To fully understand exactly what project-based learning is and why it is so beneficial each member of our group had to conduct extensive research. After we each had a concrete idea of this technique we came together and communicated what we learned. The research we found solidified our beliefs that PBL should be incorporated into classrooms. On this page you can find our annotated bibliography as well as our executive summary.
Annotated Bibliography
In addition to finding how it teaches both the curriculum and 21st century competencies, we found ways that it can be adapted to fit just about any type of classroom. Together, we compiled the sources we found to be the most useful and put them in an annotated bibliography.
In this document there are descriptions and links to sources such as articles, a webinar, The English Journal, and a video. All of these sources can help deepen a readers understanding of PBL.
To read our annotated bibliography click here: Annotated Bibliography
Executive Summary
In our executive summary we discuss some of the more important advantages of PBL. We also provide an overview of how we took that research and incorporated it into our presentation through a demonstration of a PBL lesson. Below is an excerpt from our executive summary.
The project that we created was designed to help future educators make group work more meaningful. Sometimes students question the importance of the concepts they are taught or the relevance of the projects they are assigned. To combat this, project-based learning (PBL) can be implemented. This approach to teaching is student-centered and focuses on a real-world question or problem. As a result, PBL allows students to choose how they will demonstrate their knowledge in a way that is interesting to them. More benefits to PBL are that students gain a sense of purpose, have a deeper understanding of the content, practice 21st century competencies, and are more engaged in real life problems.
To communicate these benefits and demonstrate what PBL might look like in a classroom, our group took the problem of the lack of clean water in Africa and had students collaborate on some form of a solution.
To read our full executive summary click here: Executive Summary
Project Based Learning 