{"id":3190,"date":"2021-08-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/post\/what-is-pbl-3-easy-traits-all-educators-should-know\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T21:22:45","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T21:22:45","slug":"what-is-pbl-3-easy-traits-all-educators-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/post\/what-is-pbl-3-easy-traits-all-educators-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is PBL? 3 Easy Traits All Educators Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The idea of project-based learning appeals to you. You may have seen the <\/span>research<\/span><\/span><\/a> that shows PBL can improve student learning outcomes, enagagement, and even attendance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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All signs point to PBL as possibly one of the best ways to <\/span>prepare your students for success in the real world. <\/span><\/span>But, changing the very core of your curriculum and releasing some of your hard-earned control over your classroom is enough to overwhelm even the most seasoned educators…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The good news is, starting to incorporate small elements of PBL\u00a0into your practice is easy once you know a few of its core qualities.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Learn how to create a collaborative learning environment, boost engagement, and incorporate 21st-century skills into your instruction by brushing up on the basics and benefits of PBL.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What Is Project-Based Learning?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Project-based learning <\/span><\/span>(PBL)\u00a0is an instructional method where students learn by engaging with complex projects based on real-world problems.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Students learn by doing, and produce a logical solution to a Driving Question that is then shared with the public. At its core, PBL is <\/span>student-centered<\/span><\/span>, <\/span>inquiry-based<\/span><\/span>, and <\/span>authentic<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s important to note that <\/span>PBL is more than just \u201cdoing a project\u201d or \u201cmaking something\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u4e00it\u2019s a deliberate teaching method that aligns with the above characteristics. The focus is not on the final artifacts or activities students complete along the way, but the level of rigor and purpose behind them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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1. PBL Is Student-Centered<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Imagine a classroom or think back to one you\u2019ve seen portrayed on TV: Do you see a teacher droning on in front of a chalkboard to a class of disinterested students?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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via GIPHY<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There\u2019s a reason this trope exists. <\/span>Traditional, teacher-centered instruction<\/span><\/span>, which places the teacher front and center as the authority and gatekeeper of knowledge, has long been the status quo in education. The problem is, this method is often less than ideal. As only <\/span>passive participants<\/span><\/span>, it\u2019s easy for students\u2019 minds to wander away from the material. And since knowledge is <\/span>delivered<\/span><\/span>\u00a0instead of <\/span>discovered<\/span><\/span>, students miss out on developing crucial <\/span>critical thinking skills<\/span><\/span>…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What Is PBL? 3 Easy Traits All Educators Should Know-4<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Unlike conventional teacher-centered instruction, PBL follows a <\/span>student-centered learning model<\/span><\/span>. Student-centered learning tackles content that is both challenging and relevant to students\u2019 lives\u2014more on this later. In this model, students are <\/span>assessed frequently <\/span><\/span>and receive <\/span>ongoing feedback<\/span><\/span>, which they use to <\/span>construct their own knowledge<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and develop deeper understandings of core content. Here, the teacher acts as a <\/span>mentor <\/span><\/span>and <\/span>partner<\/span><\/span>, guiding students only when necessary. As <\/span>active participants<\/span><\/span>, students are more <\/span>engaged<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in their own learning, leading to <\/span>higher levels of academic achievement.<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0And in the process, they\u2019re developing critical <\/span>21st-century skills<\/span><\/span>, like problem-solving, communication, and collaboration, that will ultimately help them succeed later in life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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2. PBL Is Inquiry-Based<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Inquiry-based instruction<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is another student-centered educational approach where lessons are exploratory in nature and stem from student inquiries.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Elements of inquiry-based learning are deeply interwoven in PBL, most obviously in every project\u2019s essential <\/span>Driving Question <\/span><\/span>(DQ). Driving Questions are <\/span>open-ended inquiries <\/span><\/span>based on real-world<\/span>\u00a0problems and phenomena <\/span><\/span>designed to trigger students\u2019 curiosity. A project\u2019s DQ provides insights into its purpose, audience, and potential final product.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What Is PBL? 3 Easy Traits All Educators Should Know-2<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Curriculum experts argue<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0your project\u2019s DQ should have the following qualities:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Feasible to consider<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Worthwhile<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Contextualized<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Meaningful<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Ethical<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

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    So, what does that look like in real life? Here\u2019s an example:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    How can we support animals in our local environment? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Students completing this DQ might start by studying the local climate, flora, and fauna, like looking at animals\u2019 habitats, diets, and behavior.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The final product here might involve anything from planting indigenous plants and crafting makeshift animal homes to petitioning\u00a0the public to protect local animal habitats.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The point is students are learning content in context, engaging with real-world problems, and ultimately positively impacting their local environment.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    3. PBL Is Authentic<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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    PBL may just be the secret to answering those dreaded questions, \u201cWhy are we learning this?\u201d Or \u201cWhen will I ever use this in real life?\u201d Each lesson in a PBL unit takes students one step closer to answering their central DQ, which should be grounded in relevancy and reality.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Authentic projects do more than just prepare students for the world beyond the school walls; <\/span><\/span>they motivate students to achieve higher and engage parents and the community along the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    But how do you know if your project is authentic? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    1 adding authenticity twitter size<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    There\u2019s more than one way to incorporate authenticity into your project. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Check out these <\/span>four different descriptions of authentic projects <\/span><\/span>to see if your project passes the test:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      The project meets a real need, or the final product will be used by real people<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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      The project focuses on a problem, issue, or topic that is relevant to students or adults<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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      The project follows a realistic scenario or simulation<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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      The project involves tools or tasks performed by adults in real settings or workplaces<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

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      Want to Learn More About PBL?<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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      This blog post was adapted from an introductory video titled <\/span>What Is PBL?<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>created by our founder and CEO, Miriam Bogler.\u00a0For more tutorials and more information, visit the <\/span>Project Pals YouTube channel<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      Ready to Get Started?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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      Incorporating PBL into your pedagogy (and capitalizing on all of its benefits!) is easy when you have Project Pals in your teacher toolbox.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      Harness the power of PBL in your school or district<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The idea of project-based learning appeals to you. You may have seen the research that shows PBL can improve student learning outcomes, enagagement, and even attendance. All signs point to PBL as possibly one of the best ways to prepare your students for success in the real world. But, changing the very core of your […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":990,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3190"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3357,"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3190\/revisions\/3357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectpals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}