Engaging Education: Project Based Learning
Blog: Monday Project Management Blog
From planning a wedding to running a restaurant to starting your own business, the world is filled with projects. When thinking about work in the “real world,” most jobs do not involve memorizing information, taking tests, and completing worksheets. Rather, jobs involve collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication with others.
The idea behind project-based learning (pbl) is that the traditional or “gold standard” form of education in which students listen to lectures, memorize information, and are then tested on what they have learned is neither an effective nor realistic teaching method.
In the 1880s, famous psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered the Forgetting Curve, in which, “ without any reinforcement or connections to prior knowledge, information is quickly forgotten—roughly 56 percent in one hour, 66 percent after a day, and 75 percent after six days.” (Edutopia).
After taking a test, students often forget the information they have learned. After listening to a lecture, students often forget what was just said. After completing a worksheet, students often forget the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
Throughout this article, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of project-based learning. From what it is to why it is important to how monday.com can help, project-based learning is the future and by the end of this article, you’ll be an expert on it.
What is project based learning?
With project-based learning, students are given a real world problem, challenge, or scenario at the beginning of teaching a new topic or lesson. They are assigned groups and tasked with solving this problem or driving question while simultaneously learning and engaging with the knowledge and skills surrounding the pbl unit.
The main difference between project-based learning and a regular school project is that plb units are longer term, more real world focused, teach more than just a single subject, and emphasize student engagement and outside the box thinking.
The core components of high quality PBL:
- Student Voice, Choice, & Challenge
- Inquiry & Discovery
- Investigate & Respond
- Teamwork & Collaboration
- Authenticity & Relevancy in Content Knowledge
- Employability (21st Century) Skills
- Feedback & Revision
- Publicly Presented Product
- Reflection
Why project based learning?
There are a plethora of reasons why project-based learning is a more effective and realistic form of teaching. When it comes to teaching, students and teachers are those who matter, which is project based learning emphasizes communication and engagement with peers and teachers rather than isolated work and passive feedback.
For students:
- Increases engagement and interest in learning
- Supports peer-to-peer collaboration and teamwork
- Fosters problem solving, self initiative, creativity, and analytical thinking
Additionally, because project-based learning focuses on real world scenarios, students are more prepared for the workforce, learning 21st century skills applicable to the real world such as critical thinking, presentation, communication, and technology skills.
According to MagnifyLearning, “those who have high 21st century skill development are twice as likely to have higher work quality compared to those who had low 21st century skill development” (Pearson Foundation/Microsoft 2013).
For seachers:
- Reports of greater satisfaction and enjoyment in the classroom
- Greater engagement and connection with students
Educators of America states that through project-based learning “teachers have the chance to engage with students on a higher personal level by discovering their interests and concerns and then performing important, high-quality work alongside them” (Educators of America).
Example of project based learning
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How monday.com supports project based learning
Communication & collaboration:
Two of the most important aspects to project-based learning are communication and collaboration. monday.com understands how important this is to not only education and school but to the workplace and society as a whole.
That is why all of monday.com’s boards and templates are entirely shareable, meaning one student can share a template with his or her team member and work collaboratively even in an online setting. The best part is — monday.com is free for all students!
Going back to the Project Based Learning social studies example above, take a look at this template here to see how monday.com’s hundreds of pre-made templates can help students learn, work, and research together.
As you can see above, with monday.com’s Single Project Research template, students can group, add, and organize their sources directly onto a single platform. That way team members can add notes, comments, and collaborate with each other even online!
Click here to watch a quick clip and learn how monday.com can optimize your team’s communication and collaboration even more.
Project management:
In a tweet by Elon Musk, he states
“Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology”
Technology is everything and knowing how to use technology is a valuable and marketable asset to have in the 21st century.
Specifically, platform based project management is extremely important. Think of Microsoft, Google, Hulu, Adidas… whatever company it may be, big or small, learning how to work with teams, plan projects, and communicate online is more important than ever and not as easy as it sounds.
Why start developing this skill once you’re already in the workforce when you can start now? And for free!
Look here at these Student Life templates below. Not only does monday.com make it easy to manage your classes, stay on top of your assignments, and keep track of all your responsibilities, but simultaneously you’ll be developing the skill of platform based project management.
Watch this video to learn more about project management on monday.com.
Time management:
Along with the skill of platform based project management, time management is everything. Being able to juggle multiple projects, prioritize your responsibilities, and consistently meet deadlines is challenging.
That is why monday.com is here to help.
For example, with monday.com views like the Timeline View, you can plan out your entire day, month, or even semester! That way you can stay on top of deadlines, meet due dates, and… have time for those classic college experiences.
Want to learn about how you can optimize your time with monday.com? Click here to read more!
Whether it be as complex as launching a school-wide recycling program that solves an identified problem with existing environmental issues or as simple as starting a class school supply business, measuring real-world business metrics like supply, demand, profit, and loss, project based learning fosters engagement, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Student work based upon the idea of building up 21st century skills, working with others, and creating an ongoing and immersive learning environment is what pbl is all about.
monday.com not only values the concept and theory behind project-based learning but also wants to help and support students throughout their learning experience. By providing all students with a free and customizable platform to communicate, collaborate, develop project management skills, manage time, and organize responsibilities, monday.com is your one stop shop for all of your remote learning and evolving needs.
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