Project-Based Learning Environment » Project-Based Learning Environment

Project-Based Learning Environment

 

Helping Scholars Reach Their Potential with Project-Based Learning

Within a project-based learning environment, our scholars are given the opportunity to take ownership of their education. Rather than operating in a traditional classroom structure of teachers imparting information upon scholars, the project-based learning environment creates an atmosphere of cooperative learning instead. Teachers become coaches and advocates for ours scholars. Our faculty guides scholars in taking charge of the acquirement of knowledge. This perspective enables scholars to creatively problem solve on their own, a skill necessary for success in both the college and career world.

Project-based learning thrives on the use of many learning techniques, including:

  • Creative, purposeful play
  • Communal activities that encourage teamwork for problem solving
  • Projects that encourage creative innovation
  • Promoting an environment that caters to every kind of learner
  • Open discussion among students to encourage acceptance and community

Project-Based Learning is important because it allows students to take charge of their learning experience. The dynamic shifts from the educator simply delivering and feeding content, to instead facilitating and managing their learning experience. This provides the students with more independence, and they will only be given support when needed. Failure is part of the learning process, and students must learn how best to accomplish their goals. In addition to being student-centered, PBL is highly inter-disciplinary, because real life problems involve skills and knowledge learned from more than one subject area.

Student Centered

It’s important to realize that even though PBL is student-centered, this in no way means this is a lax teaching method. Instead of traditional rote recall or memorization, Project-Based Learning involves the active application of skills, as well as acquiring new knowledge to develop solutions and effectively address the problems at hand.

PBL stands out by allowing students to actively take ownership of the learning process, instead of the traditional method of having the teacher provide all the guidance, playing the primary role. By involving self- and peer-assessment, allowing the scholars to actively enquire, and letting your students choose how to manage their own project (as opposed to simply following a set of instructions), your students can learn invaluable lessons through various projects as they become more engaged with effective, deeper learning.

Since many students may not be familiar with this form of learning, Legacy Preparatory Charter Academy introduces scholars to this learning model gradually, allowing them to fully integrate into PBL before implementing longer, more complex PBL projects. Equally important to our teachers is to ensure that both scholars and educators alike learn through each step of the process and reflect as necessary.

Helping Scholars Develop Skills for Living in a Knowledge-Based, Highly Technological Society

The old-school model of passively learning facts and reciting them out of context is no longer sufficient to prepare scholars to survive in today’s world. Solving highly complex problems requires that scholars have both fundamental skills (reading, writing, and math) and 21st century skills (teamwork, problem solving, research gathering, time management, information synthesizing, utilizing high tech tools). With this combination of skills, scholars become directors and managers of their learning process, guided and mentored by a skilled teacher. Done properly, your students will be prepared to meet the rapidly changing demands our increasingly global society will require from them. And with performance tasks directly linked to real world experiences, case studies, and careers, their knowledge and insights of these important concepts will be forever ingrained in their minds, which is why Project-Based Learning works so effectively.

These 21st century skills include:

  • personal and social responsibility
  • planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity
  • strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and presentation needs
  • cross-cultural understanding
  • visualizing and decision making
  • knowing how and when to use technology and choosing the most appropriate tool for the task