Transcript Some theoretical considerations of project based learning by Lau Kwok Chi
Some theoretical considerations of project based learning
by Lau Kwok Chi
Why do students need to learn through projects ?
• What is project-based learning ?
• What are the desirable outcomes produced by PBL?
• Are these outcomes unique to PBL ?
• Is PBL proven to be more effective than the traditional instructional strategies in producing these outcomes ? • What about their effect sizes ? • Is PBL cost-effective ?
• What are the essential elements of PBL with which the desirable outcomes it claims could be produced?
Some theoretical understandings on project-based learning
Q. What is project-based learning ?
• Project-based learning engages students in the
investigation
of an
authentic problem
with
minimum teacher guidance
over an
period of time extended
• The problem has
no immediate answer
and
predetermined
• is
interdisciplinary
and to a textbook curriculum
open
and not tied • emphasizes students'
own artifact construction
to represent what is being learned
Processes
• asking and refining questions • debating ideas • making predictions • designing plans and/or experiments • collecting and analyzing data • drawing conclusions • communicating their ideas and findings to others • asking new questions • creating artifacts
Potential Outcomes
• increase student improve their
motivation
and
attitudes towards learning
• because they involve students in solving authentic problems, in working with others, in building real solutions, and learning as the need arises
• foster
creativity
encouraged as divergent thinking is • improve student
problem solving higher order thinking skills
and because students need to acquire and apply information, concepts, and principles in a real, complex situation
• improve students’
metacognitive skills (self-reflection in learning)
as they have to monitor their own progress under minimum teacher guidance • develop students
’
communicative skills
and
collaborative skills
as they need to work as cooperative groups
• foster
critical thinking
as students are required to make evidence-based judgment and valid conclusion • develop
IT skills
for learning
Knowledge
perform as well as students in traditional programs on conventional tests of
knowledge .
However it is
neither a superior nor an efficient way of acquiring knowledge
so that it should not be employed as the sole or main instructional strategy for the whole curriculum .
• Rather than acquiring knowledge, project is better used for the application of knowledge learnt from traditional way. It can serve to build bridges between learning in the classroom and real-life experiences • It promotes links among subject matter disciplines and presents an expanded, rather than narrow view of the subject matter.
• The learning process is adaptable to different types of learners and learning situations • Students can proceed at their own paces cope with individual differences
Difficulties of implementation
• It requires simultaneous changes in curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices - all new to both students and teachers • It is difficult to promote effort and persistence over the extended time
• It is difficult to maintain
balance between students' choice and teacher's control
• It may lead to
doing for the sake of doing
rather than
doing for understanding
as the question is not crafted to make connection between activities and the underlying conceptual knowledge
• Students do not necessarily respond to high level tasks with increased use of learning strategies. They are resistant to tasks that involve high-level cognitive processing and try to simplify the demands of the situation through negotiation.
• It is difficult to promote effort and persistence over the extended time
• It is difficult to maintain balance between students' choice and teacher's control • Students do not necessarily respond to high level tasks with increased use of learning strategies. They are resistant to tasks that involve high-level cognitive processing and try to simplify the demands of the situation through negotiation.
• Small group work may decrease personal responsibility and independent thinking, and encourage reliance on others. Also students may not have the skills to benefit from collaborative work
How to enable the success of a project
(A) Students regard the activity as worthwhile and interesting so that they are intrinsically motivated • Students need to have some choices in the creation of questions and solutions to the problem • The tasks have to involve novel element, • the problem is authentic, nontrivial and challenging • the activity promotes collaboration with others
(B) Students feel that they have the necessary
skills
and
knowledge
complete the project. The skills to include collaborative skills, investigative skills and tool skills .
• Teachers should provide necessary training and resources according to the needs of different students
(C) Students are
focused on learning
as
opposed to grades
(mastery goal rather than performance goal) • create a classroom environment which stresses learning and exploration over correct answers, grades, and competition with others.
• Teachers must emphasize learning rather than assessment or production of the artifact
(D) Students have a clear understanding of the teacher's goals and method(s) of evaluation (E) Teachers need to have thorough understanding of the knowledge and skills required by the project (F) Teachers need to encourage students to use all their 'intelligences' multiple intelligences
(G) Teacher should not set the question so constrained that the outcomes are predetermined, leaving students with little room to develop their own approaches to answering the question (H) Teachers have to ensure that the problems are educationally rich enough that students must gain understanding of sufficient knowledge and skills through the resolution of the problem
(I) Teachers should set
learning appropriate goals
to ensure
doing for understanding
rather than doing for the sake of doing (J) Teachers should provide students frequent opportunities for
formative self-assessment and revision
so that they are trained to become
reflective learners
.
(K) Teachers have to create a social organizations that promote participation and result in a sense of agency e.g. peer review, small group interactions, opportunities to contribute, performance opportunities to outside audiences all give a strong incentive to prepare and revise.
(L) To help students become
lifelong learners
and empower students with
intellectual responsibility
,…..
teachers should
not give specific feedback
but alert students to key concepts that students need to rethink and learn about, suggest resources, and
progressively release responsibilities to students
Assessment
• Formative and continuous • process and products • Pretest, posttest • Means : journal, clinical interview, artifact, oral presentation, peer review, self-evaluation
individual performance Artifacts Oral presentation task-specific learning outcomes(#) *rating (%)
40 30 15 15
Evidences from rubrics of evaluation
· · · · · • • • • •
on · · the internet individual journals peer evaluations during and at the end of the project work · self-reflection at the end of
•
the ·
·
· meetings with students informal contact in school and project work clinical interviews at the end of the project
· -- refer to the " 9 generic skills" · - task specific criteria set up by teacher for projects indivdual written report web pages record of progress sources of information oral presentation After the completion of · project, conduct
individual test
for the assessment of knowledge and skills specific to the task refer to criteria in "Artifact Evaluation Form" Individual score = Group score X peer evaluation on artifacts · - _ refer to criteria in"Presentation Evaluation Form" Individual score = Group score X peer evaluation on presentation - and knowledge, skills attitudes to be fostered by · specific tasks criteria set up by teacher
Checklist of work when meeting with students
Evaluation
• ask students to evaluate their teammates and fill in "Peer Evaluation Form" individually • evaluate performance of individual students and fill in "Individual Evaluation Form" during and after the meeting
Check progress
• ask students to show their individual "Journals “ • ask group leader to show the group's "Record of Progress" and "Sources of information"
Support
• Discuss with students the difficulties they encountered and offer
"appropriate"
guidance • Identify training needs on knowledge and skills (tool skills, investigative skills, collaborative skills) and conduct appropriate trainings • Judge morale of the group and decide on motivating measures needed
•
Arrange next meeting and agree on the progress expected
•
Frequent meeting is a ‘ must ’ to start up the project