Project Based Learning: Explained.

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

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

the end.

But is that good enough?

These days school can be more
interesting and effective.

By focusing students on work that matters.

This is Project Based Learning Explained.

Most adults live in a world of projects.

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

we need to actively solve problems.

But unfortunately, schoolwork looks more
like this than this.

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

Meet Claire.

She was recently presented
with a challenge.

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

earth-friendly way to produce it in
the future.

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

come up with a solution.

She organized and managed a team who
researched the options and created

materials summarizing the issues.

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

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

about green products.

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

collaboration, and communication.

Things than aren't often taught in
traditional classrooms.

The world needs more Claires.

So how do we get them?

The answer is Project Based Learning
or PBL.

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

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

Here's what I mean.

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

Friday's tests.

Unfortunately, what they learned is
gone by Saturday morning.

That wasn't good enough for him.

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

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

half of his students were suddenly absent
with the flu.

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

same time.

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

kids wanted to know.

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

understand, how can we do not get sick?

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

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

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

to children.

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

hand-washing and avoiding
the flu.

Another chose to create posters to
show how viruses spread.

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

parents and their children at a nearby
elementary school.

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

saw a bit of herself in the students.

It was clear that the project was a
success for the students,

the audience, and Mr. Simmons.

His students practiced critical thinking,
collaboration and communication.

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

and how to prevent spreading disease.

A lesson they will never forget.

At the end of the presentation,
Claire introduced herself to the students

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

can think like them.

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