Making Project Based Learning a Part of Your Practice

Making Project Based Learning a Part of Your Practice

Though it is important to prepare students for standardized assessments, they are not a true way to evaluate individual student progress.  In our classrooms, we must allow our students to demonstrate their learning through more authentic and individual ways.  By integrating project based learning into our curriculum, we nurture critical and creative thinking among students.  Projects give students the chance to showcase their individual talents and strengths. For example, after students have finished reading a novel, prepare a list of projects students could complete to demonstrate what they have learned about the characters and themes of the novel.  Projects could include anything from creating websites and models to conducting interviews or designing movies.  The possibilities are endless in ways students can express their learning, and if we incorporate projects differentiated by ability, interest, and learning profile, our students will all find the success that traditional assessments do not offer.