One of many many causes I like working for Van Andel Institute for Training is that I get to be a instructor Fairy Godmother. Educating is a vital however tough job, and typically educators can get caught on a particular want for his or her classroom. Perhaps it’s discovering the proper useful resource for a lesson or connecting sure content material to a undertaking thought.
Regardless of the scenario requires, my colleagues and I like to swoop in and assist make their desires a actuality. However each Fairy Godmother wants a magic wand to work her wonders, and personally, there’s no higher useful resource to fulfill instructor wants than project-based learning.
What’s project-based studying, anyway?
Let’s begin with what project-based studying will not be. PBL will not be merely a enjoyable and artistic undertaking you implement at school. Don’t get me fallacious, having college students taking part in a enjoyable, imaginative exercise will be good, but it surely’s a bit just like the “dessert” of studying. These actions will be candy and simple however they’re not precisely nourishing. PBL is the principle course—the invention of information and expertise by the event of a significant, sustained undertaking.
True project-based studying is acknowledged by traits like sustained inquiry, iterative considering, and cross-curricular studying. In contrast to a normal undertaking, which is often a one-and-done deal, PBL ought to construct on itself.
Associated:
5 tools that support project-based learning
Reflections on project-based learning
