This is actually an important topic, at a broader level. But I guess professional educators define 'project' differently. To me, a project isn't something you can complete in a few hours, but rather a longer-term activity that takes place over days, weeks, months or (outside academia) even years, and which consequently must be planned out as a series of intermediary steps to the end goal.
In the tech world, there's always something new to be learned, and a lot of folks try to use projects to learn a new programming language or other technology. And there seems to be a growing number of startup companies that have extended that idea even further, as a means of basically assembling and teaching a whole team of folks how to build something. SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket and Tesla's original Roadster are prime examples.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that project-based learning can be a valuable method, but it's still early days in trying to codify how it can best work, whether used more like unit studies in homeschooling, where 'projects' may just be an afternoon of activity, or something far more extensive.
Thank you so much for this added nuance. I 100% agree. There are projects for the sake of learning a specific objective vs. projects that accomplish something important. Project-based learning as children get older and certainly as adults should result in a product - a published article, code that works, etc. That is where actual skills are built. The types of projects I describe here are to help validate an educational objective and are distinctive. I should be more clear as well as talk more about projects by your definition more. Thank you again
Thank you! I think project-based learning is great in theory, but in practice (especially in university settings) it leaves a lot to be desired. The worst form of this is when students are given no prior instruction, so the project becomes the entire basis for learning, with typically disastrous results. So I'm delighted to see you point out that you have to teach first, and then do the project.
Even so, it seems to me that PBL works best with motivated and talented students. If someone doesn't engage with the project then the method is ineffective. So I'm not confident that this is something that scales well across large institutions. But for homeschooling it can be very effective, especially since you can tailor the projects to the specific needs of just a few students.
This is actually exactly what I talk about in the article. My personal experience doing PBL as a student at the university and how most everyone is using projects incorrectly. We actually had an entire PBL class - that we got credit for - that in my opinion was a waste of time. That said, if used properly to solidify and hone knowledge delivered through direct instruction, projects can be extremely effective at long-term retention. But that requires having a clear set of educational objectives and a project that aligns with them. I did use PBL in my 50-100 student classrooms but the projects were a full-semester and the objectives were more about learning how to perform scientific experimentation - which is best done in a project. "projects" for a writing course should be something specific to that I suppose. Either way, it's a fascinating discussion and I'm so grateful to hear your thoughts.
This is actually an important topic, at a broader level. But I guess professional educators define 'project' differently. To me, a project isn't something you can complete in a few hours, but rather a longer-term activity that takes place over days, weeks, months or (outside academia) even years, and which consequently must be planned out as a series of intermediary steps to the end goal.
In the tech world, there's always something new to be learned, and a lot of folks try to use projects to learn a new programming language or other technology. And there seems to be a growing number of startup companies that have extended that idea even further, as a means of basically assembling and teaching a whole team of folks how to build something. SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket and Tesla's original Roadster are prime examples.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that project-based learning can be a valuable method, but it's still early days in trying to codify how it can best work, whether used more like unit studies in homeschooling, where 'projects' may just be an afternoon of activity, or something far more extensive.
Thank you so much for this added nuance. I 100% agree. There are projects for the sake of learning a specific objective vs. projects that accomplish something important. Project-based learning as children get older and certainly as adults should result in a product - a published article, code that works, etc. That is where actual skills are built. The types of projects I describe here are to help validate an educational objective and are distinctive. I should be more clear as well as talk more about projects by your definition more. Thank you again
Thank you! I think project-based learning is great in theory, but in practice (especially in university settings) it leaves a lot to be desired. The worst form of this is when students are given no prior instruction, so the project becomes the entire basis for learning, with typically disastrous results. So I'm delighted to see you point out that you have to teach first, and then do the project.
Even so, it seems to me that PBL works best with motivated and talented students. If someone doesn't engage with the project then the method is ineffective. So I'm not confident that this is something that scales well across large institutions. But for homeschooling it can be very effective, especially since you can tailor the projects to the specific needs of just a few students.
This is actually exactly what I talk about in the article. My personal experience doing PBL as a student at the university and how most everyone is using projects incorrectly. We actually had an entire PBL class - that we got credit for - that in my opinion was a waste of time. That said, if used properly to solidify and hone knowledge delivered through direct instruction, projects can be extremely effective at long-term retention. But that requires having a clear set of educational objectives and a project that aligns with them. I did use PBL in my 50-100 student classrooms but the projects were a full-semester and the objectives were more about learning how to perform scientific experimentation - which is best done in a project. "projects" for a writing course should be something specific to that I suppose. Either way, it's a fascinating discussion and I'm so grateful to hear your thoughts.