Introduction

Project-based learning (PBL) involves students designing, developing, and

constructing hands-on solutions to a problem. The educational value of PBL
is that it aims to build students’ creative capacity to work through difficult or
ill-structured problems, commonly in small teams. Typically, PBL takes
students through the following phases or steps:

1. Identifying a problem

2. Agreeing on or devising a solution and potential solution path to the

problem (i.e., how to achieve the solution)

3. Designing and developing a prototype of the solution

4. Refining the solution based on feedback from experts, instructors,

and/or peers

Depending on the goals of the instructor, the size and scope of the project
can vary greatly. Students may complete the four phases listed above over
the course of many weeks, or even several times within a single class period.

Because of its focus on creativity and collaboration, PBL is enhanced when

students experience opportunities to work across disciplines, employ
technologies to make communication and product realization more efficient,
or to design solutions to real-world problems posed by outside organizations
or corporations. Projects do not need to be highly complex for students to
benefit from PBL techniques. Often times, quick and simple projects are
enough to provide students with valuable opportunities to make connections
across content and practice.

Implementing project-based learning

As a pedagogical approach, PBL entails several key processes:

1. Defining problems in terms of given constraints or challenges

2. Generating multiple ideas to solve a given problem

3. Prototyping — often in rapid iteration — potential solutions to a

problem

4. Testing the developed solution products or services in a “live” or

authentic setting.

Defining the problem

PBL projects should start with students asking questions about a problem.
What is the nature of problem they are trying to solve? What assumptions
can they make about why the problem exists? Asking such questions will
help students frame the problem in an appropriate context. If students are
working on a real-world problem, it is important to consider how an end user
will benefit from a solution.

Generating ideas
Next, students should be given the opportunity to brainstorm and discuss
their ideas for solving the problem. The emphasis here is not to generate
necessarily good ideas, but to generate many ideas. As such, brainstorming
should encourage students to think wildly, but to stay focused on the
problem. Setting guidelines for brainstorming sessions, such as giving
everyone a chance to voice an idea, suspending judgement of others’ ideas,
and building on the ideas of others will help make brainstorming a productive
and generative exercise.

Prototyping solutions
Designing and prototyping a solution are typically the next phase of the PBL
process. A prototype might take many forms: a mock-up, a storyboard, a
role-play, or even an object made out of readily available materials such as
pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, and rubber bands. The purpose of prototyping
is to expand upon the ideas generated during the brainstorming phase, and
to quickly convey a how a solution to the problem might look and feel.
Prototypes can often expose learners’ assumptions, as well as uncover
unforeseen challenges that an end user of the solution might encounter. The
focus on creating simple prototypes also means that students can iterate on
their designs quickly and easily, incorporate feedback into their designs, and
continually hone their problem solutions.

Testing
Students may then go about taking their prototypes to the next level of
design: testing. Ideally, testing takes place in a “live” setting. Testing allows
students to glean how well their products or services work in a real setting.
The results of testing can provide students with important feedback on the
their solutions, and generate new questions to consider. Did the solution
work as planned? If not, what needs to be tweaked? In this way, testing
engages students in critical thinking and reflection processes.

Unstructured versus structured projects

Research suggests that students learn more from working on unstructured or
ill-structured projects than they do on highly structured ones. Unstructured
projects are sometimes referred to as “open ended,” because they have no
predictable or prescribed solution. In this way, open ended projects require
students to consider assumptions and constraints, as well as to frame the
problem they are trying to solve. Unstructured projects thus require students
to do their own “structuring” of the problem at hand – a process that has
been shown to enhance students’ abilities to transfer learning to other
problem solving contexts.

Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which

students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally
meaningful projects.

How does PBL differ from “doing a project”?

PBL is becoming widely used in schools and other educational settings, with
different varieties being practiced. However, there are key characteristics
that differentiate "doing a project" from engaging in rigorous Project Based
Learning.

We find it helpful to distinguish a "dessert project" - a short, intellectually-

light project served up after the teacher covers the content of a unit in the
usual way - from a "main course" project, in which the project is the unit. In
Project Based Learning, the project is the vehicle for teaching the important
knowledge and skills student need to learn. The project contains and frames
curriculum and instruction.

In contrast to dessert projects, PBL requires critical thinking, problem

solving, collaboration, and various forms of communication. To answer a
driving question and create high-quality work, students need to do much
more than remember information. They need to use higher-order thinking
skills and learn to work as a team.

What Is Project-Based Learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) or project-based instruction is an instructional

approach designed to give students the opportunity to develop knowledge
and skills through engaging projects set around challenges and problems
they may face in the real world.

Project-based learning is more than just “doing a project,” in the way you
might remember from your own school days. As the Buck Institute for
Education (BIE) explains, with PBL, students “investigate and respond to an
authentic, engaging, and complex problem or challenge” with deep and
sustained attention. ArchForKids, an organization that provides STEAM
programs for young learners, puts it even more succinctly: PBL is “learning
by doing.”

Why Project-Based Learning? We Live in a Project-Based World

The truth is, many in education recognize that our modern world is sustained
and advanced through the successful completion of projects. Or, as the Swiss
psychologist, Jean Piaget, put it, “knowledge is a consequence of
experience.”

It’s true! Your weekend chores, an upcoming presentation, or organizing a

fundraising event—they’re all projects. This is the spirit behind PBL, and we
see evidence of its increasing popularity in things like the growth of the
maker movement. When we help students have authentic experiences, we
prepare them for the real world. In its purest form, PBL prepares students to
be self-sufficient, creative, and critical thinkers that can take on any
challenge.

For most modern workers, their careers will be marked by a series of projects
rather than years of service to a specific organization. “Solving real-world
issues that matter is important to us as adults—and it’s important to our
students,” explain Lathram, Lenz, and Vander Ark in their ebook, Preparing
Students for a Project-Based World.

In short, if we are to prepare students for success in life, we need to prepare

them for a project-based world. Therefore, when relating project-based
learning benefits to students, we must always include examples of real-world
application. This will reinforce for students the notion that they can break
down future problems into their component parts, assemble and lead a
diverse team of stakeholders to process the problem, and implement a
solution.

What Are the Essential Elements of Project-Based Learning?

Although definitions and project parameters may vary from school to school,
and PBL is sometimes used interchangeably with “experiential learning” or
“discovery learning,” the characteristics of project-based learning are clear,
constant, and share the spirit of John Dewey’s instrumentalism.

In essence, the PBL model consists of these seven characteristics:

 Focuses on a big and open-ended question, challenge, or problem for

the student to research and respond to and/or solve
 Brings what students should academically know, understand, and
be able to do into the equation
  Is inquiry-based, stimulates intrinsic curiosity, and generates questions
as it helps students seek answers
 Uses 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication,
collaboration, and creativity, among others.7
 Builds student choice into the process
 Provides opportunities for feedback and revision of the plan and the
project, just like in real life
 Requires students to present their problems, research process,
methods, and results, just as scientific research or real-world projects
must stand before peer review and constructive criticism

Following fifteen years of literature review and distilled educational

experience, the Buck Institute for Education identified seven essential
elements for PBL that focus on project design. Collectively these elements
are called Gold Standard PBL. According to the BIE, the key elements to
project design include:

 A challenging problem or question

 Sustained inquiry
 Authenticity
 Student voice and choice
 Reflection
 Critique and revision
 Public product

All of these elements, if combined well, result in students learning key

knowledge, understanding, and skills for success.

An example where all these elements come together is in the Business

Incubator class at Illinois’ Palatine High School. Teams of students propose
and design a product based upon a challenging need or intricate problem.
These young entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to business and community
leaders in an effort to gain support for launching their product. It’s like Shark
Tank for teens, and it’s awesome!

One team of students designed a mobile app providing real-time air quality
readings at locations around the world. Raising awareness about air
pollution, supporting health-conscious travelers, and making global
connections were galvanizing real-world catalysts for their project.

It’s worth noting that while project-based learning may seem like some
specific or isolated instructional practice, the lists above should look familiar.
They are simply the elements of great learning experiences. You don’t have
to subscribe to project-based learning to incorporate elements of it in your
classrooms. Having said that, there are benefits that true project-based
learning provides. Let’s dig into a few of the benefits of PBL now.
Benefits of Project-Based Learning

Too often, traditional learning never ventures beyond the realm of the
purely academic. Project-based learning connects students to the world
beyond the classroom and prepares them to accept and meet challenges in
the real world in a way that mirrors what professionals do every day.

Instead of short-term memorization and summative regurgitation, project-

based learning provides an opportunity for students to engage deeply with
the target content, bringing about a focus on long-term retention. PBL also
improves student attitudes toward education, thanks to its ability to keep
students engaged. The PBL structure lends itself to building intrinsic
motivation because it centers student learning around a central question
or problem and a meaningful outcome. Students end up wanting to
understand the answer or solution as much or more than the teacher wants
to know what they know, understand, and are able to do!

Daniel Pink, in his TEDTalk and influential book, Drive, says people are
intrinsically motivated by three things—autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Popular terms like grit and rigor become embedded dispositions when
learners sink their teeth into meaningful endeavors, like those provided
during project-based instruction.

A recent collaborative study conducted by the University and Michigan and

Michigan State University suggests that the implementation of project-based
learning correlated positively with student achievement, particularly in
schools serving high-poverty communities. This research emphasizes the
importance of standards-aligned projects and supported with research-
proven instructional strategies.

Because of its focus on 21st-century skills, the PBL model also enhances
students’ technology abilities. Project-based learning helps students develop
teamwork and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to communicate
effectively with others. The collaborative nature of projects also reinforces
the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs being implemented at
progressive schools around the world.

These interpersonal aspects of PBL dovetail perfectly with the use of

technology in the classroom. Technology-based projects are interdisciplinary,
collaborative, inquiry-based, self-directed, motivating, and address the full
range of student needs and learning styles. Additionally, digital literacies and
digital citizenship objectives become ingrained in tech-based projects,
especially when the PBL opportunity is conducted seamlessly within the
friendly confines of your school’s learning management system.
A quick review of ISTE’s recently revised standards for students will disclose
the relevance of PBL to modern learning. By highlighting standards including
empowered learner, innovative designer, creative communicator, and global
collaborator, you would think these standards were tailor-made with PBL in
mind. International standards for technology skills and project-based learning
objectives absolutely go hand in hand.

Challenges of Project-Based Learning

The Intel Corporation identified several reasons why project-based learning

can represent such a radical departure from what we are used to in
education: PBL requires you to coach more and instruct less, to embrace
interdisciplinary learning instead of remaining locked in single-subject silos,
and to be more comfortable with uncertainty and discovery during the
learning process.

For many instructors, PBL is a stark contrast to the traditional education they
experienced. Change takes time and is seldom without apprehension and
challenges. However, when we consider the types of educational experiences
we value for our modern learners, it becomes apparent the traditional
“sage on the stage” instructional model falls significantly short.

The truth is, though, you can overcome these PBL challenges. Good
problems or ideas can come from your students, parents, or community
members. Instead of lectures and book learning, teachers can think through
the steps required to solve a problem and use those steps as project-learning
activities. Instead of planning a massive project, the learning process can be
made more manageable by chunking the project into smaller parts, with
frequent checkpoints built into the timeline. Instead of a traditional
summative exam, authentic assessments can be developed by
communicating with professionals in the field regarding what a presentation
would look like related to a particular project. As challenging as PBL may
appear at first, it can ultimately be so freeing for educators!

Project-Based Learning Examples

In one science-based project, students begin with a visit to a zoo, learning

about animal habitats and forming opinions on which habitats best suit a
selected animal. For this example, the project component included teams of
students collaborating to develop a research-supported habitat plan that
they would then present to professional and student zoologists.

While the sciences fit neatly into the PBL environment, the instructional
strategy lends itself naturally to interdisciplinary learning.
In another example, one that blends English language arts and social
studies, students answer the question, “What role does censorship play in
society?” Following introductory instruction, students select a banned book,
read it, compose a persuasive essay, and take part in a censorship-related
mock trial experience conducted in the presence of experts. That last part–
the mock trial in front of a group of experts–is what really drives PBL. The
learning is not just experiential but also frequently contains a public, real-
world component.

Want a break from “drill-and-kill” math lessons? Consider developing an

“escape room” activity in which students assume the role of a code breaker
for the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or
another federal agency. The outcome could be anything from decoding a
message that could potentially reveal the location of a planned terror attack
on the United States, ferreting out an organized crime syndicate, or any
number of scenarios. As a follow-up to the initial activity, students could
present their solutions on the day a professional in a related field (e.g., FBI
agent) visits the class to connect the activity to a real-world experience and
potential career path. In such cases, you are limited only by your
professional imagination. The outcome could be anything from decoding a
message that could potentially reveal the location of a planned terror attack
on the United States, ferreting out an organized crime syndicate, or any
number of scenarios. As a follow-up to the initial activity, students could
present their solutions on the day a professional in a related field (e.g., FBI
agent) visits the class to connect the activity to a real-world experience and
potential career path. In such cases, you are limited only by your
professional imagination.

Are you looking for more examples of PBL schools? John Larmer, Editor and
Chief for the Buck Institute for Education PBL Blog, shares several shining
examples of schools making a commitment to deeper learning through PBL
instruction. Larmer suggests investigating schools belonging to the Deeper
Learning Network. These innovative schools include the essential elements
frequently mentioned in BIE’s Gold Standard PBL.

It’s Time to Seriously Consider Project-Based Learning

What does learning look like? Under what conditions does our most profound
and best learning occur? For most of us, we learn best by doing, examining,
reflecting, and iterating. Project-based learning takes the essential
characteristics of what we value most about education and puts them front
and center of our formal learning environments. It is a popular and noble
aspiration for educators to inspire and develop life-long learners, and PBL
gets us away from the high-stakes testing mandates of the last 20 years and
closer to the core of what education should be. PBL helps prepare students
for the “real world” since that is where their learning naturally occurs.
Project-based learning (PBL) or project-based instruction is
a student-centered teaching method that encourages learning
through engaging, real-world, curriculum-related questions or
challenges.

This, of course, goes deeper than doing any old project. The goal is to get
students to engage with a question or challenge that requires concentration
and nuanced problem-solving skills.

This question or challenge must:

 Be open-ended
 Encourage students to apply skills and knowledge they’ve developed
in your classes
 Allow students to take their own approaches to develop an answer
and deliver a product

As you can see, project-based learning doesn’t conform to rote approaches

or teacher-led instruction.

Driven by critical thinking, it’s often interdisciplinary and encourages

students to take a rewarding-yet-challenging road to skill-building and
knowledge acquisition through a nuanced learning process.

Key characteristics of project-based learning

Project-based learning isn’t just group work or a randomly assigned project.

Let’s take a look at some of the key characteristics to help you build your
own project-based learning assignment:
1. Project-based learning presents an open-ended, appropriately complex

question.

Students should have to do deep research, draw on existing knowledge and

come up with a solution in the form of a final project — whether that’s a
presentation, proposal, essay or other product.

Students should have a choice in what they explore, and the questions they
answer should be genuinely challenging with real-world applications.

2. Project-based learning relates to knowledge acquired through classroom

lessons.

Not only should project-based learning build on your classroom lessons, but
it should give students the opportunity to put them to use in a real-world
setting. Project-based learning encourages students to dive deeper into the
subject matter and builds on content knowledge.

Ultimately, this content knowledge should have real-world applications that

students can focus on during the project.

3. Project-based learning requires students to find their own solutions to a given

problem or question.

Just because the inspiration for project-based learning assignments comes

from your lectures, doesn’t mean it should stay there. Effective PBL comes
from requiring students to find their own solutions to a given problem — not
just plugging in a formula to find the answer.
In practice, this looks like a real-world project with extended inquiry. It
should be a multi-stage process with, if necessary, multiple deliverables at
different stages to keep students on track.

4. Project-based learning gives students a choice in how they learn.

Students learn best when they’re studying something that captures their
imagination and interest. Regardless of the end product, students should
have as much autonomy as possible in what they make and how. They
should learn how to communicate ideas in a group and on their own, and
really bring their passion for the project to the forefront.

5. Project-based learning follows a clear, well-defined set of assessment criteria.

The best way to keep project-based learning on track and effective is to let
students know what’s expected of them.

At the beginning of the project, give students a rubric and handouts

outlining:

 How the project will be graded

 All the products they’ll be required to hand in
 How they should work independently or in a group

Some teachers may even choose to collaborate with students in the

development of the rubric and project criteria so they may feel a deeper
understanding of the project expectations.
When students know what’s expected of them, they’re more likely to
succeed.

A simple example of project-based learning

The PBL process is straightforward.

1. You present the issue, methods of investigation and any

supplementary materials. It’s up to your students to deliver a
defined product.
2. Next, encourage students to reflect on their work and make
revisions, ultimately delivering a presentation to their peers.

In social studies, for example, you could task students with conceptualizing
and mapping out a smartphone app that addresses a problem within your
country. To add a math element, they can budget the necessary resources to
develop it.

Despite this clear-cut process, there’s a lot of space for diverse tasks
and differentiation in general.

As a type of active learning and inquiry-based learning, examples of project-

based learning depend on yourself and your students. As John Dewey
famously wrote in My Pedagogic Creed:
The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain
habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the
influences which shall affect the child and to assist him in properly
responding.

Following this philosophy, it’s probable – and ideal – that any project-based
learning exercise you run looks different from those run by your colleagues.

What matters is prioritizing your students’ needs and learning styles above
the curriculum.

What is project-based learning?

Project-Based Learning (PBL), a derivative of inquiry-based learning, places

students in the driver's seat of their education. It involves a dynamic
classroom approach in which students gain deep content knowledge and
develop essential skills by investigating and responding to a complex
question, problem, or challenge over an extended period.

A key aspect of PBL is that it introduces active learning. Here, learners are
not passive recipients of information but active participants in the
construction of their content knowledge. Students delve into a central
content theme or issue, engaging in research, analysis, and problem-
solving, which ultimately culminates in a final product or presentation.

For instance, in a history class, students might be tasked with exploring the
causes and effects of a significant historical event. The students would need
to dig deep into primary and secondary sources, engage in discussions, and
perhaps even conduct interviews or site visits. The project might culminate
in a multimedia presentation, a report, or even a mock trial or debate.
Prominent educator John Dewey once remarked, "Give the pupils something
to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to
demand thinking, or the intentional noting of connections; learning naturally
results". This encapsulates the essence of PBL—it's about doing and thinking,
not just learning.

References:
Project-Based Learning | Center for Teaching & Learning (bu.edu)
What is Project Based Learning? | PBLWorks
(1) New Messages! (powerschool.com)
Project-Based Learning (structural-learning.com)

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING VS. PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

Project-based learning (PBL) is another collaborative, learner-centered

instructional approach where students work in groups to construct their
knowledge and gain mastery of the course content. Project-Based Learning is
often confused with Problem-based Learning. One source of the confusion is
that they have the same acronym PBL. One way to think about the difference
between the two is to look at the outcome. While in Project-based Learning,
students have to produce an artefact to demonstrate their mastery of
content, in Problem-Based Learning, students have to present a solution to a
clearly defined authentic problem. This definition is simplistic but allows for a
distinction between the two concepts. Also, it has been argued that Problem-
based Learning is, in fact, a subset of Project-based Learning in the sense
that one way an instructor can frame a project is by asking students to solve
one or many problems.
Semantics set aside, here is, in a nutshell, a comparison between
project-based learning and problem-based learning.
Project-Based Learning Problem-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning begins
with the assignment of tasks that
will lead to the creation of a finalProblem-Based Learning begins with a
product or artefact. The emphasis problem that determines what students
is on the end product. study. The problem derives from an
observable phenomena or event. The
 Students work on open-emphasis is on acquiring new knowledge
ended assignments. Theseand the solution is less important.
could be more than one
problem  Students are presented with an
open-ended, authentic question.
 Students analyze the
problems and generate  Students analyze the question
solutions.  Students generate hypotheses that
 Students design and explain the phenomena.
develop a prototype of the  Students identify further follow-up
solution questions
 Students refine the solution  Students seek additional data to
based on feedback from answer the questions.
experts, instructors, and/or
peers

What do Project-based Learning and Problem-Based Learning Have

in Common?

Both begin with and are framed around real-world problems. Both are
also cross-disciplinary, incorporating a variety of concepts from across the
board into one learning experience. Both are powerful tools for developing
essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, empathy,
and information literacy, among others.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered approach where

students learn about a subject or course by working in groups or individually
to find the solution for an open-ended problem (Cornell, n.d.), and project-
based learning (PBL) or project-based instruction is an instructional approach
that gives students the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills through
interactive projects, along with the challenges and difficulties they may
confront in the real world (M, K, 2022). Thus, problem- and project-based
learning, when combined, is a learning method that allows students to
enhance their understanding by experimenting with a project practically
(Thomas, 2000). It requires them to design, execute, and assess projects
that have real-world applications outside of the classroom (Westwood, 2008).
According to Affandi et al. (2016), project-based learning and problem-based
learning are terms that are employed in order to define a variety of
instructional strategies. These approaches focus on students and provide
them the opportunity to ask the teacher a question or several while working
(Bell, 2010). The advantages of these approaches are to allow students to
make decisions, find solutions to problems while learning, and develop their
ability to think critically (Ndraka, 1985). PPBL has a wide range of
applications in the student-centered method, in which students learn by
experimenting and the teachers play a significant role in facilitating the
instruction for the students.

References:
Project-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning (x-BL) | Office of
Teaching and Learning (uvu.edu)
Problem and Project Based Learning – Strong Schools (pressbooks.pub)