Some theoretical considerations of project based learning

by

Lau Kwok Chi

Why do students need to learn through projects ?

• What is project-based learning ?

• What are the desirable outcomes produced by PBL?

• Are these outcomes unique to PBL ?

• Is PBL proven to be more effective than the traditional instructional strategies in producing these outcomes ?

• What about their effect sizes ?

• Is PBL cost-effective ?

• What are the essential elements of PBL with which the desirable outcomes it claims could be produced?

Some theoretical understandings on project-based learning

Q. What is project-based learning ?

• Project-based learning engages students in the investigation of an authentic problem with minimum teacher guidance over an extended period of time

• The problem has no immediate answer and predetermined

• is interdisciplinary and open and not tied to a textbook curriculum

• emphasizes students' own artifact construction to represent what is being learned

Processes• asking and refining questions• debating ideas • making predictions • designing plans and/or experiments • collecting and analyzing data • drawing conclusions • communicating their ideas and findings to others • asking new questions • creating artifacts

Potential Outcomes

• increase student motivation and improve their attitudes towards learning

• because they involve students in solving authentic problems, in working with others, in building real solutions, and learning as the need arises

• foster creativity as divergent thinking is encouraged

• improve student problem solving and higher order thinking skills because students need to acquire and apply information, concepts, and principles in a real, complex situation

• improve students’ metacognitive skills (self-reflection in learning) as they have to monitor their own progress under minimum teacher guidance

• develop students’ communicative skills and collaborative skills as they need to work as cooperative groups

• foster critical thinking as students are required to make evidence-based judgment and valid conclusion

• develop IT skills for learning

Knowledge

perform as well as students in traditional programs on conventional tests of knowledge.

However it is neither a superior nor an efficient way of acquiring knowledge so that it should not be employed as the sole or main instructional strategy for the whole curriculum.

• Rather than acquiring knowledge, project is better used for the application of knowledge learnt from traditional way. It can serve to build bridges between learning in the classroom and real-life experiences

• It promotes links among subject matter disciplines and presents an expanded, rather than narrow view of the subject matter.

• The learning process is adaptable to different types of learners and learning situations

• Students can proceed at their own paces

cope with individual differences

Difficulties of implementation

• It requires simultaneous changes in curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices - all new to both students and teachers

• It is difficult to promote effort and persistence over the extended time

• It is difficult to maintain balance between students' choice and teacher's control

• It may lead to doing for the sake of doing rather than doing for understanding as the question is not crafted to make connection between activities and the underlying conceptual knowledge

• Students do not necessarily respond to high-level tasks with increased use of learning strategies. They are resistant to tasks that involve high-level cognitive processing and try to simplify the demands of the situation through negotiation.

• It is difficult to promote effort and persistence over the extended time

• It is difficult to maintain balance between students' choice and teacher's control

• Students do not necessarily respond to high-level tasks with increased use of learning strategies. They are resistant to tasks that involve high-level cognitive processing and try to simplify the demands of the situation through negotiation.

• Small group work may decrease personal responsibility and independent thinking, and encourage reliance on others. Also students may not have the skills to benefit from collaborative work

How to enable the success of a project

(A) Students regard the activity as worthwhile and interesting so that they are intrinsically motivated

• Students need to have some choices in the creation of questions and solutions to the problem

• The tasks have to involve novel element,• the problem is authentic, nontrivial and challenging• the activity promotes collaboration with others

(B) Students feel that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to complete the project. The skills include collaborative skills, investigative skills and tool skills.

• Teachers should provide necessary training and resources according to the needs of different students

(C) Students are focused on learning as opposed to grades (mastery goal rather than performance goal)

• create a classroom environment which stresses learning and exploration over correct answers, grades, and competition with others.

• Teachers must emphasize learning rather than assessment or production of the artifact

(D) Students have a clear understanding of the teacher's goals and method(s) of evaluation

(E) Teachers need to have thorough understanding of the knowledge and skills required by the project

(F) Teachers need to encourage students to use all their 'intelligences' - multiple intelligences

(G) Teacher should not set the question so constrained that the outcomes are predetermined, leaving students with little room to develop their own approaches to answering the question

(H) Teachers have to ensure that the problems are educationally rich enough that students must gain understanding of sufficient knowledge and skills through the resolution of the problem

(I) Teachers should set learning-appropriate goals to ensure doing for understanding rather than doing for the sake of doing

(J) Teachers should provide students frequent opportunities for formative self-assessment and revision so that they are trained to become reflective learners.

(K) Teachers have to create a social organizations that promote participation and result in a sense of agency

e.g. peer review, small group interactions, opportunities to contribute, performance opportunities to outside audiences all give a strong incentive to prepare and revise.

(L) To help students become lifelong learners and empower students with intellectual responsibility,…..

teachers should not give specific feedback but alert students to key concepts that students need to rethink and learn about, suggest resources, and progressively release responsibilities to students

Assessment

• Formative and continuous

• process and products

• Pretest, posttest

• Means : journal, clinical interview, artifact, oral presentation, peer review, self-evaluation

  *rating(%)

Evidences from rubrics of evaluation

individual performance

40       meetings with students    informal contact in school and on the internet     individual journals     peer evaluations during and at

the end of the project work     self-reflection at the end of the

project work     clinical interviews at the end of

the project

        --- refer to the " 9 generic skills"    -- task specific criteria set up by teacher for indivdual projects 

Artifacts 

30         written report      web pages      record of progress      sources of information

      refer to criteria in "Artifact Evaluation Form"   Individual score = Group

score X peer evaluation on artifacts

Oral presentation

15         oral presentation - _ - refer to criteria in"Presentation Evaluation Form" Individual score = Group

score X peer evaluation on presentation

task-specific learning outcomes(#)

15 - After the completion of project, conduct     -   individual test for the

assessment of knowledge and skills specific to the task

 

     

   -- knowledge, skills and attitudes to be fostered by specific tasks   - criteria set up by teacher

Checklist of work when meeting with students

Evaluation• ask students to evaluate their teammates and

fill in "Peer Evaluation Form" individually

• evaluate performance of individual students and fill in "Individual Evaluation Form" during and after the meeting

 

Check progress

• ask students to show their individual "Journals“

• ask group leader to show the group's "Record of Progress" and "Sources of information"

  

Support

• Discuss with students the difficulties they encountered and offer "appropriate" guidance

• Identify training needs on knowledge and skills (tool skills, investigative skills, collaborative skills) and conduct appropriate trainings

• Judge morale of the group and decide on motivating measures needed

• Arrange next meeting and agree on the progress expected

• Frequent meeting is a ‘must’ to start up the project

• Do you think you are now more capable to lead projects ?