vygotysky, Piaget, Rogers, Bloom, Papert,
& Bruner to project based learning
SEVEN ELEMENTS OF PROJECT-BASED
LEARNING
1) Standards Based (curriculum)–projects are designed to
accomplish key instructional objectives that are part of the
expected curriculum
2) Assessment--teachers are expected to evaluate the quality of
students’ products & measure changes in student knowledge &
competence as a result of project work (formative & summative)
3) Student Centered-- teachers consider carefully what decisions
they make & what decisions they leave to the students ie. form &
content of the final products (sandbox).
4) Collaboration--students may work in pairs or teams of up to five or
six. The goal is for each student involved to make a unique
contribution to the final work.
Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project: http://pblmm.k12.ca.us
SEVEN ELEMENTS OF PROJECT-BASED
LEARNING
5)Real World Connection--connect student projects with the world
in which students live by: content selection, types of activities &
/ or products, or in other ways.
6) Extended Time Frame--is not a one-shot lesson. Projects
extend over a significant period of time (days, weeks, months).
The actual project length depends on students’ ages & the
nature of the project.
7) Multimedia--students learn by creating their own multimedia
project products
Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project: http://pblmm.k12.ca.us
SIX A’S OF PROJECT BASED LEARNING
1. Authenticity —project comes from a problem that has meaning to the student;
has personal /social value beyond school setting & might be tackled by an
adult in the community
2. Academic Rigor —challenges student to think like a scientist; develops higher
order thinking skills; leads to acquiring/applying knowledge to one or more
content areas
3. Applied Learning —leads to acquiring & using competencies ie. technology,
problem solving, communication; leads to developing organizational & self
management skills; grounded in life beyond school
Excerpted from Adria Steinberg, Real Learning, Real Work, Routledge, New York, 1997
SIX A’S OF PROJECT BASED LEARNING
4. Academic Exploration —engages in real investigations, uses a variety of methods,
media & sources; spends significant amount of time doing field-based work
5. Adult Connection —have opportunities to meet &/or work collaborate with at
least one adult
6. Assessment Practices —reflects regularly on personal learning using the project’s
criteria; experiences opportunities for regular assessment through a range
methods ie. presentations, exhibitions & portfolios
Excerpted from Adria Steinberg, Real Learning, Real Work,Routledge, New York, 1997
PROJECT BASED LEARNING

Content

Activities

Conditions

Results
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
CONTENT:
Compelling ideas
•
Problems presented in their full complexity
•
Students finding interdisciplinary connections between ideas
•
Students struggling with ambiguity, complexity, &
unpredictability
•
Real-world questions that students care about
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
CONDITIONS:
Support student autonomy
•
Students community of inquiry
•
Coursework in a social context
•
Students exhibit task- & time-management behaviors
•
Students direct their own work & learning
•
Students simulate the professional work
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
ACTIVITIES:
Investigative & engaging
•
Students multi-faceted investigations over long periods of time
•
Students encountering obstacles, seeking resources, &
solving problems
•
Students making their own connections among ideas &
acquiring new skills
•
Students using authentic tools
•
Students getting feedback from expert sources & realistic
assessment
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
RESULTS:
Real-world outcomes
•
Students generating complex intellectual products to
demonstrate learning
•
Students participate in assessment
•
Students held accountable for competence
•
Students exhibiting growth in real-world competence
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
ACTIVITY # 2

In small groups, take an
envelop & chart template

Read each statement &
decide which category it
should be placed on
template



When finished, turn &
compare with your
neighbours
Then, compare your answer
with the answer key
Share your thoughts with
the larger group
Emphasizes /
Focus on
Curriculum
Scope &
Sequence
Teaching Role
Assessment
Materials of
Instruction
Use of
Technology
Classroom
context
Long Term
Goals
Short Term
Goals
Student Role
Traditional
Instruction
Project Based
Learning
Traditional Instruction
Emphasizes
Project Based
Learning Emphasizes
Focus of curriculum
Focus of curriculum
Content coverage
Knowledge of facts
Learning "building-block"
skills in isolation
Complex problem-solving
skills
Depth of understanding
Comprehension of concepts
& principles
Development
Scope and sequence
Scope and sequence
Follows fixed curriculum
Proceeds block by block, unit
by unit
Narrow, discipline-based
focus
Follows student interest
Large units composed of
complex problems or issues
Broad, interdisciplinary focus
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
Traditional Instruction
Emphasizes
Project Based
Learning Emphasizes
Teaching role
Teaching role
Follows fixed curriculum
Proceeds block by block,
unit by unit
Narrow, discipline-based
focus
Follows student interest
Large units composed of
complex problems or issues
Broad, interdisciplinary
focus
Focus of assessment
Focus of assessment
Products
Test scores
Comparisons with others
Reproduction of information
Process and products
Tangible accomplishments
Criterion performances &
gains over time
Demonstration of
understanding
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
Traditional Instruction
Emphasizes
Project Based
Learning Emphasizes
Materials of instruction
Materials of instruction
Texts, lectures &
presentations
Teacher-developed exercise
sheets & activities
Direct or original sources:
printed materials, interviews,
documents, & others
Data & materials developed
by students
Use of technology
Use of technology
Ancillary, peripheral
Administered by teachers
Useful for enhancing teachers'
presentations
Central, integral
Directed by students
Useful for enhancing student
presentations or amplifying
student capabilities
Buck Institute for Education:
http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
Traditional Instruction
Emphasizes
Project Based
Learning Emphasizes
Classroom context
Classroom context
Long-range goals
Long-range goals
Breadth of knowledge
Graduates who have the
knowledge to perform
successfully on standard
achievement tests
Depth of knowledge
Graduates who have the
dispositions & skills to engage
in sustained, autonomous,
lifelong learning
Students working in groups
Students working alone
Students competing with one Students collaborating with
one another
another
Students constructing,
Students receiving
contributing, & synthesizing
information from an
information
instructor
Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
Traditional Instruction
Emphasizes
Project Based
Learning Emphasizes
Short-term goals
Short-term goals
Knowledge of facts, terms,
content
Mastery of isolated skills
Understanding & application of
complex ideas & processes
Mastery of integrated skills
Student role
Student role
Carry out instructions
Memorizer & repeater of
facts
Students receive & complete
brief tasks
Listen, behave, speak only
when spoken to
Carry out self- directed
learning activities
Discoverer, integrator, &
presenter of ideas
Students define their own
tasks & work independently
for large blocks of time
Communicate, show affect,
produce, take responsibility
Buck Institute for Education:
http://www.bie.org/pbl/pbloverview/definition.php
PROJECT BASED LEARNING ENGAGES
STUDENTS

in problem
solving

in higher order
thinking skills

in critical
thinking

to solve real
problems for a
real audience
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (Anderson and Krathwohl (eds.)
Source: http://blogs.wsd1.org/etr/?tag=blooms-revised-taxonomy
HOW DO I BEGIN?
Planning
 Begin


What is important to your students
What is the deep learning--the enduring understanding
 What




with an “Essential Question”
are the necessary skills
Standards—plan which content standards will be
addressed while answering the question
Prerequisite knowledge (prior knowledge)
Prerequisite skills
Skills & knowledge to to be embedded into the project
HOW DO I BEGIN?

Scheduling
•
•
•
Teacher and students
design a timeline for
project components.
Set benchmarks.
Keep it simple & ageappropriate.
Assessing / Evaluating





Monitoring
•
•
Facilitate & mentor the
process
Utilize rubrics

Make the assessment
authentic
Vary the type of
assessment used
Take time to reflect,
individually & as a group
Share feelings &
experiences
Discuss what worked well
& what needs change
“BACKWARDS DESIGN”
(PLANNING WITH THE END IN MIND)
Identify desired
results.
Determine
acceptable
evidence.
Plan learning
experiences
& instruction.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. ASCD
INDENTIFY DESIRED RESULTS

Cluster outcomes into precise & concise action
statements

Communicate outcomes clearly to students, using
language appropriate to grade level
 Post in classroom
 Have students personalize
DETERMINE ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE

Construct or co-construct criteria that will be used to
judge students’ work

Define standard of performance
Rich performance tasks can “bring closure to a unit
of study” and “the opportunity to synthesize and
apply their learning”
Damian Cooper
Talk About Assessment 2007.(p. 116)
PLAN LEARNING EXPERIENCES


Consider students’ prior knowledge
Create enabling tasks (ones that enable you to see
evidence of development towards the outcome & provide
feedback & guidance for improvement)



Content – outcomes (what is to be covered)
Set clear goals*- content + level of thinking/doing
Level of thinking or doing – Ask yourself



Do I simply want students to be able to identify a
fractional expression?
Do I want them to be able to explain addition of fractions
in their own terms?
Do I want them to be able to solve fractional problems?
Assessment
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998).
Understanding by Design. ASCD
McTighe J, Wiggins G (op cit)
ACTIVITY # 3
There has been eight (8) features / key characteristics
of Project Based Learning identified.

View the video on Project Based Learning

Individually, list as many of those features you observed in the
video

In small groups, share & discuss your lists of identified
features

Compare & discuss your lists with those listed in the handout.
EIGHT FEATURES OF PROJECT-BASED
LEARNING
1.
engages students in complex, real-world issues & problems; where
possible, the students select & define issues or problems that are
meaningful to them
2.
requires students to use inquiry, research, planning skills, critical
thinking, & problem-solving skills as they complete the project
3.
requires students to learn and apply content-specific skills/standards &
knowledge in a variety of contexts as they work on the project
4.
provides opportunities for students to learn and practice interpersonal
skills as they work in cooperative teams &, whenever possible, with adults
in workplaces or the community
EIGHT FEATURES OF PROJECT-BASED
LEARNING
5. gives students practice in using the array of skills needed for their adult lives
& careers (how to allocate time/resources; individual responsibility,
interpersonal skills, learning through experience, etc.)
6. includes expectations regarding accomplishments/learning outcomes; these
are linked to the learning standards & outcomes for the school/state & are
stated at the beginning of the project
7.
incorporates reflection activities that lead students to think critically about
their experiences & to link those experiences to specific learning standards
8. ends with a presentation or product that demonstrates learning & is
assessed; the criteria could be decided upon by the students
ACTIVITY # 4

Based on your knowledge of projectbased learning:





design a project unit for a class including
students who have mobility/ sensory /
cognitive / giftedness issues
complete a draft copy of your project unit
on the Project Planning Form (Buck
Institute for Education)
Can do this either individually or in
pairs or groups
Can use the template forms provided
or can develop your own
Share with larger group
REFERENCES
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The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Edutopia: Success Stories for learning in the
Digital Age. www.edutopia.org
McLean, James E. and Lockwood, Robert E. Why We Assess Students - And How. Corwin
Press, Inc. 1996.
Barth, Roland S. Learning By Heart. Jossey-Bass Education. 2001.
Buck Institute for Education. Project Based Learning for the 21st Century. www.bie.org/
Ellis, R. Task Based Teaching in Asian Content. Asian EFL Conference. September 2006
Ellist, T.J. & Hafner, W. (2008). Building a framework to support project-based collaborative
learning experiences in an asynchronous learning network. Interdisciplinary Journal of ELearning and Learning Objects Volume 4, pp. 167-190.
Project Based Learning. Designing Your Project.
http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/PBL/pbl_handbook_introduction/.
Penuel, Bill; Korbak, Christine; Yarnall, Louise & Pacpaco, Rhandy. SILICON VALLEY
CHALLENGE 2000: YEAR 5 MULTIMEDIA PROJECT REPORT. SRI International. March
2001.
Steinberg, Adria. Real Learning, Real Work. Routledge, New York, 1997.
Ullah, Linda. Project Based Learning. Nevada League of Educators onference, Los Vegas
Nevada. April 2002.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. Understanding by design. : Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development. Alexandria, VA. 1998.
Wiggins, G. The futility of trying to teach everything. Educational Leadership, 47(2), 44-48, 5759. 1989.