Additional project-based learning articles:
The greatest resource in our classrooms
is not Internet-enabled devices, hands-on
products, or even our knowledgeable teachers.
Rather, it is the students themselves – their
own energy, curiosity, and creativity. Classroom
approaches that can tap into these receive a
turbocharge in engagement and effectiveness.
One approach gaining attention, especially
among our nation’s STEM-savvy educators,
is project-based learning (PBL). PBL requires
students to cooperate to create a product of
their own design as part of a project that is
the core of an activity or unit. For this reason,
it is tuned to the human instincts to socialize,
explore, and create.
But just because PBL is keenly suited to our
human nature doesn’t mean the knowledge
needed to implement this strategy comes
naturally. To help our readers along the learning
curve, we reached out to José Garcia, STEM
director of North Carolina’s Greene County School District, for a real look at PBL in action.
Under Garcia’s STEM stewardship, Greene
County has become a true hot spot for PBL
knowledge and innovation. Greene County uses
a framework of Grand Challenges that literally
crosses the curriculum; PBL is an inherent part
of these Grand Challenges. Students, in some
cases from separate classes in complementary
subject areas, form teams of no more than eight
students to collaborate on the creation of a
prototype product. The prompts, or challenges,
relate to real-world problems and include
cultural connections that span the globe. The
summation comes when students present their
product to their peers.
“I’ve learned over the years that with PBL
you apply a process,” said Garcia, explaining
that this process could unfold in different
ways but that it must end with the creation
of a product. Other necessary aspects in the
process include data collection, collaboration,
STEM-connection, and media literacy. “But
there’s also a deeper component with PBL,”
he added, “where you are taking the skills
and the STEM elements and applying it to a
real-world situation.”
So, what does a PBL Grand Challenge look
like in Greene County?
西川女优,玩弄老师PATHWAY TO A FINAL PRODUCT
Last fall at the high school, two classes
that would normally work in silos – STEM Art
and STEM-Honors Sustainability – combined
at intervals to form student teams. Teams
were challenged with designing a new
monument for a country of their choice. But
there was a twist: the monument had to
generate and store electricity. Art students
dove into researching the architecture and
culture of the country. The sustainability class
considered the technical aspects of power
generation and storage.
After discussion and brainstorming, each
student created their own blueprint. Elements
from each were used to create the teams’ final
blueprints. Finally, it was time to create the
prototype products. From wheels to gears to
motors to solar panels, Greene County makes
use of many Pitsco components as useful
resources for students during the construction
process. Such a library of STEM pieces is a
great fit for the open-ended nature of the
Grand Challenges. (Garcia stated that he also
uses Pitsco kits to help ease new teachers into
the PBL process.)
The final products were awesome. One
team, having discovered the Japanese
culture’s affinity for nature and landscaping,
created pinwheels that could blend in with
native trees in a pleasing and harmonious
way. The pinwheels were windmills that
captured and stored wind power. Another
team found a different way to generate
electricity from wind. Discovering the role
domes play in the architecture of India’s
palaces, the team’s prototype palace was
capped with a standard rounded ventilator
that doubled as a wind turbine.
PBL UNITES GREENE COUNTY SCHOOLS
And, of course, as a capstone, the students
present their products to their peers.
Presenting is not actually an indispensable
part of the process as Garcia defines it, but it
is one he believes is valuable nonetheless.
Not only do students present for their
grade peers, they also present for students
in lower grades. High school students present
to middle schoolers and to elementary
classes. Consequently, before middle
schoolers ever began their own Grand
Challenges, polished finished products had
already been modeled for them.
“It really helps speed up the quality of the
projects,” said Garcia. “When I first did this with
the middle school, we didn’t tell the students
they had to dress up or that they had to use
a trifold. . . . But by bringing the high school
students down, the students started dressing
up, being more professional. They implemented
some of the same pieces they saw the high
school students do.”
The hope is that the same effect will
happen when the elementary students
begin their project-based learning Junior Challenges, having witnessed presentations
from middle schoolers and high schoolers.
POWERFUL DEVELOPMENTS
Positive changes have also been registered
in the lives and demeanors of many individual
students as well. Asked if the Grand Challenges
help bring students out of their shell, Garcia
was emphatic. “Definitely! We survey students
after each semester. In those surveys, students
talk about how the projects have helped them
with different skills from presenting to paying
attention to self-esteem.” He noted that parents
have echoed these remarks.
A tool that has proven very beneficial for
student development is the use of rubrics.
“Having customized rubrics gives students
an idea of what to work on to develop over
time.” Garcia noted that he would like to
eventually push this down to the kindergarten
level, reasoning that 12 years of individualized
assessment will yield spectacular results in high
school graduates.
Every STEM director loves to see their
work bringing student transformations. And
Garcia, being 18 years in the district, is no
exception. “For me, it is nice to see this culture
shift happen that is inclusive of all students.
Students are innovating and collaborating and
are eager to share what they’ve built. Every
student has a chance to engage and participate
in STEM education with the focus on project-based
learning that we have in the district.”
True PBL pro
José Garcia began his teaching career in Greene County
School District in North Carolina 18 years ago. Over that
span, he has taught science and/or technology in every
grade from 6-12. Now, serving as STEM director for the
district, he oversees a multifaceted program that includes
a STEM lab with Pitsco Modules at the middle school
level, a robotics program featuring TETRIX® (and even a
mechanized Mr. Robot that students can interact with), a
STEM ambassador program that connects students to the
community, and, of course, a far-reaching project-based
learning emphasis.
Garcia’s PBL exploration began when he was a teacher. He
said he believed in the process and soon took note that test
scores seemed to benefit as well. Those are important, he said,
but added, “I want to make sure that students are not just
doing well on assessments but that they’re also acquiring the
knowledge and skills they need to be successful.”
Garcia is also an Apple Distinguished Educator and a faculty
member for the Smithsonian Science Education Center.