Benefits of Project Based Learning

Project based learning has been used in classrooms for decades and has proven effective in a variety of academic subjects. According to Edutopia, “studies have proven that when implemented well, project based learning (PBL) can increase retention of content and improve students’ attitudes toward learning.”

But what are the benefits of project based learning for students, and what exactly is it? In this article, our educational nonprofit discusses the definition and 7 values of project based learning, along with 3 learning ideas you can implement in your classroom.

What is Project Based Learning?

Project based learning (PBL) is a student-centered model of teaching that emphasizes learning activities that are long-term, interdisciplinary, and creative. PBL evolved from the work of psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive constructivism.

This asserts that students are not empty vessels who come to school to be filled with knowledge, but rather individuals who come to class with their own ideas, or mental models, about the way the world works. New information and learning are “constructed” over these existing mental models.

When a student incorporates new information into their mental model, assimilation occurs. This makes it easier for students to incorporate new ideas and can engage many different learning styles because these are consistent with their prior knowledge. When information doesn’t make sense with existing models, there is a need for accommodation.

That means students need to work to change the way they think about a new idea or concept in order to construct further knowledge.

What Are the Benefits of Project Based Learning?

Here are some of of the key benefits of project based learning:

No. 1 Promotes Critical Thinking

Project based learning taps into a student’s natural qualities of exploration and creativity. When tasked with a project or goal, students must think critically to come up with ideas and make the project work.

Instead of teaching students to memorize facts, dates, and other information, project-based learning methods allow students to become more active in their own education, giving them a chance to problem solve and develop solutions on their own, giving them critical thinking skills they can use well beyond their school years.

No. 2 Opens Multiple Paths to Success

Project based learning (PBL) activities are often open-ended, giving students multiple ways of completing tasks and coming up with viable solutions. Instead of regurgitating information they’ve learned through multiple choice questions and essays, PBL allows students to demonstrate their knowledge in creative and engaging ways that allow their own individual abilities and interests to shine through.

These types of projects can highlight a student’s unique strengths and engage students who have abilities that are not traditionally valued in the classroom such as musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, or the other six intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

No. 3 Encourages Mastery of Technological Tools

PBL shifts students away from doing only what they typically do in a classroom environment and encourages the mastery of technological tools, thus preparing them for the workforce.

When working on a project, students must identify, research, and analyze possible tools they can use to assist them. Working with technology has real-life applications and can help them anticipate opportunities new tools and systems may bring in the future.

No. 4 Promotes Self-Directed Learning

When a student has a project to complete, they must take ownership of their learning, build on prior knowledge, ask questions, and grow as autonomous learners.

In this way, project-based learning accommodates powerful, inquisitive minds and allows students to reflect on results in order to become more confident independent learners.

No. 5 Encourages Collaboration & Builds Social Skills

Exploring essential questions prompts students to collaborate with each other, communicate ideas, and share knowledge By using this teaching method, classrooms can become supportive and non-competitive spaces that help students develop a variety of social skills relating to group work and negotiation.

Plus it promotes the internalization of concepts, values, and modes of thought that relate to cooperation and conflict resolution. This type of learning can be more stimulating for many students and give them experiences to help them work alongside their peers when they enter the workforce.

No. 6 Builds Self-Confidence & Empowerment

Compared to traditional teaching methods, PBL is a more active approach to learning and gives students a sense of ownership over their work.

Because their projects often reflect their own ideas, opinions, and interests, project-based learning can be more motivating, and a student’s self confidence can be reinforced through their accomplishments after working on a project that they’re proud of.

No. 7 Fosters Creativity

Because project based learning allows students to explore a topic in experiential ways, it changes the dynamic of traditional learning methods that are often touted as “boring” and gives students the chance to focus on the application of ideas rather than spouting off facts.

The implementation of project-based learning in the classroom can spark creativity and lead to amazing new insights and innovations.

Project Based Learning Ideas

So how do students accommodate or assimilate new ideas, concepts, and thought processes? They learn by doing. Constructivist teaching methods are based on the belief that students build knowledge through their experiences, rather than through instruction.

By actively working on a project from start to finish, student engagement takes place. There are a few ways you can command a higher level of attention and inquiry from students.

Use Cycles of Inquiry

The process of project based learning takes students through cycles of inquiry in which they build upon their prior knowledge. A cycle of inquiry is when students develop or respond to questions about a real-world problem, investigate the problem by seeking authentic sources of information rather than textbooks, and then generate new questions for further research or engineer their solution in a different way. After several iterations, students’ work culminates in a product that is shown to a real-world audience connected to the problem or topic at hand. By the end of a PBL unit, students have solved a problem, gained a new skill, learned a new way of thinking, or created a new product.

Ask an Essential Question

A well-constructed PBL experience includes a driving or essential question that motivates students to explore through individual and group inquiry. In this way, students are given more voice and choice in their learning because they determine the best way to solve the problem in front of them.

As they work hard to address feedback about their approach to the PBL challenge, students keep revising until they are ready to publicly present their product or solution.

Here are some examples of essential questions that drive compelling PBL experiences:

• How can we, as NASA scientists, write a proposal that recommends which planet should be explored by the next space probe?
• How do we, as architects, design an outdoor classroom for our school and then build it?
• How can we create a campaign to convince kids to eat healthier foods?
• What public health policies are needed globally in the midst of a pandemic, and how can they be effectively implemented?

Encourage Investigation Into Real Challenges

When students face interesting challenges that have real-world implications, such as global responses to a pandemic, they are motivated to investigate. They have a genuine “need to know more” attitude about the subject as it may directly affect them, their community, or an issue they’re passionate about.

Students buy into the PBL concept because the contexts for many of the projects are found outside the school walls.

Students also enjoy exploring projects that emerge from issues that affect them locally as well as globally. These factors make the learning relevant to students. They seldom ask “Why are we doing this?” because they have had a choice and voice in what they study.

Learning Connected to 21st Century Skills

21st century skills are a set of behaviors and thinking that will prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges, both at work and at home. Young people need to be adept at communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity (sometimes called the four C's of 21st century skills).

When students engage in project based learning experiences, they gain the ability to communicate clearly both interpersonally and across many platforms, think creatively and critically as problem solvers, and possess the skill to collaborate well with others. They become actively involved and focused, which can stimulate many different types of learning.

PBL is not just a way of learning; it’s a way of working together. If students learn to take responsibility for their own learning, this will form the basis for the way they will work with others in their adult lives.