Week 4, Blog 1 - Project Based Learning

The article is from the following link: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/debunking-five-pbl-myths-john-larmer

John Larmer’s “Debunking Five Myths About Project-Based Learning” discusses five fallacies that people often have regarding Project Based Learning (PBL).  The first myth that teachers / parents have  is that PBL is specifically hands-on and that students will make something.  He points out that if students simply make something (a mural, a building, etc.) that that really is not PBL because they are just making an “artifact” and that the activity does not necessarily align with standards / critical thinking.  The activities that PBL includes must have students focusing on a specific question aligned with standards and focused with rigor.  Further, artifacts do not have to be made.  Instead, students in math class can answer very difficult problems and then give oral presentations on how to solve those problems.  This would be an example of a good PBL. 

The first myth that he debunks is very interesting.  Just because students make something and that something is “hands on” does not mean that it is challenging and rigorous.  As teachers, we must make sure that when we create a PBL task, we design the project so that it is challenging, it meets with the standards, and that it forces the students to think critically.  Otherwise, it is a waste of valuable educational time.

Another misconception that he debunks is that it takes too much time.  He notes that PBL is very valuable and necessary in the classroom and therefore it is using the educational time the right way.  Further, he points out that PBL does not have to take all semester, but instead can take a couple of weeks.  He goes on to say that some teachers may worry about going into PBL because they are not used to it.  He suggests that teachers should collaborate with other teachers to design an effective PBL task. He also states that it is crucial that teachers, if they are thinking about doing a PBL, that they should do it.  The more a teacher does PBL tasks, the better the teacher becomes.  Another point that he suggests in his article is that teachers should have checkpoints for students in order to guide them along in the task so that they are on target with the assignment.

The above suggestions that he offers make good sense.  If teachers are unsure of it, they need to strategically plan (and possibly work with another teacher) in order to have the best PBL task possible.  The PBL tasks do not have to take all semester, but instead can take a couple of weeks.  Some may think that this is preventing the teacher from covering all of the standards and content.  However, this is a valuable task in which students are having to do major critical thinking and thus the time allotted for it is very valuable. 

PBL is very important to have in the classroom.  Teachers have to design PBL tasks in which students are challenged with difficult tasks forcing them to critically think about content.  This will provide them with the problem-solving and real-world skills that they will need as they move on into the future.  The one suggestion that I have for this article is that Larmer should have provided some examples of PBLs that he has done in the classroom.  That would provide further insight into the topic and would further help debunk the myths that he had written about.

Larmer, John.  “Debunking Five Myths About Project-Based Learning.”  1 July 2011.  Web.  Edutopia.  14 July 2011.  <http://www.edutopia.org/blog/debunking-five-pbl-myths-john-larmer>.