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

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You sat in class, memorized as much as you
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 
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 
improvement or planning a wedding,

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we need to actively solve problems.

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But unfortunately, schoolwork looks more 
like this than this.

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

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Meet Claire.

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She was recently presented 
with a challenge.

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

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earth-friendly way to produce it in 
the future.

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Her boss gave her a budget and a few 
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 
researched the options and created

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materials summarizing the issues.

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

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

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If you look closely, Claire's success 
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 
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 
or PBL.

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

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deepens their knowledge and builds skills 
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
teacher and his students do well on

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Friday's tests.

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Unfortunately, what they learned is 
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 
Learning and decided to give it a shot.

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

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half of his students were suddenly absent 
with the flu.

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He asked his students why they thought so 
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 
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 
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,
he got them started on the project.

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It was up to the students to ask 
questions, research, collaborate,

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give each other feedback and figure out 
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 
video on the connection between

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hand-washing and avoiding 
the flu.

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Another chose to create posters to 
show how viruses spread.

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

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parents and their children at a nearby 
elementary school.

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Sitting in the front row was our good 
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 
success for the students,

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the audience, and Mr. Simmons.

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His students practiced critical thinking,
collaboration and communication.

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The project wasn't about memorization, 
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,
Claire introduced herself to the students

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and told them that they were rock stars
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 
Learning, go to BIE.org.