CHAPTER III – PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Project-based learning in the elementary classroom is a non-traditional, yet

creative method for teaching students, particularly those students who have found the

traditional methods to be challenging with respect to their learning experience. The

classroom environment changes with project-based learning, in that the students

themselves become much more engaged in the learning process. It is essentially a

student-driven process, where the teacher acts more as a moderator and facilitator,

allowing students to have input into the specific curriculum. In the traditional classroom,

the teacher stands in front of the students and essentially lectures the students and asks

questions to ensure they comprehend the subject matter. For the most part, the discussion

is one-sided, with the teacher dominating the time. In a project-based classroom, both the

teacher and the students have active roles, and the students help shape what happens in

their classroom.

Project-based learning also takes into account the various learning styles and

preferences of students, and recognizes that many students are not able to thrive and

realize success with traditional styles of teaching. For those students who are more visual

learners, the project-based learning classroom, especially when technology is integrated

into the curriculum, can accommodate this, as well as those who prefer other teaching

styles. In other words, project-based learning provides a much more flexible classroom

learning environment, addressing the needs of all students, rather than only those who

can adapt to traditional teaching methods.

Another benefit of project-based learning is that it links what students are being

taught in the classroom with things that are familiar to them in their world outside of the

classroom. Student comprehension is greater because it’s easier for students to relate to

what they are learning; it makes it more real for them. Students also learn more as a

group as opposed to independently in the traditional classroom. This group learning

approach makes it more comfortable for students to ask questions and collaborate with

other students in areas they find most challenging.

Finally, the results of project-based learning have been impressive. Some studies

have shown that students who are taught in a project- based learning environment,

achieved higher scores in standardized tests. In addition, tests have shown that students

retain what they’re taught at a higher rate when the project-based learning method is

used.

There is a tremendous amount of literature written on project-based learning.

Some of this literature suggests that learning should be a more social experience and

should be more hands-on than traditional methods offer (Doppelt, 2003). It also argues

that the classroom curriculum should incorporate past, real experiences of the students

into the lesson plan, because connecting what they’re learning to these experiences

increases retention and enhances the overall learning experience (Edwards & Mercer,

1987). Jean Piaget, a twentieth century psychologist, believed in the importance of

interactive learning, and that children’s understanding is shaped through interactions

between people over time in relation to the real world. At different stages in their lives,

children have different interests. It is therefore important for the teacher to develop

lesson plans that recognize and address these stages. The argument also indicates that

people cannot be lectured on a subject or given information, and be expected to

understand it; they need to be able to relate to the information and connect it to their

experiences (Doppelt, 2003).

Research also indicates that project-based learning is particularly effective for

historically low-achieving students. Since all students are expected to participate in

decisions that directly impact the curriculum, they feel more accountable for making it

successful, and they take more ownership with the lessons. This sense of ownership

helps lower-achieving students feel more comfortable and confident in the classroom and

with their classmates. The increased level of confidence leads to a higher level of

engagement and consequently, higher levels of performance.

Experts seem to have different opinions regarding the specific or exact role of the

teacher in the project-based learning classroom, but they all agree that the teacher must

work to customize the curriculum to the students in his/her class in order to increase the

likelihood of the students connecting the lesson to other things they are already familiar

with. The use of technology in the classroom is one effective method that teachers can

utilize for this customization effort. Digital Storytelling and Multimedia are just two

examples of technology that replace the traditional lecture teaching methods, leading to a

more exciting, creative and enriching experience for all students.

There is certainly enough research and actual studies that demonstrate the

effectiveness of Project-Based Learning. Implementation of this method will not come

without challenges; however, the benefits for both students and teachers appear to be

significant.

Background and Project Development

The traditional teaching methods seem to work well with most students, but all

too often these methods appear to leave too many students behind, or at a minimum,

many students are not able to achieve their full potential with respect to learning and

preparing themselves for future educational challenges. Project-based learning engages

all students in the classroom by getting them involved in the design of the curriculum,

adding a more interactive approach to lesson plans, and helping students connect what

they are learning to things they are already familiar with. It also seems to create a more

stimulating and fun learning environment for students, which can result in a higher level

of learning. There are various ways to implement project-based learning in the

classroom, including those that introduce new technology to the students; technology that

leads to a more interactive approach. Digital Storytelling is one of the methods that can

be very effective in teaching Social Studies to elementary school students, because it has

the potential of reaching students with different teaching/learning preferences. Those

students who thrive in the traditional classroom setting will appreciate the Digital

Storytelling technology, because it will likely be seen as another tool that teachers can

now use; similar to when teachers moved from using strictly textbooks, to a combination

of textbooks and videos. Visual learners will very much appreciate this technology

because they will not only be able to see what the teacher is referring to during the lesson,

but they will also be able to interact with it.

In addition to addressing the learning preferences of the students, Digital

Storytelling also increases the flexibility a teacher has during the year, assisting them

with fairly structured curriculums. For example, the 4th grade curriculum schedule

requires teachers to cover the California Gold Rush during a certain time of the year. If

there is a scheduled field trip to an historic Gold Rush site prior to the Gold Rush unit

being taught, the students would benefit from advanced education, history and

background prior to the field trip. Digital Storytelling will assist with this because it

allows the class to virtually visit locations like California Gold Rush sites at times that

are more convenient, and more closely linked to the curriculum.

Project-Based Learning will be a tremendous enhancement to the learning

environment for the students, and will result in a higher level of performance for the

entire class.

Components of the Project

The research and literature related to the subject of project-based learning

emphasized that PBL can be an engaging new method for elementary school students.

Many studies indicated that student engagement and performance were shown to be

higher across the board for students, and those students found the classroom environment

to be much more enjoyable and enriching (Dresden & Lee, 2007).

Selecting and integrating technology into an established project-based learning

classroom is not as easy as simply introducing the new technology to the students with

the hopes that it will improve their overall learning experience. The lack of thoughtful

and careful integration into the classroom appears to be one of the reasons why digital

technology has not caught on in education, when compared to the business world. Punya

Mishra and Koehler (2006) provide some insight in their research and argue that all too

often teachers tend to only look at the technology and not how it should be appropriately

used in the classroom. They discuss the merits of a conceptual framework for

educational technology by building on Shulman’s formulation of pedagogical content

knowledge. This framework was developed by Shulman (1986) after years of research

focused on the development of teachers in higher education. Shulman indicated that

“pedagogy”, which is the study of being a teacher, or the process of teaching, is just as

important as the course content. He argues that all too often teachers view the course

content and the pedagogy as mutually exclusive, yet he feels it’s critical that the two are

connected. This intersection, as Shulman describes it, “contains within it the most

regularly taught topics in one’s subject area, the most useful forms of representation of

those ideas, the most powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and

demonstrations – in a word, the ways of representing and formulating the subject that

makes it comprehensible to others”. Mishra and Koehler admit that Shulman didn’t refer

directly to the integration of technology into this model, but they believe it was only

because of the timing of the research; technology and the availability of it was not nearly

as prevalent as it is today. Mishra and Koehler feel strongly that the pedagogical content

knowledge model needs to integrate not just content knowledge and pedagogical

knowledge, but technological knowledge as well. The intersection of these three, known

as technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK), is powerful, and “is the basis of

good teaching with technology”. The authors conclude that “the TPCK framework can

guide further research and curriculum development work in the area of teacher education

and teacher professional development around technology”.

The objective of this project was to create a handbook that provides details on

how to effectively infuse technology into an existing Interact Gold Rush teaching unit to

include:

Project implementation process

o Issues and Challenges

o Project Controls

o Project Results

o Lessons Learned

Project Evaluation

o Measure project success

Identify and document any challenges and obstacles related to

the implementation of PBL in a 4th grade classroom.

o Measure student success

Determine if some students prefer the PBL learning

environment over the traditional method. Attempt to identify

any common characteristics of those who prefer PBL.

Measure the effectiveness of the PBL process by tracking,

trending and evaluating the performance metrics for each

student during the project (specific milestones) and at the

conclusion of the project.

The research and literature contributed to the formation of product to meet these

objectives. For example, Dresden and Lee (2007) explained how project-based learning

was used in one 1st grade classroom, and student performance of the experimental group

was compared to another 1st grade classroom that used a more traditional teaching

method. The results showed that the project-based learning students performed at a

higher level than the students in the traditional classroom. This type of controlled-group

study provided a model for this project and was very useful in designing the 4th grade

Social Study project.

A study conducted by students at the University of Connecticut and Harvard

University (Ioannuou, Brown, & Gehlbach, 2007) explained how students in K-12 often

have negative attitudes towards their Social Studies classes, indicating that the classes

were boring and didn’t relate to their lives or the world they live in. After the authors

introduced Multimedia into the curriculum (use of maps, graphics, animation, videos,

etc.), the students performed at a higher level than they did before (and higher than a

control group). The experimental group showed statistically significant higher scores on

Social Studies tests. The authors concluded that the overall experience of the students

was enhanced and their attitude related to the subject of Social Studies was much more

positive. This study assisted with the design of the Digital Storytelling technology

approach to 4th grade Social Studies curriculum and provided guidance on the evaluation

plan to determine the effectiveness of this new teaching method.

Methodology and Project Design

The project was targeted for a 4th grade Social Studies class. It was discussed

with the 4th grade teachers at a J.H. Elementary School, and they expressed interest in

participating in any way that would result in a successful project. Ideas from these

teachers were solicited, and their input and ideas were incorporated into the final project

design. In addition, Digital Storytelling was experimented in a 1st grade classroom, and

was very useful. More importantly, students’ attention level and engagement was

significantly increased.

Project Design – Digital Storytelling was the methodology chosen to enhance the

existing project-based learning curriculum due to its interactive features and because it

encourages students to not only increase their classroom participation, but allows them to

be much more creative in the way they think and learn. The existing project-based

learning curriculum, which utilizes the Interact Gold Rush simulation, has increased the

engagement of the students, but it lacks the utilization of technology which has the

potential to take learning to the next level. As mentioned earlier, Mishra’s and Koelhler’s

research paper referred to the importance of a teacher’s Content Knowledge and

Pedagogical Knowledge, but they contended that the integration of Technological

Knowledge would lead to higher learning. They recognize, however, that often times the

introduction of new technology can be both challenging and threatening to some teachers:

“Though not all teachers have embraced these new technologies for a range of reasons,

including a fear of change and lack of time and support – the fact that these technologies

are here to stay cannot be doubted.” (page 1023). For those teachers who are willing to

consider the adoption of state of the art technology in their curriculums and classrooms,

they can expect to find it enriching to both the students and themselves.

Potential Issues and Challenges - Project-based learning can be difficult to

implement as a new and relatively inexperienced teacher because the expectation is that

multiple subjects will be integrated into a single inquiry. Therefore, it is important for

the teacher to feel comfortable with the subject matter. Effective time management is

another challenge because at first glance, project-based learning might appear to be very

time consuming to just get through one inquiry. Finally, since the traditional grading

system doesn’t apply neatly to project-based learning, a new and innovative student

assessment/evaluation process must be developed to measure the progress and

performance of students.

Evaluation of Project Results – Since this project was completed at a time when

it could not be implemented during the school year, it is recommended that evaluation of

the project be accomplished by comparing the historical performance of individual

students and their level of engagement prior to and after participating in the project-based

learning environment. It is quite possible that a control group could be established to

assist in the project evaluation. Ideally this control group would be a separate 4th grade

class that uses the traditional teaching methods. A final report comparing the data on

student performance should be completed and shared not only with 4th grade teachers, but

also with other teachers of all grades, so that they have an opportunity to assess the

results and decide whether project-based learning, enhanced by digital storytelling would

be appropriate for their students. Examination of the project-based learning

implementation process and its effect upon students and learning should include:

Identify and document any challenges and obstacles related to the

implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in a 4th grade classroom.

Observe if some students prefer the PBL learning environment over the

traditional method. Attempt to identify any common characteristics of those

who prefer PBL.

Measure the effectiveness of the PBL process by tracking, trending and

evaluating the performance metrics for each student during the project

(specific milestones) and at the conclusion of the project.

Lessons Learned – During the initial implementation of Digital Storytelling in a project-

based learning curriculum, there undoubtedly will be lessons learned along the way.

Lessons learned will be solicited from both students and teachers, and their feedback will

be captured and considered as the curriculum is modified and improved for future users.

Evaluation Tools/Forms- The assessment rubrics (see Appendix A) created for this

project will address the three main evaluation goals stated previously. Teacher and

student feedback will be solicited through the use of separate surveys that will capture

both the positive and negative aspects of the overall project. In addition, a teacher’s blog

site will be established to capture lessons learned and other miscellaneous feedback.

Student performance will be measured through the use of both self evaluation forms as

well as assessment rubrics, which will be included in the project handbook.

SUMMARY:

Project-based learning has proven to be an attractive alternative to traditional

teaching methods, and the introduction and integration of technology into the project-

based learning curriculum has great potential to enrich the learning experience of both the

students and the teacher. Technological Knowledge, Pedagogy Knowledge and Content

Knowledge, when combined, accepted and offered by the teacher, can create a learning

environment that increases the creativity and confidence of the students. In addition,

research and studies have demonstrated that this new approach to teaching also leads to

impressive and higher levels of overall performance. The flexibility that project-based

learning provides, especially with technology, will also assist teachers as they work with

a rather structured curriculum schedule. The results of the research studies already

completed will assist greatly with the expansion of the existing project-based learning

curriculum of the 4th grade Social Studies class, including the introduction of Digital

Storytelling.