When given the opportunity to transfer to one of the five new small schools that were opening in a restructured high school, Timothy S. Cagwin didn’t hesitate. Unsatisfied with his old school, the 39-year-old English teacher was particularly drawn to the new schools’ focus on "project-based learning," a teaching approach that is highly advocated for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other similar organizations, academics, and critics of the current education system.
Like other school leaders who are part of the nationwide effort to improve high schools in the United States, the leaders of these new schools believed that project-based learning would inspire both teachers and students to strive for higher levels of learning.
However, at Mr. Cagwin’s new school and the other schools formed from the restructuring of Olympic High School, the desired change in teaching did not happen quickly. Despite his enthusiasm, Mr. Cagwin found it difficult to implement his project-based learning plans. "Over the summer, I worked hard to make [projects] happen, but when the school year started, standardized testing seemed to take precedence," he said. Mr. Cagwin’s experience with project-based learning was not uncommon.
To address this issue, teachers from each of the five schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district, which has a student population of 132,000, came together with an external coach for a week in August to recommit themselves to project-based learning and to create a blueprint for the new school year.
The need for this reinforcement is not surprising to experts in project-based learning. Since traditional lesson plans and textbooks dominate in standard classrooms, successfully implementing project-based learning often requires teachers to embrace new attitudes, develop new skills, and take risks, according to Michael Simkins, a former principal and teacher from California who has conducted project-based learning workshops for many years. "It’s a challenging task," he said. "Teachers need to have a lot of intelligence and skills that they may not yet possess." However, there have been successful examples of innovative schools across the country that have implemented project-based learning, such as the Minnesota New Country School, the Big Picture Company schools, and those managed by the High Tech High charter organization. These schools demonstrate that teachers can rise to the challenge.
Proponents of project-based learning see it as a way to address the lack of rigor and relevance in high school coursework that contributes to the dropout problem in the nation. However, making project-based learning fulfill this promise and convincing teachers to embrace it has proven to be a difficult task.
One of the main obstacles for teachers new to project-based learning is to shift their focus from "covering the material," as Pamela Wise, the school coach from the Coalition of Essential Schools’ Northwest office, explains. Wise was brought in to lead professional development sessions at Olympic High School, which is supported by a grant from the Gates Foundation. The first step for teachers is to let go of the pressure to cover all the content and instead focus on facilitating real-world problem solving for students. This is similar to how adults work in teams to meet explicit standards in their professional settings.
Deciding on ‘Performances’
Educators need to develop the mindset of assessors and imagine student "performances" that can serve as evidence of their mastery of the relevant curriculum, emphasized Ms. Wise during the workshop in Charlotte. These performances can take on various forms, ranging from a traditional essay to a complex group task that involves creating and publicly presenting a plan. The group of twelve teachers who attended the workshop had previously started reading the Project-Based Learning Handbook produced by the Buck Institute for Education, a nonprofit organization based in Novato, Calif.
They then formulated the questions that would drive their projects. Their objective was to complete the planning for one project by the end of the workshop week and subsequently launch it by October 15.
Marie Ullrich, an English teacher about to embark on her second year of teaching, intended to explore the concept of "the American dream" with her honors English juniors. She planned to ask her students about the meaning behind the term, its attainability, and desirability. In addition to other assignments, Ullrich aimed to have her students reflect on interviews they would conduct with immigrants to the country. Meanwhile, Lori Jones, an experienced biology teacher, wanted her students to tackle the ethical issues surrounding different methods of genetic manipulation. Jones planned to assign her students the task of creating skits and performing them in class as a means of showcasing their understanding of DNA, the fundamental component of genes.
Ms. Wise reminded the teachers that, once they have formulated the questions and identified the performances, they must focus on "scaffolding" – the smaller lessons and tasks that prepare students for the final assessment. All assignments require "rubrics" – scoring guides that specify what qualifies as acceptable and higher-quality work for each aspect of the tasks. "Teachers often forget that they can’t just expect this magical thing to appear," cautioned Ms. Wise. "Kids need to be exposed to it and given time to practice. You need a two-minute presentation [before] a 10-minute one."
The creation of rubrics typically proves challenging for teachers. Therefore, on the Wednesday of the workshop, Ms. Wise dedicated a morning session to providing guidance on scoring. In structured small groups, teachers critiqued each other’s rubrics.
Project Planner
Teachers at the project-based learning workshop in Charlotte received a planning document designed to guide them through the process of designing projects. The guide came from LEARN, a nonprofit educational foundation based in Laval, Quebec.
VISION STAGE:
1. What are my subject/learning objectives?
2. What interdisciplinary subjects and competencies are involved?
3. What inquiry question/investigation will fulfill the objectives identified in questions 1 and 2?
INQUIRY STAGE:
1. How will I spark the students’ interest in the inquiry question? What scenario will I use?
2. What information can I expect to emerge from our class brainstorming session? What misconceptions might arise?
3. What rubric(s) will I use? Will I create it myself or with the help of my students?
BUILD STAGE:
1. How will I organize the brainstorming session? How will we categorize and organize the information generated?
2. What kind of teams will be most effective for this project? (e.g., number of members, roles, responsibilities)
3. What computer technologies are necessary to complete these tasks? Do I need to teach or review any of these skills?
4. What research techniques will we need? Do I need to teach or review any?
5. What final projects would be well-suited for this type of investigation?
6. At which stage will I request product updates? In what format should these updates be? (e.g., journal entry, oral presentation, etc.)
SHOW-TIME STAGE:
What type of showcase would be most appropriate for displaying the students’ acquired knowledge? (e.g., museum display, PowerPoint presentation, live performance in front of an audience, etc.)
TRANSITION STAGE:
Should I ask my students to provide an oral or written reflection on their learning and thoughts about this project?
SOURCE: LEARN
“My goal is for students to observe the ants in their ecosystem, perhaps even conduct an experiment where they set up bait for both regular ants and fire ants,” mentioned Ms. Smith. She appeared worried and had a large collection of materials, which demonstrated her dedication. “We need to consider where we want students to focus their time.” The teachers emphasized that devoted time and feedback from colleagues can greatly impact the quality of projects. Although their group was smaller due to professional obligations related to new schools, they plan to continue meeting and are willing to welcome others into their classrooms.
Despite making progress, Ms. Smith, who had previously worked in the chemical industry for 25 years before becoming a teacher, exemplifies the challenges that project-based learning still faces at Olympic. She has been contemplating how to incorporate this approach into her chemistry classes, especially since the state’s end-of-course test is a significant factor. So far, she has not implemented any projects.
“It will require a significant amount of effort to figure out how to develop a project,” she sighed. “I initially thought that PBL would come more naturally, but now I realize it’s more like a business plan—you have to carefully piece everything together."
