Many of my friends and colleagues ask me why I think Project Based Learning is beneficial for students.  This past week my students have been engaged in a project and I’ve noticed a lot of benefits that I don’t normally see when I’m using standard frontal teaching methods.  I’d like to discuss a few of those benefits in the next series of posts.

For me one of the biggest benefits is that when my students walk into class they know exactly what to do without my prompting them.  This greater student independence is because the students have much more autonomy so they are much more self-regulated.

At the end of each class I literally have to beg them to pack up and move on to their next class.  They are so self-motivated and self-directed that they understandably want to finish what they’re in the middle of doing. 

There is a built in bonus aspect to this project and many of my students have taken it upon themselves to continue working on their projects at home to complete their bonus sections.  One of my students designed a 3-dimensional turret from world war 1 using a computer software that wasn’t compatible with my laptop at school. So I invited him to come over to my house to show me his design if he wanted to.  He walked over himself to show me what he designed.  This morning one of my colleagues told me that some students came into her office during their recess to add some beautiful (bonus) artwork to their project.  This level of engagement is not typical of standard teaching. 

Why?  I believe the key is because when students are given agency and are encouraged to be co- creators of the assignment, they love the autonomy. When kids have some level of  free choice in their work- the result is much more engaged students. I can’t wait to share more benefits of PBL in the upcoming posts!  Looking forward to bringing professional development to your school!  Reach out for in person or virtual workshops.