Examples of PBL in the classroom from Edutopia

The three examples of project based learning helped me visualize and comprehend the entirety of this type of teaching. These projects included students studying butterfly migration, worms and their habitat, and geometry concepts to create architecture. To make project based learning different from the typical delivery of instruction there are a few changes to the circumstances of learning. One circumstance of the projects involves learning at the time of the event, like the study of Monarchs, for example. The students are not reading about the migrations in a textbook or watching a video online after the migration, but rather are learning about butterflies and migration deep in the moment. Their learning is embedded in what is actually happening at that moment in time. In this way, a teacher must be flexible since the start and end of this kind of project varies each year. It also seems the circumstance of the learning also takes place under guided direction of masters in a particular field. A lot of the learning is taking place not only from inquiry but from outside resources who know more about the topic then the teacher. In the Edutopia article, "More fun then a barrel of...worms?" according to Curtis (2001), "students take field trips to further their knowledge deeper". Thus, the circumstance of learning isn't always the classroom but also outside the walls of school where students are immersed in their topic of learning.

I also concluded the design of project based learning involves the teacher as a learner as well as the student as a learner. In the 2001 Edutopia article, "From Worms to Wall Street: Projects Prompt Active, Authentic Learning," one of the teachers named Patty Vreeland says, "They know that they don't have all the answers, and it's okay. They also know that Miss V doesn’t have all the answers, and it doesn't bother her a bit. And so we sit back and we go, "Okay, well who can we call, who can we ask?" (Curtis). Thus the students becomes the investigator and the teacher facilitates the learning process. It does not include the teacher at the front of the room spewing information at the students as the master of all knowledge. This is not to say that standards aren't being met. In the "More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?!" article states, "Careful planning ensures that the students meet state academic standards" (Curtis, 2001). Students seem to manufacture the path of learning while the teacher guides students to ensure standards are being met.

In these units students are experiencing the learning; they aren't passively sitting by absorbing the information but instead are active in the experience. These units of study are authentic and relate to students' lives, such as the migration of butterflies in the article "March or the Monarchs: Students follow the butterflies migration". As I learned in my Cognition and Technology class, if the learning is relevant to the student, they will transfer their knowledge to long-term memory and be more interested in the content. 

In the 2002 Edutopia article, "Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning," students must decide on what is expected of themselves and of their classmates or, in other words, are creating their own meeting norms (Armstrong). This helps increase learning because students are holding themselves and others accountable. Lastly, student engagement is also high because the final product is viewed by people outside the classroom walls. Students are expected to know their content and be able to successfully and professionally present their work. In the same geometry article, for example, students not only receive advise from expert architects during the project  planning but are also judged by them, "They identify the projects' strengths based on concept, site planning, educational vision, technology use, environmental impact, and teamwork during the presentation" (Armstrong, 2002). In Curtis' 2001 article she states how students present their findings to parents during a learning night. There is a lot of accountability to be had when students know the product of their work will be judged by family members. Lastly, students are also engaged in project based learning learning because there is an abundance of technology use. Not only is technology used but used with a purpose - to engage and enhance the learning process.


Armstrong, S. (2002, February 11). Geometry students angle into architect through project learning. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects

Curtis, D. (2001, October 1). More fun than a barrel of...Worms?! Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

Curtis, D. (2002, June 6). March of the monarchs: Students follow the butterflies' migration. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

Edutopia (2001). From worms to Wall Street: Projects prompt active, authentic learning. Edutopia. [Transcript]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/newsome-park-elementary-project-learning-video