Teacher: Today we’re going to start a new project.

Narrator: Teachers and their students have been doing projects since forever.

Students: Three, two, one.

Narrator: More and more are doing project-based learning. So what’s the difference?

Teacher: That’s a great question.

Teacher: Let’s start off by reviewing.

Narrator: Projects are typically limited in scope and duration. They’re a good way for students to work with content they’ve already learned.

Teacher: Flip to the paper that says sundial.

Narrator: In project-based learning, students learn through the project.

Teacher: Ah.

Teacher: Interesting.

Narrator: They address a real-world problem, a driving question, one that can’t be googled and has no single right answer.

Teacher: We were talking about how can we prepare for Atlanta’s change in weather?

Narrator: Students have voice and choice in PBL, some input into how they’ll answer the driving question.

Teacher: Does anybody think they might have some ideas?

Narrator: So they gain ownership of their learning.

Teacher: So those questions led to our investigation.

Narrator: They collaborate in a process of sustained inquiry, lasting more than a few days.

Teacher: We’ve got a whole lot of work to do.

Narrator: They reflect on their learning through discussions, formative assessments and critiques of their peers’ work.

Teacher: We are going to take a look at one of your friend’s work today.

Narrator: And then revise their work, based on those reflections.

Student: Now let’s see it.

Student: Okay, there we go, we got it.

Student: High five.

Narrator: The final product is shared with an audience beyond the classroom. Maybe that’s professionals in a related field.

Woman: I appreciated how thoughtfully you responded.

Narrator: Or it could be the kids in the class next door. When students spend an hour exploring the four forces of flight by crafting a Mars lander out of paper, that’s a project. When they spend a month simulating a Mars landing, analyzing the math and physics at work, and discussing their work with real aerospace engineers…

Engineer: And it sounds like you’ve done a little bit of testing to see if that works.

Student: Yeah.

Narrator: That’s project-based learning.

Teacher: [speaks Italian].

Students: [speak Italian].

Narrator: Research shows that rigorous PBL can result in higher engagement and deeper content knowledge.

Teacher: You’re rocking it, keep it up, okay.

Narrator: Learn more about project-based learning at Edutopia.org.