Introduction Project based learning (PBL) is a teaching approach that education professionals should consider integrating within the classroom. This teaching/learning instructional strategy provides students with inquiry opportunity; students are encouraged to pursue answers to their own questions by way of problem solving, data collection, and discussion. Finally, they will share what they have learned with an authentic audience in a creative format such as a project, digital presentation, or report (Drake & Long 2009, Hertzog 2007, Hung, Hwang, & Huang 2012). Project based learning seems to directly align with the Common Core Standards. The new standards adopted by Florida (as well as many other states) require teachers and students to delve
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professional development) (Drake & Long 2009; Greene 2000, Hertzog 2007, Hung, Hwang, & Huang 2012; Parsons, Askew, & Carswell 2010). Due to the current high-stakes testing environment, teaching in classrooms today is monopolized by scripted curriculum materials, programmed lesson plans, and more often than not, explicit direct instruction; even though we know these methods don’t work. The project based learning approach however, has shown to be a method that allows teachers the opportunity to be creative with their instruction and provide students with learning activities that are highly engaging but also address grade level appropriate, standards-based concepts (Parsons, Askew, & Carswell 2010). After integrating this approach into their science instruction for a year, two first grade teachers spoke positively about the behaviors they saw in their students when engaged in project work (Hertzog 2007). Children who were not typically active participants in classroom activities began to exhibit increased behaviors including curiosity, interest, and motivation in learning (Hertzog 2007). In another science classroom, a teacher adopted the use of digital …show more content…
In their study “Project Based Digital Storytelling Approach,” Hung, Hwang, & Huang (2012) identified that students placed in an experimental group (using PBL) had a superior mean score on the problem-solving competence scale. Additionally, within the study “Rebecca’s in the Dark,” researchers learned that the students participating in the experimental group (using PBL) were much more forthcoming in identifying problem-solving strategies and in enumerating the variety of resources available. When presented with a sample scientific problem, their responses, both immediately after the teaching period and four months later, were more varied, as well as more comprehensive, with a greater number of responses than the comparison group (Drake & Long
professional development) (Drake & Long 2009; Greene 2000, Hertzog 2007, Hung, Hwang, & Huang 2012; Parsons, Askew, & Carswell 2010). Due to the current high-stakes testing environment, teaching in classrooms today is monopolized by scripted curriculum materials, programmed lesson plans, and more often than not, explicit direct instruction; even though we know these methods don’t work. The project based learning approach however, has shown to be a method that allows teachers the opportunity to be creative with their instruction and provide students with learning activities that are highly engaging but also address grade level appropriate, standards-based concepts (Parsons, Askew, & Carswell 2010). After integrating this approach into their science instruction for a year, two first grade teachers spoke positively about the behaviors they saw in their students when engaged in project work (Hertzog 2007). Children who were not typically active participants in classroom activities began to exhibit increased behaviors including curiosity, interest, and motivation in learning (Hertzog 2007). In another science classroom, a teacher adopted the use of digital …show more content…
In their study “Project Based Digital Storytelling Approach,” Hung, Hwang, & Huang (2012) identified that students placed in an experimental group (using PBL) had a superior mean score on the problem-solving competence scale. Additionally, within the study “Rebecca’s in the Dark,” researchers learned that the students participating in the experimental group (using PBL) were much more forthcoming in identifying problem-solving strategies and in enumerating the variety of resources available. When presented with a sample scientific problem, their responses, both immediately after the teaching period and four months later, were more varied, as well as more comprehensive, with a greater number of responses than the comparison group (Drake & Long