Managing Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning (PBL) brings relevance to mundane facts and figures. PBL provides real life experiences that refine life skills. Here are four keys to successful PBL:

1. Make advisory time more than homeroom. Time needs to be allowed to build the relationships needed for engagement.
   
2. Start with small scope projects. Demonstrate the process from proposal to presentation to model the skills needed for PBL.
   
3. Streamline the paperwork. Find ways to simplify docume-ntation by using innovative tools  such as Project Foundry®. 
4. Build in short feedback loops. Don’t fool yourself into thinking more traditional class projects means PBL. Mentor, model and get out of the way.
   

The funny thing is there is a lot of chatter and embrace on the theory and purpose behind more hands on approaches learning, but in practice, too many are stuck with the legacy of how they've been taught.  Peeling back the layers and getting to where the muscle meets the bone, one will find the management of the model far outweighs the pile of books a school can collect and distribute to the innovative teachers doing true project-based learning.

Short Feedback Loops in Project-Based Learning

Student-centered project-based learning (PBL) is a powerful instructional method many educators appreciate, but often struggle with the implementation. As a former practitioner and current teacher trainer, I often see long or non existent feedback loops quickly kill the momentum of PBL in a school.

When this happens, students go back to drones doing the minimum required amount of work.Teachers throw up there hands and question the benefit of the model, while parents get ancy due to the the lack of tangible things to measure progress.

Usually classroom projects are what I say enable amateur habits, since the teacher assigns it, the studentswork on it without feedback... hand it in... present... get a grade and that’s it. Learning is in the feedback and it happens when there is ample time to reapply.