With technology and other reasons that are driving the need for change in education, it is no longer a trend to learn subject or to master skills only by reading and writing.
No doubt, these two are very basic skills but since the requirement in the workforce is of 21st century skills like critical thinking, teamwork, communication, quick decision making, they play an important role too. And here comes the need for practices such as project based learning.
Project based learning is a vibrant methodology in which students discover the real-life challenges and problems, and acquire skills to handle them. Project based learning is fill with engaging and creative activities, hence help student to get deeper knowledge. So, if you are a teacher and thinking to start project based learning then here are some useful tips for you. Take a look at these dos and don’ts to get the best out of your students.
Dos
Make Things Real
Issues related to real-world actually interest students, they are more keen to learn about real things. So always motivate your students to use those tools that are used by the experts face real world challenges and problems.
Give Space for Improvement
However, every project has beginning and ending point. Give your students sometime in the middle of the project to improve their work. Engage them in interactive feedback, so that they can review their own work. Help them to learn from setback; it enhances their confidence.
Reprocess Ideas
Keep accommodating ideas to your students time to time. You can take help from project based learning libraries, forums, blogs and other online platform to get the latest idea. Customized these readymade ideas based on the on-going project and convey to your students in an effective and easy way.
Highlight Team not Groups
Team work and collaboration is actually is very crucial to reach the goal. Always emphasis team not groups to make understand about the relevance of working as a team. Teach them how to be accountable to their team and how to take join decision in team. Give them real life examples how an effective team can accomplish project easily.
Always Share Result
Students always get excited when they know that their project will be judged by the actual audience. Project exhibition is the best way to showcase parents and other people accomplishments of student. It builds confidence in the students.
Don’ts
Do Not Leave the Basics of Teachings
Teaching methods will change when you shift conventional learning from project based learning. Do not start from the scratch but try to include some practices in your project. For instance- In place of giving long lectures, address the small group of students explain the key points of the project. Like this way, you can incorporate some of the traditional ways in the project based learning.
Never Make Project Afterthought
In some of the educational intuitions, projects are the main part of curriculum. Otherwise students take it as fun. Project based learning must not be taken as fun by the students; else there will be no learning.
Never Forget to Reflect
Sit with the students and ask them about the difficulties and challenges they faced while working on the projects. You can use various platform online or offline to communicate with your students. At the end of the project, after their presentation, brief them about the key point of the projects and give them tips for the next project.
Don’t Get Stuck But Explore
Do not just get stuck only between your students and you. Explore the project in between your colleagues and get new ideas and feedback from them. Also invite experts and ask them to offer their valuable advice to your students to make project successful.
Adopting project based learning in your school is the best way to deliver education with technology effectively.
Project based learning makes education interesting and full of fun. Student’s knowledge becomes more relevant when they apply it to the real situation. It is the most purposeful way of engaging students into complex ideas, challenges and curriculum. With the advancement in the technology, project based learning has become more easy. Gadgets like iPad, iPod and of course the web is playing crucial role in educating students in the most effective way.
