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The Impact of Project Based Learning

Allison G. '12
November 2, 2011
Filed under Opinions

Three letters: PBL. The Academy’s new way to stay ahead of the education curve.  Seemingly, the academics who are researching the best ways to learn decided that completing projects trumps taking notes from straight lectures.

Project Based Learning (PBL) was first used in the late 1990s by the Buck Institute of Education;   its popularity has grown since.  The program was first designed for Economics teachers in California who did not have a lot of supplies with which to work.  Then, the idea branched out to other disciplines and has flourished since then.  In the current school year, Ursuline students are becoming increasingly aware of the introduction of this method into their classrooms.  As in all change, first reviews and reactions are mixed.

“I don’t see how this approach can be applied to math,” said Pia F. ’12.  “Math relies on heavy repetition.  But I am hearing that some math teachers are presenting projects which incorporate math into everyday life.”

One such teacher who has successfully done this is math teacher, Mrs. Angelina Che.

“A girl from last year’s Algebra I/Geometry Year 2 class just recently e-mailed me and told me that she used the Fibonacci sequence to create a mask to see perfect beauty based on the idea of proportions,” said Mrs. Che.  “The student then placed that virtual mask on the new Miss America and saw how close she came to ‘perfect beauty,’” she said.

Through the study of faces and plants, some students from  last year’s Algebra and Geometry classes studied the Fibonacci sequence.  The Fibonacci sequence is a set of numbers that starts with a one or a zero followed by a one, and proceeds based on the rule that each number is equal to the sum of the two preceding numbers, 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 etc…where 0+1 = 1, 1+1 = 2, 1+2 = 3, 2+3=5, and so on.

These numbers are of interest to biologists and physicists because they are frequently observed in various natural objects and phenomena.  The branching pattern of trees and leaves, for example, can join the face and body of the new Miss America as examples of Fibonacci sequence.  Pradeep Mutalik, editor of The Crossword Blog for the New York Times, explored many relationships attributed to the “golden ratio” in a Sept. 12 blog, “Numberplay:  Phi—The Magical and the Mystical.”  Among other true-false statements, Mutalik asks, “Did Leonardo da Vinci use the golden ratio in the Mona Lisa and other paintings?”

In other classes besides math, teachers have started teaching in a way that seeks to have girls apply the material instead of through straight memorization.  With this change comes some frustration that the teacher is not teaching content to student in “the old way” and some ask, “How does she expect us to learn?”

“My concern is that some of these projects may not prepare me for a college level course,” said Lila L. ‘12.  Isabel F. ’12 expressed her apprehension about being prepared to go into the field of medicine “If I want a career as a vet, shouldn’t I come to vet school with a memorized list of bones and placement?” she asked.

Ms. Rhonda Bush, Director of studies in math, science and computer science, put some perspective on the concern.  “This isn’t the only way to teach content, research skills, communication skills, lab skills, etc…in the discipline,” she said.  “But, when a project is appropriately chosen and developed, learning the skills by DOING the skills allows students to gain more than content knowledge.  Student driven learning in the daily classroom allows for more integration of content with 21st century skills through a real-world application

Computer science teacher Anna Houston has been utilizing PBL for years, although she may not have specifically called it that.  One of Ms. Houston’s classes, e-serviam, lets students construct websites designed to help one or more non-profit agencies who need to establish or upgrade their websites for maximum community impact.

“Through building these websites, my students refine their computer skills, and  get really excited about the prospect of actually helping others serve their communities,” she said.

Experts in the field of education say Project Based Learning teaches 21st century skills as well as content.  These skills include communication and presentation skills, organization and time management skills, research and inquiry skills, self-assessment and reflection skills, and group participation and leader skills.  Obviously these are skills necessary in that “real world” our elders keep making reference to.

“School, along with PBL,  is just getting started this year, so I am trying to withhold judgment about PBL,” said Zoe G. ’12.  “I just don’t want to feel like we are back in middle school making a diorama for a book report.”

(Ursuline educators do not want this feeling of “project for project’s sake” either, and are devoting many hours of in service instruction and have even attended summer and Saturday instruction in order to learn how to implement projects that meet today’s standard for accountability and teach students the academic content and the 21st century skills they need for life success.

“This does not necessarily mean current classes are 100% project driven, just that there will be more learning through the completion of a application based project than in the past,” said Ms. Bush.

Finally, Academic Dean Birgitt Lopez encourages students to speak with their teachers and with each other about classroom learning.  “We are all here for you,” she said, “and want to do whatever best promotes your learning all things you need to know to prepare you for college and for life.”

PBL may well be part of that equation and deserves a chance.

 

 

For a more detailed look at the process and its effects in specific schools, check out the following websites:

 

 

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