Introduction

Project-based learning is one of the hottest trends in education today. This style of teaching has been used for decades but has gained popularity in recent years as educators have begun to realize its benefits. The potential of project-based learning to improve academic performance, career prospects, and life opportunities is leading many schools to switch over to it.

The purpose of this article is to examine the benefits of project-based learning and how it can be incorporated into classroom settings. Let's begin!

What Is Project-Based Learning?

John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator, is credited with developing PBL. PBL (project-based learning) is an instructional approach that offers students an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills through engaging projects that are based on real-world challenges and problems. For an alternative definition check out this article from PBLWorks.

PBL Is More Student-Centric Than Traditional Learning

In PBL, the students are more engaged, motivated and involved in their own learning. The teacher acts like a facilitator who helps them along the way. This can also be referred to as personalized learning. PBL involves students as leaders and decision-makers in the learning process as opposed to teacher-centered approaches. For more details on student centered learning check out this article.

PBL Can Improve Students Retain Information Better

PBL helps students retain information and skills longer. Instead of learning facts and procedures in isolation, PBL teaches students how to apply their knowledge in new situations. Rather than simply memorizing the steps for solving a math problem or constructing a paragraph, they learn how to use their knowledge of basic concepts like fractions or parallel prose sentences to solve real-world problems.

For example: How many volunteers does it take to keep track of all the ingredients at an event? How many slices can we make from this loaf?). Once they’ve developed these transferable skills, they can apply them again when faced with future challenges—and thus continue building on them throughout their academic career.

PBL Can Help Improve Students’ Essential 21st-Century Skills

PBL is a great way to help students develop their essential 21st-century skills. These skills are not only important for college and career readiness, but also for life in the digital age.

These essential skills include:

Problem-Solving: PBL requires students to identify an issue or dilemma, then gather information and form solutions. This is exactly what they will be asked to do when they enter the workforce or pursue higher education.

Cognitive Flexibility: In addition to being able to solve problems using logic, it's equally important that students be able to think outside of the box if they want to succeed in today's constantly changing world. PBL gives them this opportunity, as well as time away from technology so they can focus on human interaction and creativity without constant distraction by social media sites like Facebook or Instagram (or video games).

Critical Thinking: Asking questions is an essential part of any problem-solving process—and critical thinking involves questioning everything! Ask kids why something works a certain way instead of just accepting it; encourage them not just ask "why" but also "how" as well (i.e., "Why does this happen?" vs "How does this happen?"). This will help them better understand how things work—and might even lead them toward future careers where these skills come into play most often such as healthcare (doctors), engineering/science (engineers), business management(managers).

PBL Can Help Students Learn To Manage Their Time Effectively

PBL requires students to manage their own time, which means that they will learn how to plan their days and weeks, as well as how to prioritize when things come up. This is a skill that we hope our students will take with them into adulthood, because it's important for them to be able to manage their own learning.

PBL Can Help Students Maximize on Available Resources

PBL aims to help students understand how to use resources available to them. In a classroom where PBL is used, students will be encouraged to use multiple sources of information when they complete projects. They'll also be required to find and use their own resources as well as those provided by the teacher.

The following are examples of types of materials that could be helpful in completing a project:

• Books;
• Websites and databases (such as encyclopedias);
• Other people (for interviews or information).

Project-based learning lets students make real-world applications of knowledge, which might improve their career prospects later on. If you’re looking for great tips on how to successfully integrate PBL then check out this article.

Project-based learning is a unique approach that has been gaining popularity in recent years. It involves students creating their own projects, which they can apply to real-world situations and may even improve their career prospects later on. How does PBL help students make real-world applications of knowledge? And what are some examples of real-world applications of knowledge?

Planning

There is a lot of planning involved in implementing project-based learning in a classroom setting. You will need to plan the lesson, plan how the students will complete their projects and then follow up with them after they are finished. This can be done through grading or giving comments on their work, asking questions about their process or research methods.

Assessment

To assess a student's progress, it is important to have assessments that are relevant to the project. If students are working on a fictional story, then an assessment should be written in the same format as their story. The teacher may also want to ask students questions based on their storyline or ask them about specific details within their writing. The teacher can create problems that require math skills or history knowledge if these topics are relevant to the project as well.

It is also important for teachers who teach through project-based learning tactics, such as Project Based Learning Online (PBLO), to give frequent assessments so they can gauge how well each student understands what they have learned and what they still need help with. This will allow instructors at all levels of education from preschool through high school classrooms as well as colleges and universities across North America find out which concepts are difficult for them yet easy enough for everyone else in class without wasting too much time teaching something else.

The benefits of project-based learning are worth overcoming the challenges it presents.

Sometimes, there are just too many things that can go wrong when implementing project-based learning in a classroom. You need to have a good teacher and a student population with the ability to work independently. The curriculum has to be appropriate for your grade level, and you need support from the administration of your school. But even with all of these things in place, some students might not be able to manage their workload or keep up with their peers.

If you're considering implementing project-based learning at your school but aren't sure how it will work out for you, take some time before beginning the process by thinking about what needs to be done differently compared to traditional classrooms. This way, when challenges arise during implementation (and they will),  you'll know how best to move forward as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality education for all students involved!

For some great tips on how to design your own PBL curriculum feel free to check out this great article on the TechnoKids website.

PBL Helps Students Develop Various Skills

PBL develops academic, social, and ethical skills. According to the Association for Project-based Learning (APBL), “PBL encourages higher order thinking through problem solving and collaborative learning, which are essential 21st century skills.” Students learn how to take responsibility for their own learning and how to communicate effectively with others in a group setting. They also develop a sense of accountability for themselves and their work by seeing that it has an impact on their community or society at large (and isn't just about pleasing teachers).

PBL Improves Test Scores and Student Results on Other Assessments

What do you think? Does PBL help students learn better, even if it's not measured by standardized tests? The jury is still out on this question. It's possible that the skills and knowledge learned through PBL may not be directly transferable to other types of assessments. There are a few excellent reasons why we should continue to encourage project-based learning in our schools.

First and foremost: PBL can help students develop their critical thinking skills. This skill is invaluable when students need to think critically about complex situations outside of school as well as inside of school (for example, in debates).

Second, participation in PBL allows students and teachers alike to engage with real-world problems and challenges through authentic experiences and challenges—instead of being limited by standardized tests that only test one kind of knowledge against another kind.

Third, when students have more agency over what they're learning (rather than simply being presented with facts), they tend to retain more information long-term because they actually care about what they're learning! If you’re curious about which tools are essential for PBL then look through this informative post.

Student Motivation and Attitudes Towards Learning

Students who engage in PBL are more motivated, engaged and engaged with their school work than students who do not. Students who engage in PBL are also more likely to want to learn, and to want to continue learning; they are more likely to be self-directed and self-motivated as well as having a positive attitude towards learning.

Conclusion

We hope that this post has inspired you to try project-based learning in your classroom. For teachers, PBL can be a great way to engage students and give them the chance to apply new knowledge. It's also a useful strategy for preparing students for the real world—and it might even help improve their career prospects later on! We think the benefits of PBL are worth overcoming the challenges it presents. Assessing student progress with project-based learning can prove to be difficult, but with careful planning and continued collaboration between teachers and students, PBL can have positive effects on student motivation and attitudes towards learning.