Project-based learning starts by having the students ask an overriding question that relates to what they see in the real world.
If your children’s teacher tells you their school is doing project-based learning, you’ll soon discover that it involves a lot more than the Bristol board project you may have done when you were a kid.
“We all did projects when we went to school, but project-based learning flips the idea on its head,” says Carrie Annable, chair of academic strategy at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton.
Rather than undertaking a project and then hoping the work will relate to the curriculum, project-based learning starts by having the students ask an overriding question that relates to what they see in the real world. Then they build the project around the quest for answers.
“For example, we had a group of Grade 10 students do a project about accessibility at our own school. That led them to do a lot of math work, as they figured out where and how to put in wheelchair ramps and other accessibility features,” she says.
“In another example, our Grade 2 students read a book called the Library Mouse [by Daniel Kirk]. Beyond discussing the book, it led to work on literacy skills – they created their own books that they thought a mouse might want to read,” she says.
“It also led to STEM work [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] when they did a project to create their own library for a mouse.”
“The benefit of project-based learning is that it delivers the curriculum, but in a way that is meaningful,” says Glen Herbert, marketing and communications lead at Rosseau Lake College in Rosseau, Ont.
“Rather than, say, encountering math problems that mention cars, or goats or red balls, students use the curricular content in situations and scenarios that are meaningful and purposeful for them,” he says.
He explains that without projects, students may ask why they need to know a particular bit of information, or whether it’s going to be on the exam.
“But if they have projects such as running a pop-up store and need to calculate margins or taxes, they know why they have to know those things – it’s for the project to be successful. At the same time, they know why they are doing all the math, or the design, or the engineering or whatever it is for the project,” he says.
Project-based learning has a long history, says Bob Lenz, chief executive officer of PBLWorks, a California-based not-for-profit organization that provides professional development and resources for teachers across North America.
“We’ve found evidence of a project-based approach in Medici era Florence [the early 15th century], and it’s embedded in the teaching methods of Indigenous peoples in North America and Polynesia,” he explains.
A Grade 2 student at Hillfield Strathallan College shows off parts of the Mouse Library his class created.FRANK ZOCHIL
The educator and philosopher John Dewey (1859-1952) pulled the ideas together to explain and promote the idea of learning by doing. “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself,” he said.
“It puts the onus on the learner to do the harder work,” Mr. Lenz explains. “It’s a switch for everybody – it’s a breath of fresh air for students who haven’t found school relevant or challenging,” he says.
“And those students who are good at remembering and regurgitating things just for a test will find that there’s an audience for their thoughts beyond the classroom and the teacher. It’s a lot more engaging than sitting at a desk.”
Teachers are deeply involved in steering and guiding project-based learning programs, says Dr. Matina Mosun, assistant head of academics at Kingsway College School, which has two campuses in Toronto’s west end.
“The teachers work behind the scenes as the project unfolds, making sure the students are investigating and building knowledge and skills that relate to the curriculum. It’s real-world focused. At the end there’s usually a presentation and reflection, so the learning continues beyond the end of the project,” Dr. Mosun says.
Mr. Lenz says PBLWorks recommends that students undertake two larger projects twice a year in each general area of study, such as history or science.
“It gives students an opportunity to go deep into an area, as well as wide. They can find out what they’re interested in studying later in university and they find out how they can make a difference in the world.”
An example is the Grade 9 program at Kingsway College’s Senior School, which just opened a new campus on Toronto’s lakeshore, says the school’s head, Andrea Fanjoy.
“Last year’s class chose water pollution as a project subject. They combined the science curriculum with learning about issues like micro-plastics in the water, and they organized a beach cleanup for the younger students,” she says.
“Instead of just showing off what you learn, with project-based learning you take what you learn and find how you can contribute to your community.”