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Narrator: You remember what it was like [br]in school. It was boring!

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You sat in class, memorized as much as you[br]could and tried to pass the test at

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the end.

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But is that good enough?

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These days school can be more [br]interesting and effective.

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By focusing students on work that matters.

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This is Project Based Learning Explained.

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Most adults live in a world of projects.

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Whether it's a job assignment, home [br]improvement or planning a wedding,

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we need to actively solve problems.

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But unfortunately, schoolwork looks more [br]like this than this.

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Let's take a look at this [br]Project Based World.

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Meet Claire.

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She was recently presented [br]with a challenge.

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Her company, Super Suds, makes soap and it[br]was up to her to find the most

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earth-friendly way to produce it in [br]the future.

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Her boss gave her a budget and a few [br]requirements- and it was up to her to

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come up with a solution.

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She organized and managed a team who [br]researched the options and created

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materials summarizing the issues.

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Claire's team asked for feedback and [br]presented their findings to the boss.

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Claire came out of the project looking [br]like a rock star--and she learned a lot

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If you look closely, Claire's success [br]involved critical thinking,

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about green products.

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collaboration, and communication.

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Things than aren't often taught in [br]traditional classrooms.

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The world needs more Claires.

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So how do we get them?

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The answer is Project Based Learning [br]or PBL.

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By focusing students on a project,[br]teachers put them on a path that

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deepens their knowledge and builds skills [br]they'll need in the future.

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Here's what I mean.

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Mr. Simmons has always been a good science[br]teacher and his students do well on

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Friday's tests.

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Unfortunately, what they learned is [br]gone by Saturday morning.

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That wasn't good enough for him.

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Soon he learned about Project Based [br]Learning and decided to give it a shot.

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Mr. Simmons got the idea for his first [br]project, on microorganisms, when nearly

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half of his students were suddenly absent [br]with the flu.

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He asked his students why they thought so [br]many of their classmates got sick at the

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same time.

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That lively discussion produced a lot of [br]good questions and a list of things that

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kids wanted to know.

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Mr. Simmons then announced their project [br]was to help elementary school kids

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understand, how can we do not get sick?

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After dividing the class into teams,[br]he got them started on the project.

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It was up to the students to ask [br]questions, research, collaborate,

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give each other feedback and figure out [br]the best ways to make their points clear

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to children.

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One team chose to make an educational [br]video on the connection between

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hand-washing and avoiding [br]the flu.

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Another chose to create posters to [br]show how viruses spread.

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The project teams showed off their final [br]work to an enthusiastic audience of

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parents and their children at a nearby [br]elementary school.

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Sitting in the front row was our good [br]friend and local rock star Claire, who

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saw a bit of herself in the students.

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It was clear that the project was a [br]success for the students,

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the audience, and Mr. Simmons.

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His students practiced critical thinking,[br]collaboration and communication.

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The project wasn't about memorization, [br]but learning in-depth about viruses

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and how to prevent spreading disease.

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A lesson they will never forget.

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At the end of the presentation,[br]Claire introduced herself to the students

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and told them that they were rock stars[br]and that the world needs more people who

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can think like them.

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To learn more about Project Based [br]Learning, go to BIE.org.