Peggy: The teacher doesn’t just throw control to the students and say, "Let me know what you figure out." She really has to plan ahead of time, she has to figure out how to group the students so that they're the most productive. She has to scaffold their work, so she provides hints or clues or templates, worksheets is necessary, to kinda show them what they need to do first, what they might consider doing next. She has to teach them how to work together. Teamwork is not something that comes naturally, especially for younger students. They really need to learn how to do that.
Sheela: So we would have a anchor or a set of expectations about what kind of language would be used, what the roles and responsibilities are for each person in that group. And what are the processes for asking further questions or clarification?
Student: So you start with one trail mix and give out stickers. I'll do two trail mixes. Bryce does the questions and then you do the other things.
Student: I do the sticker charge thing.
Liza: So when students are working on projects in different groups, it's difficult to get to all of them at once, and they may really need you. So my first strategy for that is teaching a child how to use each other, teaching them how to talk to one another, and so here we call it accountable talk. So what are ways that you talk with each other when you disagree? How do you do that in a respectful manner, to continue to collaborate with each other and keep the project moving? Also, I do a lot of tabletop directions, if I have short directions that they need to get through or a checklist or an agenda, they have to get through so many things by the end of the day or the end of the week, instead of raising their hand and asking me and I have to run back and forth, it's right there in front of them.
Student: Oh, that makes sense.
Teacher: So what's this lake potentially used for?
Sheela: So it's really the art of facilitation. The teacher would not be at the front of the room directing instruction, but instead she is choreographing instruction. So she's like a conductor and she would go to all the different tables and groups to ensure that each group is working in harmony to achieve that goal at the end.
Keys to Project-Based Learning Success
* A realistic problem or project
aligns with students' skills and interests
* Requires learning clearly defined content and skills (e.g. using rubrics, or exemplars from local professionals and students)
* Structured group work
groups of three to four students, with diverse skill levels and interdependent roles, team rewards and individual accountability, based on student growth
* Multi-faceted assessment
* Participation in a learning network
team rewards
individual accountability, based on student growth
Multi-faceted assessment
multiple opportunities for students to receive feedback and revise their work (e.g., benchmarks, reflective activities)
multiple learning outcomes (e.g., problem-solving, content, collaboration)
presentations that encourage participation and signal social value (e.g. exhibitions, portfolios, performances, reports)
Participation in a professional learning network
collaborating and reflecting upon PBL experiences in the classroom with colleagues
courses in inquiry-based teaching methods
You will find much greater detail on these four key components, along with step-by-step instructions on how to put them into place, in the next section.