Project-Based Learning

• PBL is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge.
• There are 8 essential elements to PBL.

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• At its core, the project is focused on teaching students important knowledge and skills, derived from standards and key concepts at the heart of academic subjects.
• Students build valuable 21st century skill competencies such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity/innovation.
• Students are engaged in an extended, rigorous process of asking questions, using resources, and developing answers.

Project work is focused by an open-ended question that students understand and find intriguing, which captures their task for their exploration. Students see the need to gain knowledge, understand concepts, and apply skills in order to answer the Driving Question and create project products.

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• Students are allowed to make some choices about the products to be created, how they work, and how they use their time, guided by the teacher. The project includes processes for students to give and receive feedback on the quality of their work, leading them to make revisions or conduct further inquiry. Students present their work to other people, beyond their classmates and teacher.

What is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Asking questions is at the heart of inquiry-based learning. The goal is not to ask just any questions, of course, but ones that kids honestly care about. Your role is to guide the kids in finding the answers themselves and encourage them to ask new questions along the way.

Inquiry-based learning projects are driven by students. Instructors act more as coaches, guides, and facilitators who help learners arrive at their "true" questions—the things they really care about. When students choose the questions, they are motivated to learn and they develop a sense of ownership about the project.

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• Inquiry-based learning is particularly well-suited to collaborative learning environments and team projects. You can create activities in which the entire class works on a single question as a group (just be sure that the whole group truly cares about the question) or in teams working on the same or different questions.

What is the Socratic Dialogue Method?

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• Socratic dialogue is a formal method by which a small group (5-15 people), guided by a facilitator, finds a precise answer to a universal question (e.g. "What is happiness?", "What is integrity?")
• It involves group decision-making by consensus, which is distinctly unlike most other teaching modalities of group function.

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