Challenges Facing Teachers!

Teachers who bring project-based learning into the classroom may have to adopt new instructional strategies to achieve success. Having the teacher take the role of guide or facilitator is not the way that most educators were taught, nor even the way they were taught to teach. Direct-instruction methods that rely on textbooks, lectures, and traditional assessments do not work well in the more open-ended, interdisciplinary world of project-based learning. Rather, teachers do more coaching and modeling and less "telling." They need to be comfortable with "wrong turns" that students may make en route to completing a project (Intel, 2003). Teachers may find themselves learning alongside their students as projects unfold.

Specific challenges facing teachers include:
• Recognizing situations that make for good projects
• Structuring problems as learning opportunities
• Collaborating with colleagues to develop interdisciplinary projects
• Managing the learning process
• Integrating technologies where appropriate
• Developing authentic assessments

Indeed, teachers may have to be willing to take risks to overcome initial challenges. A supportive administration can help by implementing more flexible schedules, such as block schedules or team planning time, and providing teachers with professional development opportunities.

Projects Relate to Inquiry...

Inquiry encompasses a broad range of activities that give reign to our natural curiosity about the world. Within the context of education, inquiry takes on a more specific meaning. Teachers who use inquiry as a strategy typically encourage students to raise questions, plan and carry out investigations, make observations, and reflect on what they have discovered. However, this is not a static definition. Even within a single classroom, inquiry activities may be taking place along a continuum, from more structured and teacher-directed on one end to more open-ended and driven by student interest on the other (Jarrett, 1997).

It may be helpful to think of project-based learning as a subset of inquiry learning. A review of research about project-based learning concludes that such projects are focused on questions or problems that "drive students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline" (Thomas, 2000, p. 3). What's more, the central activities of a project involve inquiry and the construction of new knowledge by the student (Thomas, 2000). Students typically have a choice when it comes to designing their project, which allows them to pursue their interests and engage their curiosity. In the course of answering their own questions, students may investigate topics not identified by the teacher as learning goals.

Projects Helping Create Learning Envrionment

How would Projects designed by you create a learning environment that promotes collaboration, enquiry based learning, critical thinking, questioning and problem solving skills amongst your students?

Ensuring Students acheiving learning objectives

While working on projects, how would you ensure that your students achieve their learning objectives?