Submitted by James Boyer (not verified) on December 18, 2007 - 15:24.
I have had success with PBL, but rarely using the same project with different groups of students. For example, we are currently working on building bridges from file folders in an Honors physics class, and the students are actively engaged and solving problems. Last year we embarked on a plan to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In both cases, we tried the other focus (imagining and solving problems in statics) first, but students were reluctant to engage with the project. I believe that the selection of projects is an inexact science--it needs to be shaped by the nature and prior knowledge of the students. This, to me, makes PBL more difficult, as the PBL-using educator needs to have a whole bunch of arrows in his/her quiver prior to implementing a Project-based focus. Hands on is not always Heads on science!
project-based learning
Submitted by James Boyer (not verified) on December 18, 2007 - 15:24.
I have had success with PBL, but rarely using the same project with different groups of students. For example, we are currently working on building bridges from file folders in an Honors physics class, and the students are actively engaged and solving problems. Last year we embarked on a plan to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In both cases, we tried the other focus (imagining and solving problems in statics) first, but students were reluctant to engage with the project. I believe that the selection of projects is an inexact science--it needs to be shaped by the nature and prior knowledge of the students. This, to me, makes PBL more difficult, as the PBL-using educator needs to have a whole bunch of arrows in his/her quiver prior to implementing a Project-based focus. Hands on is not always Heads on science!