Project-Based Learning

At a recent workshop on Design Thinking, someone asked the presenter to explain the difference between Design Thinking (DT) and Project-Based Learning.  This led me to reflect on Project-Based Learning (PBL), DT, and inquiry science, in general.  All three have much in common and how you go about doing each of them involves many of the same steps, same mindset, and same values.

At its heart, PBL is an approach to teaching that fully embraces the well-established principle of active learning (see How PeopleLearn and many, many other authoritative sources).  PBL puts authentic student projects at the core of the curriculum.  Students learn by working together, learning what they need as they go along and from the project.  Teachers plan rich, interesting projects that lead students to learn important content and master important skills, drawn from key standards. 

For example, a middle school science teacher might pick up on the interest of her students in the quality of water in local ponds and streams.  She would then map out a project to learn about local water quality and simultaneously meet NextGeneration Science Standards (NGSS) for chemistry in the Disciplinary Content I   (DCI), as well as the very important Science and Engineering Practices (Practices), such as Asking Questions and Defining Problems (#1), Planning and Carrying Out Investigations (#3), Analyzing and Interpreting Data (#4), and Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information (#8). 

The class might learn how to use water test kits and then take a field trip to a local lake.  Using the test kits, the students could collect data on water quality, and draw conclusions about the overall health of the lake in terms of acidity, phosphorus levels, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen, among others.  They could collect macroinvertebrates from the lake to identify and classify, using the types of species present as another indicator of overall water quality.  They might also observe other plant and animal life, taking photos and writing field notes.  Perhaps back in the lab, they conclude that the overall health of the lake is poor. 

But why is that?  This could lead teams of students to explore each factor.  Some students might want to understand how the chemical tests work, which could lead them in a different direction.  Perhaps the students want to DO something about the water quality.  This might draw in their social studies teacher to learn about community action, their English teacher to help them with persuasive writing, a technology or art teacher to help them make a student-written and –directed documentary to present at a town meeting.  In this way, a well-conceived PBL unit, not only teaches important school content, but also develops major life skills, often in the service of improving the world.  The Buck Institute and Edutopia  are  great resources for PBL.

DO try this at home!

Homemade catapult

The other day I received a newsletter from Home ScienceTools, a supplier of science materials for teachers, parents, and anyone who wants to do science at home.   This company was started in 1994 in the garage of a chemical engineer and his wife, when they couldn’t find materials for their own children.  Their letter got me thinking about learning science and the value of doing science at home with your children.

Science begins with questions and kids are natural questioners.  We all know that kids have millions of questions and feeding that curiosity helps them build a lifelong habit.  The questions that they ask about are the important ones to start with.  And the ones that come from their observations and interactions with the world provide a natural entryway into hands-on science.  Encouraging these questions and having the tools nearby to explore their ideas, empowers them and removes it from the realm of a homework assignment.

You learn science by doing science, by actively investigating the world around you. Reading about science is wonderful and rewarding.  For really learning how to do science, however, nothing beats looking at a bug under a microscope, digging up some compost and watching the critter, or mixing up cornstarch and water and playing with it.  It is a well-established principle that active involvements with real materials leads to more and deeper learning that simply watching a demo, live or on YouTube, or just reading about it. See How People Learn.  Nothing is wrong with reading science or watching science shows; they are just not as effective as doing hands-on science. Both definitely have a role, especially when they encourage kids to try things out for themselves.

Learning science actively naturally leads to developing skill in the inquiry process used by scientists. When children learn to form their own questions and then to try things out, to experiment in order to gather evidence, they are doing science.  They are doing science the way scientists do science.  It is a short step to recording data, interpreting that data, and sharing their discoveries with others. 

Science is not about amassing facts; science is a process of discovery that generates new knowledge.  For a child trying to make her baking soda and vinegar bottle rocket go higher, she is discovering knowledge new to her that expands her world.  If she is encouraged and supported, then maybe one day, she may be at Stanford experimenting with a new idea in rocket propulsion.  She is now discovering knowledge that is new to the entire world and that expand the possibilities for all of us.