PBL Without an Authentic Audience

In this post, I would like to address the following question that has been posed:

Is it still PBL without an authentic audience?

Of course we know that having a public audience is one of the essential elements of project based learning according to the Buck Institute for Education. This speaks to the importance of this key element. In my opinion, a project without an authentic audience suffers in other key areas as well. These key areas include the building of 21st century skills and the need to know element of the project that keeps students motivated and interested.

Research by Boaler supports that project based learning helps students to see the application of their learning instead of viewing the material in isolation (as cited in Bell, 2010). I think having an authentic audience that consists of relevant stakeholders helps students to make these connections, stay motivated, and develop crucial life skills. Bell (2010) explains that "students instinctively reach further when they are highly motivated and interested in their inquiry topic. Motivation is sustained through meaningful, real-world problems and projects.Real-world projects deepen learning for students" (p. 42).

In my mind, perhaps the greatest strength of project based learning is its ability to thrust students into real-world problem solving and decision making. Having an authentic audience provides motivation through the project and serves as a constant reminder to students that the work they are doing really matters. It matters to them and to the people who are waiting to hear their findings, test their products, or learn more from them. Removing an authentic audience from PBL cripples this instructional approach and leaves it as a shell of what it is intended to be.

References

Bell, S. (2010). Project Based Learning for the 21st Century: Skills for the Future. Clearing House. 83(2), 39. doi:10.1080/00098650903505415

Boaler, J. (1999). Mathematics for the moment, or the millennium? Education Week. 17(29): 30–34.

PBL Effectiveness in Diverse Classrooms

In an article posted in the Journal for Special Education Technology, the authors highlight a study they conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of technology assisted Project Based Learning on the growth of historical thinking of a diverse group of eighth grade students (De La Paz & Hernandez-Ramos, 2013). The classroom that was chosen for the study included gender, socio-economic, and cultural diversity. The class also contained learners with and without disabilities. According to La Paz and Hernandez-Ramos (2013), the authors "wished to determine whether this form of instruction could have a positive effect on students’ ability to engage in contextualized thinking, a particular facet of historical reasoning that reflects students’ understanding of how historical events are situated within a particular time period and place" (p. 3).

For the project, the students were divided into groups and assigned a regional area to study relating to the topic of westward expansion. Parts of the project included learning how to locate and evaluate sources as well as writing first person journal entries. The project culminated in the creation of a multimedia presentation from each group. The students were tested on content from their group as well as content from other group presentations. Assessment included a standards-based multiple choice test as well as grading of the journal entries and multimedia presentations. The students were also interviewed in order to determine improvement in their historical thinking skills.

The results of the assessments proved the PBL unit to be successful. In particular, the gap was narrowed between learners with and without learning disabilities. The authors believed their results to be so positive because the students were given the opportunity to work in a less traditional learning environment (La Paz & Hernandez-Ramos, 2013, p. 11). Students showed great improvement in understanding historical concepts in terms of context.

In reflecting on this article, I am excited about the prospects of applying the instructional method. I think PBL would fit well with the hands-on approach that I like to take with learning. I enjoy allowing students to learn on their own and from each other. I have already started to think about a project that I would like to create for this class. I would like to create a unit that facilitates the creation of a student-led radio program that highlights school news and events. This radio station would be broadcast for parents to hear as they pick up and drop off their children at school.

Work Cited

De La Paz, S., & Hernández-Ramos, P. (2013). Technology-Enhanced Project-Based Learning:           Effects on Historical Thinking. Journal Of Special Education Technology, 28(4), 1-14.