PBL

2/28/2009

18 Comments

 

Welcome!

We would like to welcome you to our blog entry. Our group looked into Project-Based Learning (PBL), and how it can be used in online education. Whether you're a teacher using PBL in your classes, a student who has done project-based assignments, or just curious or interested in learning more about PBL...Let's talk PBL!

What is PBL all about?

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is nothing new. In fact most of us have probably experienced PBL in some way or form whether as students or teachers. PBL is a learner-centered instructional strategy in which students work cooperatively over time to create a product, presentation, or performance. PBL is rooted in constructivism, the educational theory in which emphasis is placed on the learner, and the belief that students learn through their experiences...by doing. In PBL, students work 
collaboratively to construct their own knowledge.

More specifically, PBL is defined by the Buck Institution of Education as “a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning essential knowledge and life-enhancing skills through an extended, student-influenced inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and task.”

Benefits of PBL

 PBL has been around for over a century, and there have
been numerous studies and reports written in support of
using project-based curriculums. PBL has been proven
to be an effective instructional strategy that can be implemented at all educational levels, and in all disciplines. The Intel® Teach Program is a program that provides training for K-12 teachers on how to integrate technology into their lessons in order to promote problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills among
their students. 

On their Web site, The Intel® Teach Program discusses PBL in depth and list the following as
benefits of using PBL:  

  ü Promotes the learning and application of problem solving, communication, and 
             self-management skills.
  ü Supports lifelong learning, civic responsibility, and personal/career success.
  ü Assesses performance on content and skills using criteria similar to those found in the
            work world.
  ü Creates positive communication and collaborative relationships among diverse groups.
  ü Addresses varying skill levels and learning styles.Program Web site, click on 
            the link below.
            http://www97.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/Design/

Also available on the Intel® Teach Program Web site, is a four page PDF article that provides a good overview of PBL, discusses its benefits, as well as presents challenges teachers face in implementing PBL. This article also concludes with a resource and reference list for more information about PBL. http://download.intel.com/education/Common/en/Resources/DEP/projectdesign/DEP_pbl_research.pdf

General Characteristics of PBL

While there are many ways in which to incorporate PBL into curriculums, and there is no one "right" way to implement PBL. Many factors can play into the design of a project-based assingment, but in comparing various reports and studies there seems to be a general consensus of what constitutes a well-designed project.

In effective projects:

  ü students are engaged in open-ended, authentic tasks.
  ü projects are driven by curriculum-framing questions.
  ü the levels of student control and teacher-planned structure that guides and focuses some
            control student work are well balanced.
  ü decisions about how they complete project tasks are turned over to students, while 
            teachers take on the role of a facilitator or coach.
  ü students work collaboratively, taking on roles that best suit their individual talents. 
  ü learning objectives are clearly defined, and are aligned with standards.
  ü on-going and multiple types of assessments are used to evaluate learning.
  ü are relevant to students' lives and are connected to the real world.
  ü require students to demonstrate their knowledge through a product or performance.

Examples

Here are two examples of PBL currently being implemented in Hawaii! 
The first is a project being done at Nuuanu Elementary, and the second is a project being done at Moanalua High School, both on Oahu. As you will see, PBL can be used effectively with all age groups, even down to kindergarten-aged students. As you watch the videos, take special notice of the elements of good project design listed in the section above. You can find out more about these projects at Edutopia (Nuuanu Elementary, Moanalua High School)


 


Using PBL in online education

With the rapid development of new technologies and the recent push to integrate technology into education, teachers are beginning to use more and more technology in their classrooms. The videos above are good examples of the use of technology and PBL. PBL works well with technology. In addition,the Internet and Web can provide students in traditional face-to-face classrooms with a lot of resource information for projects.

Additionally, PBL is also being used more and more in online education. Research indicates an effective strategy to promote learning in an online environment is to employ collaborative learning, and PBL is well suited to collaborative learning. PBL is student-centered, hands-on, and interactive. And rather than disseminating information through direct instruction, the instructor's role becomes more of a facilitator, providing guidance and support through the learning experience.

Of course, implementing PBL online presents its own set of challenges. As one researcher stated, “putting stuff online is easy—creating an online learning experience is hard.” Some of the particular
challenges instructors may face when incorporating PBL online include: 

  ü engaging students
  ü ensuring sufficient level of participation and interaction
  ü ensuring students have the technology and skills needed to utilize communication and
            collaboration tools
  ü formation of a learning community

However, with the proper planning, PBL can be implemented effectively online. Things instructors can do to address these challenges are to research and use appropriate online tools, promote the forming of a strong learning community, and provide adequate support and guidance to students.

Additional tools and resources

Let's Talk PBL
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~jhomori/PBL_index.html
A Web-based learning object we created about PBL for our ETEC 649:Designing 
           Online Courseware class. This Web site was designed with teachers in mind, 
           includes background information about PBL, a how-to section discussing how to 
           design a project, as well as tools and resources to get a project "off the ground." 

PBL-Online
http://pbl-online.org/
A one stop solution for Project Based Learning including information and resources to 
           design and manage high quality projects for middle and high school students. Includes
           a video library (http://pbl-online.org/video/video.htm) that has videos relating to each
           step of the design process.

Project Based Learning Handbook
http://www.bie.org/pbl/pblhandbook/contents.php
Buck Institute of Education's comprehensive overview of PBL provides a detailed 
           planning model for teachers and PBL research.

Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/teaching-module-pbl
Project-Based Learning teaching module is designed for either a two- to three-hour 
           class or session or a one- to two-day workshop, and is divided into two parts. A lot
           of information, articles, and videos.

ICT-Assisted Project-Based Learning
http://www.uoregon.edu/~moursund/PBL/index.html
Created by David Moursund this Web site is designed to support a workshop, a 
           short course, or self study on Information and Communication Technology 
           (ICT)-Assisted Project-Based Learning. There are enough materials for a two-day 
           workshop or a one-credit course.

Conclusion

Conducting class projects is nothing new in education. However, PBL is much more than just a time-filler, or a fun class activity. PBL has much more to offer, and has been proven to be a legitimate teaching strategy with many strengths and benefits. The effective use of PBL will not only result in the learning of the subject matter; it will also help develop in our students the collaborative and communication skills they will need in order to be successful citizens and workers in the 21st century.

Whether you're a teacher interested in or already using PBL in your classes, or a student who has done project-based assignments we'd love to hear from you. If you have questions, comments or would like to share your experiences with PBL, you can post a comment by clicking "comments" at the top of this page and completing the "Leave a Reply" form.

For teachers who have done PBL before:
     What elements would you always include in your projects?
     What are some "lessons learned" from doing these projects?
     What advice would you offer other teachers interested in doing PBL?

For students who have done projects for a class:
     Describe a memorable project you have done before.
     What about the project made it memorable?
     What did you like and dislike about doing that project?

18 Comments
Deanna
3/2/2009 02:13:21 am

Wow this is a really well done blog entry. I love all of the visual elements you added. You guys have alot of great information on here!

Reply
Teri
3/3/2009 02:55:13 am

Totally awesome job. I felt like I was reading an article in a magazine. I loved the layout and images that you added to give the blog that extra spruce.

I don't have much experience on PBL, but I am very familiar with collaborative learning (with actually goes hand in hand with PBL). I fully see the benefits of PBL as I feel that it could prepare our students even better for the real world, and giving them their relevance in learning that they are always looking for. I also know that it is hard work, and takes practice to master, as teachers (I used to be one of them when I taught with the traditional teaching model) have a hard time giving up the lead of the class to become a monitor.

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Sam
3/3/2009 05:56:23 am

Very nice entry! and thank you for the link to Intel program that is very informative. PBL in Thai = "Krong Ngan"

I experienced PBL when I was in a lower secondary school with 3 members in the group. We did try different ingredients in different concentrate level for preserving fruit, and ask people to try (eat) each set of experiment (preserved fruit), and write a report.

PBL is not just let student learning the content of their choices, but they will learn how to work together and solve a lot of problem along the way toward the end of the project. PBL is rock!

SAM

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Lisa M
3/3/2009 01:11:49 pm

As a fan of PBL, I found this to be a great resource! Seeing it put into action via the edutopia video clips was a powerful addition. Like Teri said, it goes hand in hand with Collaborative Learning and the two approaches will go far in preparing students for real-life. In our question to produce 21st century students, this is exactly the direction education needs to move.

The site itself was easy to navigate and was full of relevant information! Over the past several months, I have spent literally hours combing websites to gain as much information as possible... however, you site seems to have capsulated a well-rounded description of this topic.

Good job!!!

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John
3/3/2009 03:06:09 pm

Very informative blog with great external links. I am not a school teacher and most of my PBL as a student would be associated with ETEC. But as i read the description of PBL and watched the videos i was transported backto my youth and time as a Boy Scout. The entire program, in book form, was based on projects. You started with some reading and explanation of the intended outcomes and a list of possible tasks to perform to show a mastery of the necessary skills. We were monitored and mentored through the process by parents, adults and, peers alike. I would say many of those projects stuck with me and were reinforced during USMC boot camp, officer training and often throughout my career as a Marine. I was proficient in Morse Code, Land Navigation, knots, and even the basics of marksmanship and survival skills. While there was a marked lack of technology associated with the projects and tasks i'm sure they are incorporated in scouting programs of today for both the boys and the girls.

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Leanne
3/4/2009 01:39:26 am

Hi folks,
Thanks for the positive comments :)

I agree Teri, that after being trained to stand in front of the class and “teach,” it is sometimes very difficult to give up control and to assume the role of a mentor/facilitator. For me, maybe because I was a Japanese teacher, it seemed natural to include activities to supplement the teaching of the language and culture. But as we learned, PBL is much more than just activities. While writing my reflection, I thought about those activities and found the activities I did in my classes may have included were about 60% activity and maybe about 40% PBL based. Not bad, considering I hadn’t at that time even heard of PBL. ;-) However, I can see how PBL can be used in almost all, if not all disciplines, especially when it is a multidisciplinary project. There are quite a few examples that incorporate math, science and English. It just takes a lot of planning, input and cooperation from the other teachers to put together a multidisciplinary project. Let me know if you're interested and I can send you some leads...

Sam- I think you hit the nail on the head. With PBL the learning does not stop with just the content. PBL aims to also teach 21st century skills such as problem solving, inventive thinking, teamwork, and communication.

I also agree with you Lisa, that this is definitely the way education should be headed. We’re coming to understand that the 21st century learners thrive on creation, relevancy and interaction. And PBL really does fit well with this generation of learners. PBL ties content to the students’ lives creating relevancy, demands collaboration and teamwork, and requires students to produce a product or performance as a result of the assignment.

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Leanne
3/4/2009 01:59:44 am

Hi John,

Great example! Although I wasn’t in the Boy Scouts ;-) my brother was, and my father was the Scout Master. So, I was around a lot. I think my most memorable example of PBL and collaborative learning in Boy Scouts was the camping trips we used to take almost every 3 day weekend of the year. The troop was broken down into 3-4 patrols. Each patrol was responsible for planning their trip. While the location, and transportation were provided by the adults, the boys planned for their supplies and meals, collected the money from the families, did the shopping, packing, etc. Once at the camp site, they were responsible for setting up their tents, all the cooking, cleaning, and activities for the weekend. The adults as you mentioned, were there to mentor and provide supervision, but on the whole, they stayed out of the process. Looking it at it now (over 20 years later), from an educator’s standpoint, they gained a wealth of knowledge and skills: organization, teamwork, time management, communication, budgeting, meal planning, and responsibility! Ah…and all under the guise of going camping :-)

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Leslie
3/5/2009 03:54:03 pm

Wow! Great job guys, I really liked your webpage..was that dreamweaver you used? I really need to learn how to use that.
Is the learning objective explicitly shared with the students in Project Based Learning? Are language objectives built in? I am wondering about how this could be adapted for esl/ell groups?

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Elizabeth
3/6/2009 07:24:34 am

Thank you for a great informative blog log. I knew about PBL before but this blog elevated my understanding of PBL.

In Montessori schools, classrooms are based on PBL and at one of the Montessori High School on the mainland, their classroom is a farm where all the subjects including science and math are incorporated into taking care of daily chores at a farm.

I do agree with you that this is not a new concept but it has been articulated better in terms of how all subjects can be integrated to create a holistic approach.

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Jean
3/6/2009 10:26:15 am

Hi PBL team,

Great job on your blog entry ... very informative! I knew before that PBL was hands on but I now understand that it's much more than that. I really enjoyed the video examples that you provided, especially since they were local examples. I'm happy to see this happening in our public schools. Thanks also for the great resources.

Like John, most of my PBL experiences as a student are in the ETEC program, as most of my previous education was pretty traditional. Now that I have a six year old, I'm happy to see a movement towards PBL. I hope to see it more integrated into his classroom, though sometimes I feel like his current school is pretty traditional. Anyone have any suggestions on how to broach this subject with his teachers? :)

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Danh
3/6/2009 10:42:41 am

Hi PBL group,
Your blog is very nice. I like it.

“Learning by doing” concept plays an important role in the success of education. In fact, teachers and educators all know the effectives of PBL to engage students collaborations and group work quality. Students can obtain many good knowledge and skills through PBL. To prepare for PBL, students have to work individually first and then they get involved in the groups to develop their project. Collaborating skills will develop along with the project because students can share their thoughts, ideas and other things related. This process creates good opportunities for students to develop complex skills including critical thinking, problem-solving and logical thinking. PBL encourages students to built social community among them and to seek out additional to support for their project. The more students get take part in their project with others, the more they learn a lot and draw good experiences that will prepare for their lives. Generally, students can take significant advantages of PBL to improve their knowledge, skill, and profession. This will help them a lot in the future.
However, I think it is good to extend this field into wide scopes such as instructional design, grant writing and other areas that need to get more people involved. I can guess benefits of this information to my future work.
Thank for your good and useful information
Danh

Reply
Tom Norton
3/7/2009 07:04:42 am

Hi Leslie -
I wanted to respond to some of your questions.

I really liked your webpage..was that dreamweaver you used? I really need to learn how to use that.
<Yes we used Dreamwaver - the job was actually traded off in midstream from myself to Jayne. As for myself I went from using DW8 to using my new DW cs4. It took some getting used to, but the newer version makes it a little easier to use. >

Is the learning objective explicitly shared with the students in Project Based Learning?
<According to one site (PRB-online.org) lbjectives come in three areas - content, real worlkd skills, & what they called "habits of mind" or metacognitive behaviors. While the first two should be explicitly stated in the project directions, all three should be assessed in some fashion.>

Are language objectives built in? I am wondering about how this could be adapted for esl/ell groups?
<I would think you could always include some kind of language objective whether in the direct scope of the project or in reflections about the project>

I hope these answers have helped clarify some of your questions.

Tom

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To Leslie
3/7/2009 07:15:58 am

Lesson learned - to not use arrow brackets <> in a response as they effectively eliminate the text. I found this out because the previous post looks like it just has a restatelement of Leslies's questions. To offset the questions I put my response between <> and tey didn't get printed.
So in a much abbreviated version
1. We did use DW for this. Jayne & I shared duties. There is a fairly steep learning curve, while it is getting more like working with a word processor/publishiing programming there still is a lot more involved.

2. According to one source the learning objectives relate to a)content b)real world skils c)"habits of mind" or metaacognition. The first two should be explicitly named in the project description but all three should be assessed.

3. I would think you could embed any language objective you had identified - either in some part of the product or in some kind of reflection about the projec.

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Bob
3/9/2009 08:43:32 am

As an individual, I am a disciple of Project Based Learning. It has always been a very effective tool in which I have learned to grasp new concepts. Even with the concepts that I understood, it provided a foundation of reinforcement to. If not provided, I often find myself seeking some tool to use as a form of Project Based Learning in either learner or instructor role.
The value of Project Based Learning has probably been subconsciously understood since the advent of formal education. Indeed, the very principles of science are reinforced in the lab, an environment that necessitates a student perform hands-on training. Labs are increasingly being used in all educational subject matters. Perhaps with the new understanding of the value of Project Based Learning, the educational lab will become a more involved and comprehensive process.

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Liz
3/10/2009 07:20:10 pm

Aloha Team,

Thank you for the wonderful presentation on PBL. I am a proponent of PBL as it fits easily into environmental education. I had heard about the Nuuanu and Moanalua programs and am happy you provided the connection that gave me an easy look-see at the videos. You may want to check your links to Edutopia and the Nuuanu school video in the text paragraph just before your videos. At least for me, one was a non-link and the other went to another foreign language site.

As you recognized, PBL is not new but it's great to see it used now in a more interdisciplinary way. I look forward to seeing how technology will continue to propel it forward.

Reply
Leanne
3/11/2009 07:08:41 am

Hi Liz,

Thanks for the "eagle-eye" :-)
I've corrected both links...somehow ".com" had gotten added to the URLs.

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Will
3/13/2009 05:39:39 am

Great post guys. I agree wit Leanne that PBL can be particularly effective in multidisciplinary projects. Here at Kauai CC, we have been developing a couple learning communities- an English and Hawaiian studies class have been combined and are team taught by the instructors, and they incorporate PBL, and we also have developmental math and science classes that are linked and team taught that also use PBL. Using PBL that incorporates different disciplines helps students to see the relevance of what they are learning, especially for courses like math where they often ask, "When am I ever going to need to know how to do this?"

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Matt Spencer
3/28/2009 07:12:10 am

Great blog post guys. I really liked your learning object and thought that there was some good information there so I knew that for your blog entry that there was going to be a lot of good stuff here as well. I thought your post was not only clear and concise, but singled out the most informative and relevant information. Excellent post.

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