What is Project Based Learning?

I was hoping to get my text early this week but was unsuccessful.

While researching the topic, I did find an interesting link which discusses some notable characteristics of Project-Based Learning from the ISTE website. Cincinnati bridge study.

The mentioned above illustrates many of the characteristics of project-based learning activities:

Students have some choice of topic as well as the nature and extent of content of the project. Students have some input into the nature of the project.

The teacher acts as a facilitator, designing activities and providing resources while the students collect and analyze the information, make discoveries, and report their results.

Students conduct research using multiple sources of information, such as books, online databases, videotapes, personal interviews (in-person or conducted via telecommunications), and their own experiments.

The project usually involves interdisciplinary study across the curriculum. Students are expected to draw upon a broad range of knowledge and skills, and to "stretch" their knowledge and skills.

The project involves the design and development of a product, presentation, or performance that can be used or viewed by others. Students may simply present the results of their projects in class as reports or posters. Other projects may extend beyond the school boundaries in the form of multimedia publication.

A team of people may work on the project. The team may be an entire class, several classes, or even several remote sites.

The instruction and facilitation is guided by a broad range of teaching goals, and students may achieve additional (unforeseen) goals as they explore complex topics from a variety of perspectives.

Project Based Learning focuses on a problem to be solved or a task to be accomplished. The single most important ideas in solving problems and accomplishing tasks is that you build on your previous work and the work of others. (prior knowledge)

Educators use tools to extend students' mental capabilities (such as computers, libraries, the Web - Mindtools), tools to extend your physical capabilities ( airplane, automobile, microscope, telescope, telephone), and formal and informal education system (base of triangle).