Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Project-Based Learning helps to develop applicable knowledge and critical real-world skills, like communication and problem-solving

Courtesy of learningexchange.nsw.edu.au
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an innovative approach to learning that encompasses a variety of skills that are critical to future success. The approach is built upon learning activities that are typically designed to answer a question or solve a problem.  These activities generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom. 

Students design their own inquiries, organize their research, and implement a multitude of learning strategies.   As a result, PBL teaches students content as well as 21st century skills, including communication, time management, research, and leadership skills.  These skills are useful far beyond the boundaries of the classroom, which better prepares them for the future.


Project-Based Learning is effective due to its ability to engage students' interest and increase their motivation


According to an article on educational strategies, PBL promotes student motivation, as the process begins with the student researching a topic that interests him.  They have freedom in their pursuit of knowledge, but their learning is facilitated by the teacher who oversees the student’s progress.

Additionally, projects allow the opportunity for students to work together as a group.  This encourages cooperation among peers and develops communication skills, which are vital to future collaboration.  The article also makes it clear that “PBL is not a supplementary activity to support learning”.  It is the foundation of the curriculum since most projects incorporate reading, writing, and mathematics in some capacity.

Students solve real world problems and implement a variety of learning strategies throughout the process. Overall, the result of PBL is greater understanding of a topic, deeper learning, and increased motivation to learn. 
Dr. Linda Valli, who has a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies, believes that projects based on real life situations are more personally meaningful to students, which better motivates them to learn.


Project-Based Learning positively effects teacher performance and increases attendance rates of students

A review of research on Project-Based Learning found additional benefits of the PBL method that extended beyond the students. Results from classroom observation, teacher interviews, and analyses of teacher reports in ten PBL schools revealed a positive impact on teacher performance as well.

According to this report, the PBL program increased participating teachers' beliefs in their ability to teach students of different ability levels and to conduct assessments.  They also saw an overall boost in confidence in themselves as teachers and learners.

Furthermore, the improvement in teacher confidence and classroom environment resulted in an increase in attendance as well. The report found attendance to be high in all the PBL schools, with an average attendance rate across all schools of over 90 percent. Attendance at a participating elementary school in Cincinnati increased from 75 percent before the implementation of PBL to over 95 percent after two years. Additionally, the report found rates of retention, suspensions, and other disciplinary problems to be unusually low in PBL schools. 


Project-Based Learning also improves test scores due to its promotion of critical thinking


While many of the skills developed by PBL cannot be measured by tests, there are additional learning benefits that reflect in improved test scores. According to the previously mentioned article on educational strategies, standardized testing shows that students engaged in PBL outperform their traditionally educated peers.  The article examines multiple studies that support this finding. 

In a British study conducted over three years, students were taught under a traditional math curriculum at one school, while PBL was implemented at another school.  Three times as many of the PBL students achieved the highest possible score on the national exam than the traditional students.  Furthermore, the study concluded that the PBL students had equal success with procedural questions that used formulas, but were superior in answering applied and conceptual questions.

Similar findings occurred in a study at a Maine middle school where a PBL approach was adopted.  After just one year of the approach, students significantly improved in all achievement areas on the Maine Educational Assessment Battery.  The gains made by the school were three to ten times higher than the state average.

In another study, elementary students in three Iowa schools that used PBL raised their Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores from “well below average” to the district average in two schools and to “well above the district average” in another school. Furthermore, in the span of three years, reading gains ranged from 15 percent in one school to over 90 percent in the other two schools, while the district average remained the same.

This research concludes that the problem-solving skills and critical thinking fostered by PBL results in tangible improvements in test scores.

As a result of PBL success, educators are reevaluating the traditional approach of testing.


While tests have been a staple in education for centuries, some educators see flaws in a solely test-centered education.  One perceived flaw is that tests only facilitate the retention of material, and do not show students how to practically apply the information.  Dr. Valli voices similar concerns that recall tests promote memorization of facts, which she does not believe to be the most effective method of learning.  



Furthermore, with the pressure of producing high test scores, many teachers are forced to teach to the test.  This has become a standard operating procedure in the classroom, and can stifle critical thinking. 

Due to the apparent weaknesses of a test-centered curriculum, some teachers are looking for a more dynamic, engaging learning experience for students. Educators see PBL as an opportunity to introduce an innovative method that goes beyond the traditional learning methods. 

PBL is growing in popularity among the educational community due to its effectiveness as an alternative to test-based learning. Dr. Valli is a strong proponent of this learning method as she believes it enables students to connect their learning to real life situations.

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In addition to being tools of assessment, tests have proven to enhance students' learning


In educational settings, tests are generally considered to be an instrument to evaluate a student’s knowledge.  Students take tests in class in order to assess what they have learned and receive grades to quantify their knowledge. S
tandardized tests, like SATs, are a larger scale form of assessment, administered as a gauge of one’s aptitude. Dr. Valli agrees with this assertion, adding that tests are used to credential people and to determine if they have particular knowledge or skills.


However, due to its role as an assessment tool, the ability of testing to enhance learning is often overlooked.  Research has shown that taking a test on studied material promotes subsequent learning and has a powerful effect on future retention.  If a student is tested on material and successfully recalls it, they will remember it better in the future than if they had not been tested. This phenomenon is known as the testing effect.


The testing effect has been studied sporadically over a long period of time.  However, most experiments on the testing effect have been conducted on verbal learning, using recall of word lists.  Outside of language courses, these studies do not have much correlation to educational material.  Only recently have studies been conducted on the testing effect’s influence on students’ learning in an academic environment, which show a positive impact on learning.  


Initial testing on academic material improves long-term retention more than restudying the material


Some argue that the reason testing enhances learning is simply that taking a test exposes the student to the material more.  However, studies have compared the effects of testing versus restudying on the subsequent retention of material in the future and the results further support the beneficial impact of the testing effect.

A study conducted at Washington University examined the testing effect under educationally relevant conditions.  The experiment consisted of a group college undergraduates, who were given two reading-comprehension passages to study.  One group of students studied the passage and then was tested on the material, while the other group restudied the passage a second time.  The subjects were then given three final tests at different time intervals: five minutes later, two days later, and a week later.  The study compared the results of the tests to see the difference between those who were initially tested and those who restudied the material.

On the five minute retention tests, those who restudied the passage recalled 81 percent of the idea units, while those who were initially tested only recalled 75 percent.  However, the opposite pattern of results was observed on the delayed retention tests. After two days, the initially tested group recalled more than the additional-study group (68 percent vs. 54 percent).  And after one week, the tested group recalled 56 percent of the material, whereas the restudy group recalled only 42 percent.

The experiment showed that prior testing improved 
performance on delayed tests more than restudying.  This shows that testing had a positive impact on long-term retention of material, which supports the testing effect. Moreover, the results indicate that taking an initial recall test prevented forgetting of information for an additional five days relative to repeated studying.


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