Misconceptions

As I have been completing my principal internship I have been considering what school structures need to be in place to foster project based leanring and teaching.  I also have loved the chance to visit other schools to see how they operate.  One idea that I came away with is that part of the shared leadership in one building its that they have a PBL team.  This is a project based learning team is made up of teachers and parents who are interested.  Part of this team job is review projects and serve as a think tank to enhance the project.

Misconceptions
    I found this article out of the “Project Based Learning Toolkit Series” and I really enjoyed the simple way it laid out what project-based learning is and what it is not. Here are my favorite highlights.

Project Based Learning is NOT the dessert it is the main course.

Project Based Learning is NOT a string of activities tied together under a theme, concept, time period, culture, etc- it is a set of learning experiences and tasks that guide students in inquiry toward answering a central question, solving a problem, or meeting a challenge.

Project Based Learning is NOT the same as “making something” or “hands-on learning or “doing an activity”- it is often focused on creating physical artifacts, but not always.  It must involve other intellectually challengeing tasks and products focues on research, reading, writing, discussion and oral presentation.