Project Based Learning:Dilemmas and Questions!

Oliver Zajkov, Boce MitrevskiSs Cyril and Methodius University

Faculty of Natural Sciences and MathematicsInstitute of PhysicsSkopje, Macedonia

IX Conference of The Society of Physicists of Republic of Macedonia20-23 September, 2012, Ohrid, Macedonia

PBL is a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks.

What is Project-Based Learning (PBL)?

УБП е систематски метод за поучување, со кој учениците се здобиваат со знаења и вештини низ процес на проширено истражување, изградено врз комплексно и автентично прашање и внимателно дизајнирани производи и задачи.

“Learning is not a process of serving information… it is neither the only nor the most important task of the teacher.The teacher’s task is to lead the student, so the student can conclude.”

“I cannot teach anyone anything. I can just make him think.”

5th century BC

John Dewey, beginning of 20th century, learning by doing.

Максвел барал мовеќе да се негува духот на истражувањето, а помалку да се решаваат духовито формулирани математички проблеми...

Во средината на 19. век, познатиот германски математичар Леополд Кронекер стана првиот конструктивист...

... Токму во време кога се роди

Кевендишовата лабораторија за физика, основана 1874 године под водство на Максвела била конкретен резултат од движењето за реформуа

Џон Дјуи.

Биографија на Михалјо Пупина:Воодушевен од европскиот начин на високото образование, кое вклучува практична работа и учење низ истражување.

• Discovering and constructing knowledge.•Research, design and everything that means intellectual and physical engagement.• Minds-on and hands-on.

Constructivism?!?

Project-Based Learning?

PBL or PBL???

PBL or PBL???

Problem-Based Learning = PbBL

Project-Based Learning = PBL

The activity, which is called project by teachers, is often used as a fun or change-of-pace events completed after students have been pushed through homework assignments, lectures, and tests.

In PBL, students are pulled through the curriculum by a Driving Question or authentic problem that creates a need to know the material.

I WAS JUST RUBBING STICKS TOGETHER FOR FUN

- I DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS DOING BASIC RESEARCH

Research-Based Learning

Scientific Approach

• Observe• Pose a question.• After additional observation and analysis, construct a hypothesis.• Design research/experiments.• Analyze the results and make a conclusion.• Publish the results.• Rethink and retest.

Research-Based Learning

Scientific Approach

• Observe• Pose a question.• After additional observation and analysis, construct a hypothesis.• Design research/experiments.• Analyze the results and make a conclusion.• Publish the results.• Rethink and retest.

Problem-Based Learning

Problem-Based Learning

• Need new knowledge in order to solve the problem.

• Recognize a problem from a situation in the classroom.

• Find a solution for the problem based on the acquired knowledge.

• Design research in order to come to this new knowledge.

Problem Research

Goal – solution for the problem

Doesn’t have to be!

Goal – new knowledge

4

Authentic

Knowledge is imposed by the curriculum and syllabus

Need for knowledge

Project - Based Learning

• Face with a problem from outside the classroom.

• Design a final product, which emerges from the solution of the problem.

• Need new knowledge in order to solve the problem.

• Design research in order to come to this new knowledge.

• Find a solution for the problem based on the acquired knowledge.

Problem Project

Single

Authentic

Multilayered

4

Authentic

Complex - interdisciplinary

Final product = solution for one problem

Final product = Solution with a wider significance

Technical productProcedureProgram

DocumentCampaign

Theater Play

Characteristics of PBL• Recognizes students’ inherent drive to learn, • Students’ capability to do important work• Students’ need to be taken seriously.• Lead students to in-depth exploration of authentic and

important topics.• Includes multiple products that solve problems, explain

dilemmas.• Permits frequent feedback and consistent opportunities for

students to learn from experience.• Encourages collaboration in some form, either through

small groups, student-led presentations, or whole-class evaluations of project results.

• Learning community becomes multidimensional, public, unpredictable

•Include wider community in the activities. •PBL creates positive communication. Students learn to advocate,

to defend their ideas, but at the same time to listen the opponent and to be open for others opinion.

•PBL overcomes the gap between knowledge and thinking. Students “know” and “do”.

•PBL develops the habit for lifelong learning.

•PBL meets the needs of learners with varying skill levels and learning styles.

•Students with different abilities and different interests work together: organization, experimenting, crafts, drawing, writing, designing…

Examples

Research Based Learning

Objective: Discover the dependence of the electric resistance on the characteristics of the conductor.

The research and experiments are designed by teacher and students, jointly.

Students are organized in teams. Each team has different task. Each team has to come to some conclusion about the dependence of the electric resistance. After the experiments are done, the students exchange the results between themselves; discuss the results and come to the final conclusion. The law for electric resistance is discovered.

Example 1

Problem Based Learning

The students study different electric circuits. The students have to construct a circuit with few resistances.

There is not a resistance with certain value in the physics classroom. The students have to make such resistance.

In order to make it, first they have to discover the dependence of the resistance on the characteristics of the conductor. It means in this part of the PbBL the module of RBL comes.

After the research is done and the law of electric resistance is discovered, the students can make the required resistance.

Project Based Learning

For some reason the school has to construct and design electric heater.In order to fulfill this task the school address to a factory which produce electric devices.

Project Based LearningDuring this process, students should:

1. Take into account the power of each heater.

2. Discover the law of resistance.

3. Adjust the power and the resistance of the heater.

4. When constructing the heater think about its design, where will it be applied.

5. Construct and incorporate the safety device in the heater.

6. Construct and incorporate temperature controller (thermostat).

7. Write and design a manual for the heater, which will contain the procedure for using and safety precautions.

7. Write and publish a report?

From the last example, one can see that the integration in PBL is inevitable. - Physics is in the core of this project.- Subject related to technology -> to construction of the heater.- Arts can be included to design the heater.- Mother tongue as well as foreign language -> written material.- Computer science (Informatics) -> Report can be given in electronic form (power point presentation, website, blog etc).

Integration

One of the projects, which will introduce the teacher and the students in PBL and will help with the later projects, is mapping the community. Design a project to discover all institutions in the community. The final product will be a categorized list of factories, faculties, museums, institutes, ballet studios, churches, theaters, cinemas, galleries, building enterprises etc. Later this list can be used as a source for ideas and some of those institutions and companies could be involved in the future projects.

Example 2

•Why should we recycle? What can be recycled? A visit to a factory that produces paper, glass, aluminum, rubber, plastic or anything that can be recycled.•From the experts obtain information on the energy and water consumption for production, on the emission of harmful substances etc.•A visit to an institution which works in the area of recycling and obtaining interesting information. Are they satisfied with the way of collecting the material, is there any problem, is there anything that can be improved etc. Is there a possibility to expand the recycling with other materials and under what conditions?

Example 3

Campaign for recycling “Why recycle at all?

•A visit to a NGO, which would be interested in participating and supporting such project, ministry of environment or similar. •What the people know about recycling? Organize an inquiry. Design a questionnaire.•Make a material for the campaign: leaflet, play, show, website etc. •Which materials decompose in the nature? Make a research: bury fruit, vegetable, piece of meat, paper (with a various quality), plastic (with a various quality), can etc.

Example 3

Campaign for recycling “Why recycle at all?

Example 3 Industry (How to improve the quality of a product? What is the competition?)

Example 4 Design a new school

Example 5 Celebration of holidays

PBL is not the ideal approach. PBL can not be applied in every and any situation. For example, PBL is not appropriate as a method for teaching certain basic skills such as reading or computing; however, it does provide an environment for the application of those skills.

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