We’re often discussing active or project-based learning—both of which help students build up real-world skills through hands-on experiences. When learning moves from a textbook to the physical world, students tend to become more engaged, excited about collaborating, and willing to devote more efforts to creative problem solving. Project-based learning makes one great example of this. Since it is so group-oriented, the experiences help kids develop more than academic skills. They really help them learn to build connections with their peers, their community, their teachers, and their work. And, this also then helps students to take greater pride in their projects upon realizing they can make an impact.
Creating Real-World Connections
This should come as no surprise to many instructors, but the No. 1 connection that project-based learning can help create is a connection between students and the real world. So often, students aren't prepared to take the next step—whether that’s attending college or entering the workforce—because their experiences in grade school were not aligned with real world development. One great thing about PBL, however, is that teachers in all grades can facilitate experiences that mirror the real world. Since projects can take so many different directions and encompass a lot of different topics, the options for educators are plentiful and kids who take part in PBL often reap the benefits down the road.
Cross-curricular PBL connections.
Of course, allowing students to create projects or simply assigning one just to change things up is not the best approach. One reason that PBL is so popular is because it works but that’s only if all educators and school leaders strategically tie in curricular connections and skills development while children collaborate. This is how they will ultimately use PBL to master content, progress, and use those skills to discover and implement solutions that are viable in the real world. Plus, in order for PBL to be effective, teachers need some way to measure that success students achieve. By establishing real-world connections and then applying what they know, students can more clearly demonstrate what they’ve learned.
Project-based learning in the classroom.
In an ideal project-based learning situation, educators create authentic projects for students to complete in the real world while absorbing feedback from either town officials, citizens, or both. When students take on a real-world issue as part of PBL, the learning they experience is more tangible. Also, if they are looking to solve something within their communities, then their connections to the problems become much more real. With the experiences students gain through PBL, they can increase their motivation, enthusiasm, academic performance, and skills development. The subject matter is also tied to the student’s own worlds, making it much more relevant and real to them.
Empowering Students to Create Connections
At times, fostering relationships is more important than simply possessing relevant knowledge and abilities. Hopefully, kids never experience being passed over for an opportunity solely because the decision makers know somebody else personally, but it is possible. That's why helping them develop stronger interpersonal skills is increasingly important since they will likely spend a whole lot of time working with others in the real world. One way to help them build these crucial skills is by introducing them to collaborative project-based learning early on. Since PBL embodies so much active learning, students need to constantly communicate and this can ultimately help prepare them for a world of much of the same.
Collaborative learning opportunities for students.
Focusing on collaboration enables instructors to help students recognize the value of relationship building while establishing a positive classroom culture. It even helps kids learn more about each other, including how to work together towards reaching a common goal. A lot of the time, traditional classroom instruction might have holes when it comes to helping kids connect with each other—something these project-based learning experiences could help fill while allowing instructors to ensure that they are still teaching all of the most important concepts. Technology also helps drive student collaboration and, more importantly, it can help them learn about the resulting benefits.
Collaboration, connections, and classroom experiences.
Many teachers appreciate how student interactions no longer must be confined to the same classroom or school. As such, plenty of students and instructors truly enjoy and benefit from collaboration that reaches other parts of the world. In these examples, students don’t even necessarily have to work exclusively with their classmates. For example, some educators work with combined classes regularly and this could help kids learn the value of building connections with peers of different ages—something that's very beneficial for younger students, who can start learning valuable skills from older students. Also, when students lead their projects, they naturally connect with others and, ideally, build on those experiences their whole lives.
Current Events Connections and PBL
Another strategy to help students make connections through project-based learning is tying their projects with current events. Current events discussions have long been present in many classrooms because it’s important for students to know about the most pressing local, national, and international news. And, since events are always happening, there's always something for teachers and children to talk about in terms of news. But, another important factor in our world is STEM and all of those extensive applications. Teachers can use project-based learning and STEM education to help students make connections to current events and even empower them to create inspiring projects with one another—something that’s equally enjoyable, informative, and beneficial.
Technology and PBL in the news.
Of course, today’s students live in the digital age with constant access to technology and a desire to use it. So, rather than simply knowing where to find relevant information, they must also be adept at knowing how to apply it since they can typically find all of it within seconds. Speaking of the power of technology, there's always some new invention or innovation in the tech world. This gives kids many opportunities to research the latest tech advances and keep up with the latest news. Taking that one step further, educators can then lead discussions about a wide variety of topics, most notably how that particular piece of news can impact current events on a state, national, or international scale.
How current events connections can drive change.
Since, unfortunately, we're always facing various issues as a community, there are opportunities to tie your projects to current events. Among this, one of those major problems is certainly environmental concerns. It’s a constant topic of discussion and something that educators can certainly address. So, this creates an opportunity for children to bring the topic of pollution and pollution solutions into STEM projects. They can come up with different projects that'll involve testing different potential solutions for pollution, for example. And, this could get them thinking about how to apply new science or new types of technology to solving a problem like pollution—or something else they are passionate about. Plus, tying current events to projects helps students evaluate events that may impact them now or in the future.
Creating Global Connections Through PBL
More often than not, project-based learning is collaborative. You might be thinking ‘Well, yes, that’s why it presents so many opportunities for children to make connections.’ And, you would be accurate in thinking that way. Since it's so collaborative, there are ample opportunities to work together—even with peers who might be somewhere else. The global workforce is global for good reason—because people from different parts of the world routinely work together to learn and accomplish their greater goals. So, what’s stopping students from having the same kinds of experiences? Today, there’s no reason for them not to be. Thanks to technologies, kids throughout the world can collaborate on a global level and benefit from these unique learning experiences.
PBL, global connections, and fostering empathy.
In this day and age, it doesn’t take a whole lot for students to connect globally. They just need some (now) fundamental technology tools in order to collaborate and foster these global connections. Depending upon your school budget and tech capacity, there's different options for hardware, like webcams. By using these communication tools to connect with children from different parts of the world, students can also engage more deeply with their PBL. They can also build on their social-emotional skills, like empathy, by working with different students and understanding some of the issues they're facing in their hometowns. This could even serve as that basis for some of their projects, allowing kids with fresh points of view to share possible solutions with their peers while working together to come up with a creative solution.
Some top benefits of global PBL.
By weaving in some global connections, teachers can take their project-based learning lessons to the next level. This helps kids boost their communication and digital literacy skills while using social technology to interact with others. And, since PBL can definitely involve some fairly complex issues, this unlocks chances for encouraging global readiness, creative problem solving, and taking action. Nowadays, connections that span larger distances are relevant for children in any grades and within any academic subjects. Global PBL can also have a lot of similarities to traditional classroom PBL. It could help students expand their research to a global level, create together by leaning into varying ideas, and share progress with a wider audience.
PBL and STEM Connections
One of the greatest benefits that project-based learning provides to students is the hands-on experiences. Since hands-on experiences are closely related to STEAM instruction, it makes sense how PBL and STEM are so closely connected. As such, the engagement children get from PBL is often magnified when they’re working in a STEAM-specific class. Especially once children reach middle and high school, adding in more project-based experiences and collaboration to STEM projects can also help ease fears that students may have towards them. Also, for children who think that STEM subjects will be too difficult, collaborating with other students is an important benefit. So, having the opportunity to gain insight from others allows some students to feel more comfortable with what they're doing.
PBL connections to student progression.
Connecting PBL and STEM with everyday learning early on helps students get used to working like this. It also helps them see how STEM is already part of their everyday lives or potential future plans. Once STEM becomes more important for kids as they move through grades, PBL approaches can increase confidence and guide outcomes. At the top of the list of benefits when PBL and STEM are connected is that students can see the real-life connections between the work they’re doing and work that must be done in the world. They can also demonstrate knowledge in lower stakes scenarios (not tests) and working on projects helps students discuss connections.
Strategies for connecting key curricular areas.
So, how could educators create meaningful connections between project-based learning and STEAM? To create these experiences for students, it’s good for teachers to be interdisciplinary. This allows students to draw on their own experiences from multiple areas and apply them to their class work. Another tip is being authentic, which helps students see that they have room to evolve and make projects their own. You don’t want students generating any preconceived conclusions but, rather, working together to make discoveries. And, finally, teachers must remember to remain optimistic about all the different types of connections they can create with PBL. Trusting your students will thrive with challenges they can excel at helps them enjoy PBL while preparing for the future.
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