Innovative Project Based Learning Techniques for Modern Classrooms

Desire to see a classroom full of engaged and motivated students?

You deliver a perfect lesson in front of the class, but most of the students are daydreaming. We have all been there. Well, traditional techniques and methods are no longer working.

The thing is:

Kids crave real-world problems. They need to put their brains into action by solving real-life issues.

And Project Based Learning in schools gives you just that.

If you explore project based learning in education, you would know this is a methodology that lets the students take the control of their own learning process. They are no longer mere spectators who listen to their teachers and do their tasks; they create, collaborate, problem-solve, and take action through relevant and authentic projects. Moreover, PBL is not some shortcut or new trend in the education system that can keep your class busy for a while. Project Based Learning has the potential to reshape the entire process of learning.

As per the research, it was found that students involved in the Project Based Learning Classroom have outperformed their peers by eight percentage points. Do you think that’s a drop in the bucket or a giant leap for student engagement?

Okay. Let’s Dive in:

In this detailed read, we are going to discover:

• What’s going wrong with the conventional technique.
• What are the fundamental techniques in Project Based Learning that make them so special?
• How to frame up projects that matter for students.
• The most appropriate way to assess students.

Traditional Approach of Teaching is Failing to Meet the End

Look, I am going to be very honest with you,

The standard teaching practice of delivering a lecture, conducting a test, and repeating this cycle again and again is not working. Kids are memorizing facts to clear a test, and once it’s gone, they are going to forget it all. Sound like your classroom? Welcome to the club.

Project Based Learning works in the reverse way.

Instead of teaching the content first and hoping the students will be able to apply it later, we teach the kids so they can make the content meaningful by having a relevant issue to solve. It implies that you start with the problem that needs to be addressed, and the kids learn the content so they can use it to finish their projects.

If you will remember:

When was the last time you learned something because your teacher asked you to? Compare that to the time you learned because you needed it to solve a problem you care about. The point is, the difference is HUGE.

The 3x Fundamental Elements That Make Projects Effective

We are going to give you a big secret here:

Not all the projects are made equal.

You can’t ask the students to “create a poster about the life cycle of a butterfly” and call it a Project Based Learning. Nah. It’s a craft activity with extra steps. Authentic project-based learning comprises three (3) non-negotiable elements.

First of all comes authenticity. The projects need to center around real-world problems that your students care about. When your class designs a system for recycling used water bottles in their school cafeteria, their work matters to the real world. Kids see the relevance of their work.

Next comes the student voice and choice. I know, I know, here is where most of you teachers get anxious. But trust me, this is one of the most important pillars. Students need to have a real say in their projects. What issue they will solve? How they will tackle it? What will be the final product look like?

Students need to have a stake in their projects. This is where student motivation skyrockets.

And finally, public presentation of the work. Students don’t finish a project when they handover their work to the teacher. They have completed it when they showcase their solutions to an authentic audience; may it be a community member, or the next batch of students or an industry expert.

Projects Need Structure or Else Your Classroom Will Fall Apart

This is one question that bothers most teachers the most:

“What if my class turns into a total chaos?”. I don’t think so if you are smart about the structure.

Begin with a thought-provoking driving question. Not, “What is climate change?” but, “How do we ensure that our school’s carbon footprint reduces by half in one year?”. The question should be open-ended, difficult to answer, and, it should not be answered by googling for 30 seconds.

Then, you need to divide the whole project into phases:

• Research and exploration
• Planning and design
• Prototyping and testing
• Revision
• Final Presentation

Each of these phases has some milestones. This will allow you to have a few checkpoints without monitoring each of their steps.

And this is where the magic happens.

Incorporate structured reflection time. The students need to write about what they are learning, and how they are overcoming the challenge. It’s that metacognitive work where the actual learning happens.

Projects in the Classroom Need to Be Varied

Do you know what’s the difference between an okay Project Based Learning Classroom and a WOW-project based learning Classroom?

Ability to have multiple projects on the go.

Here’s why.

Not all the students will be interested in the same problem or issue. In a bid to keep all the kids motivated, offer a project menu of 3-5 projects, all of which address the same essential learning objectives, but give the students a chance to pick the one that matters to them.

For example: A unit about ecosystems can include designing a sustainable garden, restoring a local waterway, tracking local wildlife, and even building an aquaponics system. Different projects with the same learning goals. And because students have picked what they are passionate about, motivation is no more an issue.

Assessment That Works

This is where most of you teachers get stuck:

“How do we grade it?”. Standardized testing is not going to work. You are not just evaluating content knowledge. You are also assessing their collaboration skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

So how will you evaluate? By using rubrics that assess both the process and the product.

Your rubrics need to assess research quality, collaboration effectiveness, content understanding, solution creativity, and presentation skills. These rubrics need to be visible to the students from day one, so they know what they are expected to do.

Peer evaluation, and self-assessment are also an integral part. Students must also learn how to give and receive constructive feedback.

A Gallup study found that 46% of the students agreed that the sole reason they maintained interest was due to their hands-on engagement with the lesson or the topic. We are telling you what students are telling us already.

Integrate Technology That Makes Sense

Technology should not be complicating the process. But it’s how many of you teachers integrate technology into the projects.

You need to focus on how the professionals in the field do things, and let your students explore those. Use of Google Forms for surveys, and Google Docs for collaboration, Canva for designing posters. Not just use of technology but using it for the things that are otherwise impossible.

And there we are.

The important thing is to begin. It won’t happen overnight, and some projects are going to flop for sure. But will it be worth it? We can confidently say yes.

Project Based Learning is not just another trend in the field of education. It’s a revolution. One that will reshape the way we see learning. The techniques, as described above- authentic problems, students having a voice and choice, public presentation, structured phases, and formative assessment; these are what form the building blocks of Project Based Learning.

Will it be hard at the start? Yup. Will some of your projects flop? Maybe. But it’s all going to be worth it in the end.

Teaching is not about teaching the curriculum. It’s about preparing the kids for a future we can’t even imagine. Project Based Learning does that and only that the best.