One of the lifelines I’ve found for engaging students is project-based learning (PBL), writes Melanie Grosso, who teaches sixth-grade math at Riverside Presbyterian Day School in Jacksonville, Florida, in an eSchool News essay.
Project-based learning is a teaching method where students learn by doing real-world or personally meaningful projects. With PBL, they apply the concepts they are learning to the project they are working on, which builds relevance and helps them connect the dots. One of my favorite parts of teaching is seeing students light up when they connect what they are learning to something in the real world.
My sixth-grade math students recently completed a project called “Pack Perfection” from PBLWorks. Pack Perfection is a four-week geometry unit focused primarily on volume and surface area, though it also covers concepts such as multiplying decimals. The driving question is: “How can we make a backpack that fits the needs of our clients?” All students have different clients in our community, and they design their backpacks accordingly. They do interviews and research to understand their client’s needs, then design and construct the backpacks, learning and applying math skills along the way.
Students had to figure out how much fabric they needed for the bag and had to research different fabrics and their prices. They learned about unit rates, which will be helpful when we go into our next unit about ratios. With this project, students can see the relevance of the math concepts they are learning and how the concepts connect.
From design to construction, students became increasingly independent. That’s one of the hallmarks of PBL. Eventually, students say, “I don’t need you anymore.” They are leading their own learning. Toward the end, it was very autonomous and hands-on, and the project was moving much more quickly.
Here are my suggestions for starting PBL:
- If you want to do PBL, advocate persistently with your administrators and help them see the value and impact for students. Advocate for the curriculum you want to use. Make your case. As teachers, our students are our customers — and too often, what they are getting in the classroom isn’t what they need. But when I do PBL, I never have to wonder if that’s the case.
- Don’t be afraid to let the students take the lead. That’s how PBL works. As a teacher, you want to facilitate. The students are going to fly and do their own thing and you just need to be there to guide them.
- Don’t let PBL scare you. I’ve done PBL at public, charter, and private schools. Every time, children thrive. PBL is adaptable for every school and every student. There are so many ways to differentiate instruction based on your class and your students. Every student can do PBL.
The projects I’ve done have made math relevant, engaging, and fun. When students light up, you know they’re falling in love with learning. We all got into education to make a difference, and PBL has helped me do that.
eSchool News
