New methodologies for a changing world

Project-based learning is a form of situated learning and is based on the constructivist finding that students gain deeper understanding of material when they actively construct their understand by working with and using ideas.

In project-based learning, students engage in real, meaningful problems that are important to them and similar to what scientists, mathematicians, writers and historians do. A project-based classroom allows students to investigate questions, propose hypotheses and explanations, discuss their ideas, challenge others’ ideas and try out new ideas.

The theoretical background of project-based learning is built on four major learning ideas.

1. Active construction: in project-based learning, students actively construct their knowledge by participating in real-world activities similar to those that experts engage in, to solve problems.
2. Situated learning: this point involves students in experiencing phenomena as they take part in scientific practices such as designing investigations, explaining, modelling, and presenting their ideas to others. As a result, they can form connections between the new information that is acquired and prior knowledge to develop better, greater and more linked conceptual understanding.
3. Social interactions: learners develop understanding of principles and ideas by sharing, using and debating them with others. This back-and-forth sharing, using and debating of ideas helps to create a community of learners.
4. Cognitive tools: learning technologies can help students to (1) access and collect a range of scientific data and information; (2) use visualization and data analysis tools similar to those used by scientists; (3) allow for collaboration and sharing of information across sites; (4) plan, build and test models; and (5) develop multimedia documents that illustrate students’ understanding.

Table. Challenges and opportunities of Project-Based learning

Adapted from Krajcik JS, Blumenfeld PC. Project Based Learning at Sawyer, R. (Ed.). (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (2^nd ed., Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139519526