One of many many causes I like working for Van Andel Institute for Training is that I get to be a instructor Fairy Godmother. Instructing is a vital however troublesome job, and generally educators can get caught on a selected want for his or her classroom. Possibly it’s discovering the proper useful resource for a lesson or connecting sure content material to a challenge concept.
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 in my opinion, there’s no higher useful resource to fulfill instructor wants than project-based studying.
What’s project-based studying, anyway?
Let’s begin with what project-based studying is just not. PBL is just not merely a enjoyable and artistic challenge you implement in school. Don’t get me improper, having college students collaborating in a enjoyable, imaginative exercise might be good, nevertheless it’s a bit just like the “dessert” of studying. These actions might be candy and simple however they’re not precisely nourishing. PBL is the primary course—the invention of information and expertise by way of the event of a significant, sustained challenge.
True project-based studying is acknowledged by traits like sustained inquiry, iterative pondering, and cross-curricular studying. In contrast to a normal challenge, which is normally a one-and-done deal, PBL ought to construct on itself.
Associated:
5 instruments that help project-based studying
Reflections on project-based studying

