Why Project-Based Learning?
For junior Max Townsend who is in the Computer Science pathway at Da Vinci Communications, project-based learning is the ideal curriculum model that allows him time to explore his interests while gaining valuable knowledge and skills that will serve him well in college and beyond.
“We’re doing a project called Superfan,” Max said, proudly showing off the new website he created on the online CodeSandbox platform using the coding languages HTML, CSS and JavaScript. “We were supposed to pick something we really enjoy and make a website about it. I picked Kendrick Lamar because I really like his music. The project requires us to break down a problem into chunks which is similar to the way things happen in the real world. I want to be an aerospace engineer. I feel like doing real-world projects and learning these new skills is setting me up for my future,” he continued.
PBL is a core instructional practice at all Da Vinci schools across grades TK-12. PBL is designed to engage and support all students to achieve academic and lifelong success.
What is Project-Based Learning?
While many consider Project-Based Learning to be an innovation in education, it actually has roots in the early 1900s work of John Dewey, Carl Rogers and many other progressive educators. According to PBLWorks/Buck Institute for Education, Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method that calls upon students to tackle a challenging real-world problem or question that is rigorous and meaningful to students’ lives – such as how to best design a tiny house – and explore it over a period of weeks. Teachers incorporate rigorous grade-level, standards-based curriculum and instructional strategies (such as Universal Design for Learning) into the project, which is the vehicle for teaching the essential knowledge and skills to meet academic goals and Common Core State Standards. Students work in teams to create a final product that demonstrates mastery of content standards and a demonstration of key skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.
Instead of learning for the sake of getting a good grade or another extrinsic motivation, students in PBL “learn by doing” because they are emotionally invested in finding a solution to a real-world problem that’s relevant or important to them.
PBL requires critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, creativity, and project management. An important component of PBL and assessment is a public presentation of learning. At Da Vinci, all students in grades TK-12 share their learning and mastery of the curriculum during public Presentations of Learning (POLs) and Exhibition Nights that are attended by families, friends, and community members. Student Led Conferences are another way for students to demonstrate their learning and develop agency by articulating their learning to family members, reflecting on progress and setting goals. PBL, when paired with these signature practices, provide avenues for educators to teach crucial social emotional skills.
The concept of using projects in education can be traced to John Dewey (1859–1952), an American philosopher and educator. In the early 20th century, Dewey emphasized experiential learning, where students engage in hands-on activities that allow them to investigate real-world problems. PBL, as we know it today, began to take shape in the 1960s and 1970s, then in the 1990s experienced a significant resurgence with the growing emphasis on 21st century skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving.
“Gold Standard” PBL, established by the Buck Institute in 2015 and supported by over 20 years of research by leading experts and PBL-focused organizations, established seven Essential Project Design Elements, which Da Vinci educators across the organization incorporate into their projects. In addition, Da Vinci has adopted EL Education Chief Academic Officer Ron Berger’s powerful book, An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students, as an org-wide foundational text focusing on quality vs. quantity and how to cultivate “beautiful work” in education.
“At Da Vinci Schools, we believe in honoring the professional expertise of our educators. This includes the PBL tenet of ‘educator as designer’ of high quality, engaging learning that meets students where they are and challenges them to explore solutions. Our young people are entering a world without one answer, one where they need to problem-solve, collaborate, communicate, design, and be resourceful. Project-Based Learning provides the foundation for this important learning,” said Michelle Rainey, Da Vinci’s Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.
Utilizing the tenets of Gold Standard PBL, each Da Vinci project includes a challenging problem or question, sustained inquiry, real-world context, student voice and choice, reflection, critique and revision, and a public presentation. A project rubric provides an evaluation tool and set of guidelines for project deliverables during the course of the project. The primary purpose of the project rubric is to define the academic expectations for students for each project and to ensure consistency in the evaluation of academic work from student to student, assignment to assignment, and classroom to classroom.
PBL’s Effectiveness
With more than 20 years of research data, project-based learning is widely acknowledged as a highly effective educational strategy that cultivates engaged students who are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and proficient in literacy across various subjects. Additionally, PBL fosters the development of culturally and socially aware students who excel in communication and are prepared to be active, responsible global citizens.
Effective educators are essential for high-quality instruction, such as PBL, and have a marked influence on all aspects of learning for all students. Da Vinci educators engage in 20 days of professional development each year to plan authentic projects that have a real-world impact on students’ lives. Industry partners also play an important role in defining the knowledge, skills, and tools students need to learn to be successful in today’s rapidly changing digital world.
“At each of our schools, educators collaborate with each other, including their special education counterparts, to ensure all students receive rigorous and relevant instruction that meets their needs. By interweaving PBL with a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach, educators craft instruction that supports all students to engage meaningfully with the learning and accommodate their individual needs,” said Rainey.
PBL is growing in its popularity across schools, school districts, and other educational settings. Colleges that are well known for their hands-on, project-based curriculum include Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, MIT, and Stanford University. More than 3,000 educators have visited Da Vinci Schools since our inception to learn more about our best practices, including PBL. Da Vinci hosts an annual gathering with educators from across the country focused on career-connected learning and PBL.
Most real world learning outside of school happens at the intersection of more than one discipline. PBL makes the knowledge and skills stick long-term for students and requires higher order thinking skills such as the application of knowledge and skills. For many students and educators, PBL can be transformative.
“I really like project-based learning because I feel like it makes people feel more aware of what is happening in the world and you can tell other people about it (at exhibition nights). Doing real-world projects is really great,“ said Maya Thornton, a junior at DVC, who showcased her Humans of DVC project at Exhibition Night earlier this month.
Project and Real World Learning Resources
Buck Institute for Education
https://www.pblworks.org
Connecting Across Disciplines in PBL
https://www.edutopia.org/article/interdisciplinary-project-based-learning
SLC, POL and Exhibition resources:
https://shareyourlearning.org/
