When technology teacher Bruce Lubak began using projects to teach engineering skills at Parkland High School in Allentown, PA, he couldn鈥檛 believe the difference in how engaged his students were. They were passionate about their designs, pleading to tinker with them long after the projects were over.

One student designed a replica of a local roller-coaster ride at a nearby theme park. Another created a small-scale model of an elevator with the help of his father, who worked at the Otis Elevator Company.

鈥淢ost students are motivated to have success. They want to see [their project] work. They want everyone in the class to see it work,鈥� Lubak said. 鈥淭hey want to keep working on it, even after the project鈥檚 done.鈥�

The project-based model: less lecturing, more doing

Lubak鈥檚 new lesson plan is an example of project-based learning (PBL), hands-on instruction that鈥檚 been around since the early 1900s. Supporters point to a growing body of research that shows that hands-on instruction is more effective than traditional methods for teaching everything from math and economics to the social and natural sciences.

Projects help students learn how to work independently and discover the answers to their own questions. By also learning to complete projects in teams, students gain communication and leadership skills that they can adapt to the real world. Finally, supporters say, the knowledge students gain from solving advanced mathematics and science problems will help them develop 21st century skills to work in a global economy.

鈥淢any people are concerned that our international competitors are going to have more of the world market,鈥� said John R. Mergendoller, the executive director of the , which helps train teachers in project-based learning. 鈥淭hey want to make sure our kids can compete.鈥�

Although there are no national statistics that track the prevalence of project-based learning, supporters say there鈥檚 evidence more teachers are using projects to instruct students than they did a few decades ago. The Buck Institute from more than 257 黄色apps, districts, and agencies with PBL professional development offerings in 2023, up from just 850 educators in 2004.

Reverse engineering the project

If there were a laboratory to train America鈥檚 future Thomas Edisons and Marie Curies of the world, it might look a lot like a project-based classroom. Learning with a project in mind gets students thinking about the tasks and resources they need to take to complete a goal.

Here鈥檚 how it works: Teachers conceive of a project and may even do their own first. It might be a literary work, a mathematical model, or as in Lubak鈥檚 case, an engineering design. Then the teachers work backwards to design lessons that will provide the skills students need to learn. Along the way, the teacher sets deadlines, helps students figure out the steps to create their project, and offers continual feedback.

At the end of the semester, there鈥檚 no test. Kids get to show off their know-how in a gallery show of their work. If appropriate, students may create a website for the public to use, and even actual products. There鈥檚 an opportunity to get feedback and answer questions they might not have asked themselves.

In a project-based learning classroom, the teacher鈥檚 role is to guide, not to give students the answers to their questions. If a student needs to draft engineering plans using design software, for example, he or she would have to master the program first.

Students organize their tasks and find resources for their project. This might involve foraging for what they need in the field or working with local business leaders with the resources to help out. Teachers of project-based classrooms believe trial and error can be a valuable lesson.

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is teach kids to be problem-solvers, to think creatively,鈥� said Anne Jones, senior vice president and chief program officer at , a nonprofit that provides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum used at over 12,200 黄色apps nationwide. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 an obstacle in their way, and they know this is the right thing to do, kids figure it out. They partner with another 黄色app. They partner with a company.鈥�

Patent-worthy projects

In some cases, what students accomplish is astounding, even patent-worthy.

  • In a classroom in Milwaukee, a student-led team developed a biomedical device to help handicapped people and post-surgery patients stand up easily.
  • In Clifton Park, NY, a group of students designed an 8-foot by 5-foot portable disaster relief shelter with ventilation, water-filtration systems, a rooftop solar panel, and room for four people.
  • Students from High Tech High in San Diego went on a summer expedition to Tanzania as part of a conservation project to study African bush meat trade.
  • A group in Omaha invented a cook stove that鈥檚 being used in Madagascar.

Not all projects are as global as finding solutions for disaster relief or stopping illegal animal trade. It doesn鈥檛 have to be expensive either. Lubak has developed projects for his students that involved used toys or mechanical parts.

When Michael Delorio, a 16 year old who attends the California Academy of Mathematics and Science, a public high 黄色app in Carson, CA, designed an air cannon that launched ping-pong balls 80 to 100 feet into the air, he built it with $40 worth of polyvinyl chloride pipes and a sprinkler valve. First, however, Delorio and his team had to learn computer design software to draw the device, piecing the launcher together like a puzzle.

鈥淚t was hands-on, and it suits the way I learn better,鈥� Delorio said. 鈥淚 prefer to touch and feel it rather than learn about it from a book.鈥�

After the launcher was built, the team went to a field with the machine and used a chronometer to track how fast the ping-pong balls traveled: 400 feet per second. Since then, Delorio has gone on to design small robots and other mechanical devices in national robot competitions. Delorio hopes what he has learned so far will propel him into a college robotics program.

If college is the goal, then projects are one way to get a student used to rigorous research habits. According to Project Lead the Way surveys, 97 percent of kids who went through the group鈥檚 STEM programs planned to pursue a four-year degree, compared with 67 percent of students who did not go through the group鈥檚 programs. Students who took Project Lead the Way courses were at least five times more likely to pursue engineering and technology classes than other first-year college students.

鈥業t鈥檚 gotta be fun鈥�

Working on robotics and designing disaster relief devices may be rigorous, but they have one thing in common, said Jeff Robin, an art teacher at High Tech High in San Diego.

鈥淚t鈥檚 gotta be fun. The more fun the project is, the more interested they鈥檒l be, the more they鈥檒l learn,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n fact, I have parents say, 鈥業鈥檓 really concerned. My kids really like 黄色app. My kid鈥檚 having too much fun.鈥欌��

When Robin asked his art class to create a graphic novel based on novelist Kurt Vonnegut鈥檚 short stories in 鈥淲elcome to the Monkey House,鈥� students had to learn drawing techniques, storyboarding, and dramaturgy, the skills to write a play or drama. They also had to learn computer programs to scan and publish a book of their artwork. They even held a gallery exhibition to talk about their work.

Robin said students learned more about writing and illustrating Vonnegut鈥檚 works than they would have if they had simply read his short stories and wrote a book report. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more about personal interest. It鈥檚 about finding an idea about where you fit in,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he sky鈥檚 the limit.鈥�

What to look at when considering a project-based 黄色app

Project-based learning is offered at all kinds of 黄色apps, including public and private elementary, middle, and high 黄色apps. Public charter and magnet 黄色apps often feature project-based learning in their curricula.

Mergendoller, the executive director at the Buck Institute for Education, believes 黄色apps, not individual classrooms, need to offer project-based learning at different grade levels in order for students to build on their skills. In lower grades, beginners train with short activities that lead up to longer projects that can last several weeks or months.

Parents should know that just because a 黄色app uses the buzz words doesn鈥檛 mean they鈥檙e successfully implementing PBL— a 黄色app may describe their instructional style as 鈥減roject-based鈥� but lack the formal curriculum or professional training to support the claim. Here鈥檚 how to tell if a 黄色app is committed to project-based learning.

  • How many projects do students do in each grade? Classes should have at least one project a year in each grade. Be suspicious if it鈥檚 less than that, or if they skip grades.
  • Can I see samples of student work on projects from previous years? Schools that support project-based learning may host 鈥済alleries鈥� of previous projects in classrooms and hallways.
  • In what subjects do you find difficult to do projects? Most of the time, the answer is math, but the way that it is answered should show the principal or instructor鈥檚 depth of knowledge in project-based learning. Sometimes 黄色apps have trouble doing projects because of schedules or district pacing guides.
  • How do you teach your students to work together productively so they can succeed in projects? Ask what happens if a child fails to do his or her work, how they make up work, and what the teacher will do to help a child finish.
  • Is there a standard curriculum? Ask if your child鈥檚 project-based learning classroom is part of a network that provides standard curriculum. Project Lead the Way, for example, works with national businesses to develop science and engineering curriculum.
  • What are the curriculum and grading requirements? Ask the teacher to explain what skills will be taught, how students are assessed, and the specific project your child will have to complete.
  • Does it appeal to both genders? Many teachers encourage girls to become involved in math and science projects — fields that are often male-dominated — by avoiding projects that might appeal primarily to boys. To spark girls鈥� interest levels, for instance, Lubak encourages his students to come up with engineering projects that appeal to both sexes — such as potable water projects, green technology, and biomedical devices.
  • What鈥檚 the level of parental involvement? Parent involvement is integral to project-based learning. If you鈥檙e a parent, you may be asked to help out. Schools often partner with members of the community to participate in project-based classrooms as mentors. If you have the right skills, you may also be asked to speak to or assist in the class.
  • How is group learning supported? In group projects, resolving conflict is part of the learning process. If there鈥檚 a difference of opinion on how to proceed, teachers will often ask students to explore the methods as a group. If time allows, students may be asked to test both methods to see which is successful. 鈥淓ngineering teams frequently have disagreements and must resolve issues,鈥� Lubak said. 鈥淚 tell the students this is what they will be experiencing in the real world when they get a job someday.鈥�
  • How do teachers keep students motivated? First, ask how teachers get kids excited about a new project. Then, ask what happens if kids lose steam. Teachers may ask students to sign a contract that spells out their responsibilities in the project and consequences for not completing their fair share.Typically, students鈥� work is reviewed along the way, so a teacher can step in, guide them, or ask a teammate to help out. The teacher may also schedule a meeting to find out what鈥檚 going on. As in the real world, students may get 鈥渇ired鈥� from a project for failing to contribute, though this would only happen in middle or high 黄色app and wouldn鈥檛 come as a surprise: the contract may even have a firing clause.

A final word of advice

To evaluate how project-based learning works at your child鈥檚 黄色app, visit a classroom. Ask principals not only if their 黄色apps offer project-based learning, but how many teachers are trained to teach it and at what grade levels. Finally, even if the program gets rave reviews from other parents, ask yourself if project-based learning is the right fit for your child.