Why Project Based Learning is the Future of Education

The classroom education system indicates that the process of inculcating project-based system under the education creates a positive impact on the critical thinking, engagement, and motivation of the students. With the working of the brain and acquiring information, our learning framework has been twisted completely. According to the traditional learning methods, children were grouped by considering their age and given the same lecture to them where they were expected to sit and listen to their lectures. They are given necessary small group interventions and instructions.

Later, the project-based learning models have become the next step in our educational journey. The method of education has started focusing on questions that enable the students to struggle and encounter with fundamental concepts which are considered as one of the best ways of emerging with useful and real-world content knowledge that further helps in applying the variety of tasks and activities. There are several benefits and suggestions for the students so that they can implement project-based learning in their educational curriculum.

1. Meaningful to every student – Project-based learning allows the students to get engaged in education by providing highly realistic projects. It requires constructive investigation in order to provide some degree of choice. It helps in analyzing the highest and the lowest performances by engaging the students in the classroom. When the students get engaged, they are more likely to generate positive outcomes in the classroom like giving teachers back time which can be used for encouragement in order to solve real problems.

2. Promotes deeper learning – Project-based learning is highly based on the framework of real-life applications. Most of the programs lack materials for students so that they can move beyond the portion of comprehension by increasing the focus on summarizing, restating and interpreting. In order to use the project based models, students should synthesize the understanding and evaluate the subject matter. Originally, students can easily memorize and restate the traditional models so that they can criticize, support, hypnotize or construct the project-based learning model that is also known as PBL model. We can well develop the future and economy of the education system if a number of students will start thinking deeply about these concepts.

3. Combines applied skills and content knowledge with real-world – By using good project-based learning models, authenticated situations can be created which allows the students to apply their knowledge from different subjects. According to real-life situations, students are more likely to expect solving problems that use requires knowledge and skills based on the grade, subject or class. The method of pulling students from multiple subjects allows a student to make use of the strategies from each other, especially those who are weak in a particular subject, in order to achieve and receive an acceptable outcome. Various evidence has marked that students who have the belief and the ability to get the success and accomplish their tasks can remain for a longer period of time by increasing the overall motivation and educational success.

4. Active engagement of students in the learning process – Students can increase their motivation and acquire self-regulated learning along with creating positive impact by having a degree of autonomy and adopting a process. Project-based learning allows students to assess their knowledge periodically in a formative way. There are several well-designed projects that help in providing clear steps for achieving goals. This also helps in providing evidence to the students so that they can get aware of the assistance during their process. By making use of the rubrics, projects are graded that further provides the particular criteria to be rated, gradations of quality and required levels of performance.

A well-designed rubric is considered as the assessment and instructional tool. Associated rubrics and problems also provide criteria to the referenced assessments and authentic experiences. It will inform you about the life experience a student can gain outside the classroom by implementing project-based learning in their process. Moreover, it provides a better structure for the graduated feedback and independent work based on the engaging topics and provides opportunities in order to own the learning process.

5. Opportunities for self expression – During the age of standard driven instruction, teachers usually considered it as the complex process and provide opportunities to the students so that they can express themselves. The project-based learning has added self-expression in the project. With this, students can easily solve their own problems and questions. They are finding answers to their questions and content related to learning. This project based learning model has various purposes like the fulfillment of the learner’s needs further helps in meeting standards of learning.

What are the rules for designing A PBL Classroom? Under mentioned are several steps to be followed:

1. Learning Spaces Help Set the Tone – The most defining characteristic of Project-based learning classroom is mainly focuses on group work where a student can work with their peers in order to solve their problems. Here, the learning space can support the collaboration by organizing them in a proper way. For a multi-disciplinary elementary classroom, the portable cushions or floor mats can be considered as an excellent alternative to the traditional desks especially during the group work periods.

Under this project model, teachers require a central location where students can gather in order to hear the stories, project instructions and lessons. But it is important that the space of the room should be enough to implement the group task. On the other hand, older students require comfortable chairs and large work surfaces. Large round or rectangular tables can be proved ideal, but with the limited budget, teachers can arrange the desks in the small clusters in order to create the large and wide spaces.

Students should also keep the common project types and content area in their mind. For English students, small writing desks can work but science students might require large surfaces so that they can accommodate their laboratory work. Access to the requisite technology can be achieved through digital products, as the community based projects and the mobile learning approaches can get the benefit from the accessibility to the social media and different blogging tools. It works in addition to the local periodicals and even spaces so that face-to-face interaction can be made with the community members.

2. Thinks Information Access – Project-based learning is not based on papers only. Under this, students can easily access to white boards or chalk, art or presentation supplies, reference books and many more. Young children have the capability of quick and concise learning which helps them to divide the multi-disciplinary classrooms into the subject-themed areas that further helps in the proper organization and display manipulative, other supplies and different learning materials.

Classrooms for older students are mostly dedicated towards the subjects so that teachers can reserve their rotation area and lesson specific materials that are usual for the year round supplies. Regardless of the subject and the grade, classroom based on the project learning are unpredictable and student-guided. Students are not aware of the direction a project might take, so it is important to keep a wide breadth of materials on hand for supporting them rather than limited the creativity.

3. Use purposeful technology – Most of the Project-based learning classrooms make use of educational technology. It helps the students to develop the real-world skills and become today’s professionals by conducting online research, using databases and spreadsheets in order to organize the information and make use of the presentation and video-editing software for the idea transmission. Technology can become a distraction quickly, a research suggested. Also, the use of internet should be monitored; IT specialists should inspect the computers that stop students to gain the learning experiences. Teachers are required to provide the appropriate guidance for using the technology in different project goals, while using project-based learning in the curriculum.

4. Consider you as the ultimate resource – The most important element of the project-based learning classroom is its teachers. In a traditional classroom, teachers follow a set of curriculum but PBL classrooms are unpredictable by nature and are highly student-guided. In the learning process, teachers are required to be supportive, flexible and engaged. They must introduce and implement different goals and themes of the projects by ensuring all the materials and resources required by the students in their classrooms. Teachers are also required to be aware of the when to observe, when to teach, let students make mistakes according to the situations and many more.

It can be difficult for any teacher to make a transition in the PBL classroom, even on a part-time basis. PBL can also become the integral or important part of the training given to the students, as most of them learn through the educational programs, books, conferences and online resources.

However, start considering or experimenting in PBL to be your own personal project subject to the same philosophies you intend to teach. That means plan carefully, remain flexible and, perhaps most importantly, expect and forgive mistakes.

Conclusion

Furthermore, there are various benefits that help in the implementation of project based learning model in the institution or classroom. From the point of view of the administration of any institution, it is important to ensure the right implementation of any program by moving forward towards it source. If the teachers or the instructors are not able to see the benefits generated from the project –based learning model, it is not even possible for the administration and the students to execute it properly and enthusiastically.

Prior to the implementation of the Project-based learning model, it is important to inform your teachers. You can take the online course or make use of the literature and avail maximum resources. It will be proved highly beneficial to the students who are new to the concept of project-based learning. There are various online courses going to available in the near future where you can ask any kind of question and start building a proper framework for your project based learning.

Every student should start using this program by following the expectations of their teachers and the school. Once you are aware of the professional development offered by the program, you can go through this easily. For any query, feel free to contact https://www.locusassignments.com/contact-us/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are that of the author and not those of Locus Assignments