Checklists to support Project Based Learning and evaluation
Building Motivation
Project Based
Learning allows teachers to create tasks whose complexity and openness
mimic problems in the real world. Students can see the interdisciplinary
nature of these tasks, and see that each task may have more than
one solution. Students who have the freedom to choose different
strategies and approaches may become more engaged in the learning
process, and these students will be more likely to approach other
problems with an open mind.
In
addition, students who are involved in creating the project assignment
or the project checklist gain valuable experience in setting their
own goals and standards of excellence. This gives students a sense
of ownership and control over their own learning. Learners
have the added opportunity to identify related sub-topics and explore
them in a project based scenario. Teaching
with the project based method enables students to work cooperatively
with peers and mentors in a student-centered environment where learners
are encouraged to explore various topics of interest.
Projects
that have depth, duration, and complexity will challenge students
and motivate them towards construction of knowledge. They will acquire
problem-solving, communication, collaboration, planning, and self-
evaluation skills. After completing a project, ask students to create
a self-evaluation of the project. This enables the students to focus
on their learning process and allows them to see their progress.
Self-evaluation gives students a sense of accomplishment and further
instills responsibility for learning.
Learners
who can see the connection between a project based task and the
real world will be more motivated to understand and solve the problem
at hand. Students enjoy learning
when learning makes sense. Project Based
Learning lends itself to many disciplines. It provides learners
the opportunity to have a voice in how and what they learn, while
building intrinsic motivation towards problem-solving.