Project-Based Learning

How to Get Your Students Involved in Project-Based Learning

Looking for the perfect activity to build initiative within your students? Looking for activities that will foster cooperation and aid in completing projects? Looking for a resource that will provide a cooperative framework for the student to do problem solving in the classroom? Look no further. Project-based learning is truly the solution.

How can project-based learning solve your classroom problems by creating learning experiences for your adult students? Is it the key to achieving success for your adult students? Through project-based learning, an instructor can provide an environment conducive to learning for adults by involving the class in interesting, challenging, and meaningful learning activities. This concept works well in the GED, ESL, ASE, or ABE class- room.

The key to lesson planning and classroom organization for adult learners is for the instructor to facilitate learning by involving adults in the learning process. The true key to their learning and achieving is through specific and meaningful life goals. It is through project-based learning that this can be achieved. Textbooks, computer programs, and working alone without interaction with other students won't achieve this. We all know that true learning will only come when cognitive skills are incorporated into the students' own personal daily life activities. It is then that their success will become viable and truly meaningful.

One of the outcomes that project-based learning will provide is having the instructor and students actually teach one another, rather than having the instructor lecture to the class. Each person in the class brings knowledge to the classroom. Students have probably had many life experiences the instructor has not had and vice versa. Lessons can be applied to life situations, such as planning a well-balanced meal, learning how to balance a checkbook, planning a family reunion, or learning how to find information in the library. Students have many answers themselves. The instructor's role is to facilitate students as they uncover the rest of the answers. Students can immediately apply their learning to real life situations they face daily. With project-based learning, there is a more comfortable atmosphere in which the classroom where the instructor and students are one in learning. Yes, there are many benefits in what has been coined an "engaged" learning environment.

So you are asking yourself, "How do I get started? What are my first steps? Will this take forever?" It is a very practical and rewarding task to start using project-based learning concepts in the classroom. First of all, you do not have to tell the class that you are going to do a project-based activity. Here are a couple of examples of ways you might consider getting started.

Creating Posters and Flyers
You might say, "Class, there are many people coming to enroll in our class and they have many questions about what we do here. I thought that perhaps we might make some flyers and give out some information on what goes on in our class." This will start everyone thinking. This sparks some individuals who perhaps like to draw to volunteer to draw pictures for posters. There might be others in the class who have colored markers and state that they would bring them to class to use in drawing the pictures. As they begin to talk among them- selves, they could start a list of all the different subjects and content areas they had studied or would like to study. I would let them brain- storm every content area and come up with as many items as they want to list. After about 20 minutes, they will probably have a list that is monumental. Next, they could decide how many posters they want and write letters requesting permission to put the posters up in the community. Some of the students in class might suggest designing flyers and a class logo. The class may surprise you with their creativity. This project will help develop organizational skills, cooperative learning, planning, art designing, typing skills, public relations and marketing skills, and a host of other workforce and life skills.

Creating a Recipe Book
Another approach might be to ask the students how their class could be more exciting, especially on a cold winter afternoon. You could even spark the conversation about having something nice and hot to drink. Hot chocolate might become the topic! One instructor reported that her students decided to share recipes on how to make the best hot chocolate. As they were verbally sharing these recipes, the teacher suggested a recipe book and the project took flight. Pictures of cups of hot chocolate were drawn and designed for each recipe. Dictionary skills were used in making sure all words were spelled correctly. Lessons in math were created since fractions were needed to make sure the recipes were written correctly. Then, the actual recipes were written, peer edited, and revised to be included in the recipe booklet designed by the students. At the end of this project, the students gave a demonstration which encompassed oral communication skills, organizational skills, planning, math, writing, and designing. These skills are needed not only in day to day living, but are also useful skills that will be marketable in the workforce.

Creating a Class Newsletter
Another example of a good project-based activity is working on our class newsletter. It is through this project that students learned marketable skills needed in the workforce and in real life situations. The students had to work as a group and decide what jobs were needed, who would have those jobs and why. Students had to "apply" for the positions and had to be interviewed by the company president - me. They also decided what equipment and supplies were needed and how often the newsletter would go out. Students are continually joining the class as others are graduating. With students coming and going, the newsletter still has to go out, just as work still has to be maintained in the workforce with people retiring, quitting, and some just out sick or out on vacation. The job has to go on. The students realized they had to also learn other tasks to keep the newsletter going out on time. I found this project to be a wonderful activity that teaches not only workforce skills, but also lends itself well to managing and organizing personal day to day activities. This activity calls for teamwork, meeting deadlines, organizational skills, and communication skills.

So, you are looking for the perfect activity to build initiative in your students? Looking for activities that will foster cooperation and aid in completing projects? Looking for a resource that will provide a cooperative framework for the student to do problem solving? As you can see, you need to look no further. Project-based learning is truly the solution. Get your students totally involved with their learning, and you will be surprised and delighted at how rewarding and fulfilling project- based learning will be, not only for the students, but also for you, the instructor.

Vonnye Rice-Gardner is an instructor with the Austin Community College in Austin, where she teaches Reading and ABE classes. She is a fourth generation teacher in her family, and started her teaching career in 1967. She taught on the elementary level with Austin ISD and ABE classes with Austin ISD Community Schools. She was an executive director for a nationwide learning system, where she taught adults in the workplace. Vonnye received her B.A. in education from Huston-Tillotson College, and her M.Ed. Adm. from Southwest Texas State University. Her current projects include organizing a pictorial history of her father, who was a principal in Austin, and writing a study guide for ESL students.