Project Based and Problem Based Learning Summary
(Learning Topic #1.1: Project Based and Problem Based Learning)
By
Elizabeth A. Hustead
A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
Course EDTC 614: Integrating Technology into the Curriculum
Regis University
November 2, 2010
Project Based Learning: Goals and Strategies of a Problem-based Learning Facilitator
Problem-based learning is primarily a collaborative style of learning to allow self-
directed student learning that leads to deeper meaning for the students. The biggest challenge for
the teacher with this style of learning is to guide the students in solving problems and reflecting
on their progress without telling them what to do.
Teachers have many goals to attempt to reach as they strive to help their students achieve
high standards and retain the learning for a lifetime. They need to fulfill the content and
technology standards and integrate all the knowledge and skills expected for that subject area.
Rather than giving the students endless facts and information for them to try to memorize, the
teacher needs to be able to question every answer the student gives to encourage them to think,
evaluate, and problem solve for themselves. This leads to clarification of the meaning and the
ability of the student to realize there is more than one way to solve a problem. Eventually, the
questioning techniques will be figured out by the students due to the modeling done by the
teacher and will create new learning, a tangent, that may never have been expected from the
teacher. Open-minded students will be able to take this information and run; creating a new level
of understanding in the end. Allowing the students this freedom to learn, allows the teacher to
reach all the standards more easily. When students want to learn, because it is fun and exciting,
they are more likely to reach the high standards desired by the teacher and the community.
According to Hmelo-Silver and Barrows (2006), inquiry teachers have higher
expectations and teach the students how to ask questions, use various methods of research, test
theories, and analyze their results. In doing this, the cooperative groups of students achieve a
higher level of learning because they have been encouraged to strive for a deeper meaning of
knowledge, not just the facts.
Problem-based learning encourages the teacher to facilitate only and the students to drive
their own active learning. The student groups help with this by allowing brainstorming and
collaboration with each of the students to problem solve and review as they progress until they
reach the final goal. If the teacher does his job well enough, he will eventually be able to pull
back and watch the learning happen.
Project-based Learning: Students Thrive on Cooperation and Problem Solving
Project-based Learning (PBL) is used to help students see what it is like to work in the
real world. The goal is to teach them how to work in collaborative groups just like committees at
work, critical thinking, problem solving and needless to say, and high achievement of standards.
According to Bob Pearlman (2006), real PBL involves technology, rigorous and complex
thinking, and it is all integrated with cross-curricular contents and standards.
Students enjoy PBL, because it is relevant and often times the content is chosen by them
because it is of interest to them. This allows immediate buy in. When working on one of these
multi-week projects, the students will use many different learning strategies, they will reflect,
demonstrate, evaluate, document, and collaborate. Through all of the various forms of learning,
they will be able to cover all the content and technology standards and then some, as they
complete the project.
As students work on these projects, the teachers main job is to act as an expert or mentor
to the groups. This type of learning is student-centered, not teacher-centered. As the project is
progressing, feedback is needed every so often from the teacher, other staff, or even community
members. This allows for more relevant ideas and constructive criticism. Once again, this is more
realistic of the real world.
Project-based learning is a method that uses many of Marzano’s strategies; everything
from feedback, hypotheses, reflection, communication, and many more. When students are
challenged to complete a project that allows for all of Marzano’s strategies to be used, using
deeper thinking skills, and becoming independent learners, not only have they achieved the
standards expected, they will have been trained to be life -long learners. What more could you ask
for?
Classroom Use
I really like project-based learning. It is more student-driven and less teacher-driven. I
feel when students have to create a project using all the previous knowledge and adding new with
their own hands, they will understand the theories and retain the knowledge.
For example, in my advanced creative foods class, students have to create a plan, choose
jobs, create a meal plan, order, budget, prepare, decorate, and serve 30 – 50 guests from the
community. This takes nearly four weeks to complete and all I do is explain the process, help
them choose their executive chef and watch and learn. They demonstrate their knowledge by
doing the catering project. If someone does not know a technique, they are to ask their executive
chef. That person is the only one that can ask me questions. By the end of the project, they are
amazed at how much they know and how well they did. They reflect on the process daily and
again at the end. The content standards are demonstrated throughout this project, but so are
standards from math, science, and english.
I truly believe if the teacher prepares the students for a project-based or a problem-based
learning experience by teaching them questioning techniques, planning and management
techniques, relevancy, as well as the desire to do well, the student will learn far more than they
would in a traditional style classroom situation.
References
Hmelo-Silver, C. E., & Barrows, H. S. (2006, Spring). Goals and strategies of a problem-based
learning facilitator. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 1(1), 21-
39. Retrieved from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/vol1/iss1/4/
Mitchell, S., Foulger, T. S., Wetzel, K. W., & Rathkey, C. (2008, December 2). The negotiated
project approach: project-based learning without leaving the standards behind. Early
Childhood Education Journal, 10.1007/s10643-008-0295-7. Retrieved from
http://www.springerlink.com/content/c73q57211024x727/fulltext.html
Pearlman, B. (2006, October 18). Students thrive on cooperation and problem solving. Retrieved
from The George Lucas Educational Foundation website: http://www.edutopia.org/print/
node/2704
