Project Method of Teaching-Learning: Examples in a Psychological Context
The project method of teaching is a medium of instruction wherein the students are
required to apply the skills and knowledge they had learned in the course of their studies to solve
relevant problems. Students in a project method environment are allowed to explore and
experience their environment through their senses and, in a sense, direct their own learning by
their individual interests. The emphasis is on experiential learning, rather than rote and
memorization. A project method classroom focuses on democracy and collaboration to solve
"purposeful" problems. This philosophy believes in providing different kinds of rich experiences
to children.
This method is the outcome of the pragmatic educational philosophy of John Dewey, the
noted American philosopher-cum-educationist. It is also generally considered to have been
executed and perfected by educator William H. Kilpatrick, through his article, "The Project
Method" which was published in 1918.
By collating a number of educators’ definitions of a project, it may be described as any
unit of purposeful experience in which the dominating force is an inner urge that fixes the aim or
objective of the action and guides its process to completion.
Thus, a project is a problem-centered purposeful, natural, and life-like activity, which
should result in concrete and positive results. It should be directed and planned by the student. It
should be practical in nature with emphasis on a single and complete unit of purposeful activity
(both physical and intellectual). These projects can be carried out individually, or dealt with by a
group of students or the class as a whole.
This is one of the most proactive approaches to learning. It is based on progressive
education, and unlike traditional education, proponents of the project method attempt to allow
the student to solve problems with as little teacher direction as possible. The teacher is seen more
as a facilitator than a deliverer of knowledge and information. This helps improve self-reliance
and self-responsibility among students. It helps students learn on their own and develop their
own style of learning.
The curriculum content is considered from the child's point of view and is related to his
needs and interest in the context of real-life situations. It implies that activities in
schools need to be closely connected with the child's daily life and needs.
The advantages of this method include providing an active learning experience;
enhancing skillsets and thinking capacities; inculcating a sense of responsibility; improving
collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills.
Projects are classified into three broad types:
Constructive Method. In the constructive project method, the learners are instructed to
construct/produce a physical or material product, such as models, maps, charts, parcels, and so
on.
Skill Acquisition / Specific Learning Project. These refer to projects involving the
acquisition of some ability, or specific skills (e.g. swimming). It is important for the mastery of
skills and knowledge of the students. It also increases the capacity and efficacy of the students.
Problem-Solving Method. The problem-solving method is used to solve problems
related to real-life situations. They build skills in problem-solving, research, and potentially
social skills while being engaged in learning.
The definition of the problem as proposed by John Dewey is quite adequate; "Every
conscious situation involving reflection presents a distinction between certain given conditions
and something to be done with them; the possibility of a change. This contrast and connection of
the given and the possible confers a certain problematic, uncertain aspect, upon those situations
that evoke thought. There is an element, which may be slight or which may be intense, of
perplexity, of difficulty, of confusion. The need of clearing up confusion, of straightening out an
ambiguity, of overcoming an obstacle, of covering the gap between things as they are and as they
may be when transformed, is, in germ, a problem."
