Project-Based Learning Integration with Teachers Immersed in a Professional Development Initiative

Introduction

Teacher professional development in project-based learning advanced service to the profession by creating effective and scalable teacher supports, resources, and tools while cultivating and improving knowledge, leadership, and accountability with other educational professionals. Through a state grant initiative for project-based learning, the University faculty were able to provide twenty mathematics, science, and special education teachers with five to ten years of teaching experience with tuition-free graduate course credits. The overall goal was to expand the professional skill set designed to teach how to effectively incorporate project-based learning into a classroom setting, giving schools, districts and students the competitive edge.

The professional development learning community included University faculty, University librarians, and teachers of mathematics, science, and special education. The expansion of the professional development learning community was imperative to successful planning and implementation of project-based learning. The purpose of this study was to insure that teachers, through a professional development initiative, gained knowledge about:

• 1.

  The project-based learning process,

• 2.

  Investigate, select resources, develop assessments, and experience teaching with project-based learning and differentiation, and then,

• 3.

  Design, implement, and assess project-based learning in the classroom to increase student learning within a professional development learning community.

A sequence of three courses was offered to prepare the mathematics, science, and special education teachers in grades four to eight to implement project-based learning. The introductory online course investigated the components of an exemplary project-based learning experience, finding resources, and planning and a tentative project-based learning experience to be implemented. The second course was a week-long, face-to-face summer seminar, where teachers created a driving question, collaborated, and formalized the project to be implemented. The third course focused on the theory and philosophies of Project-Based Learning, observation of the implementation of a project within the teacher participant’s classrooms, and reflection and analysis by the classroom teacher on student achievement. The teachers had the opportunity to earn a total of seven semester-hours of graduate credit for completing the program that could be applied to license renewal and to a Master’s degree.

Background

Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional model based on having students confront real-world issues and problems that they find meaningful, determine how to address them, and then act in a collaborative fashion to create solutions to problems (Barell, 2010). Herron, Magomo, and Gossard (2008) maintained that project-based learning can be defined as an individual or group activity that proceeds over a period of time, resulting in a product, presentation, or performance. Newell (2003) described PBL as emphasizing depth over understanding. Bender (2012) indicated two advantages of Project-based learning that stand out prominently in research:

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  Project-based learning increases students’ motivation and interest in completing the work required.

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  Given this increased engagement with learning and content, research has shown that student achievement increases in Project-based learning.