Implementing 21st Century Methodologies: Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Introduction

Project-based learning is an instructional approach in education that allows learners to develop skills and knowledge through engaging projects set around challenges and problems they might face in the real world (Kokotsaki, Menzies & Wiggins, 2016). Life skills are essential aspects that enable individuals to acquire supportive and adaptive behaviour that help them to effectively deal with the challenges and demands of their daily lives (Guo et al., 2020). In this case, life skills in the 21^st century can help people lead more meaningful lives. Therefore, schools must equip students with these skills by incorporating proper strategies like PBL (Guo et al., 2020). As the earliest pioneers of PBL, John Dewy and philosopher Kilpatrick advocated for interactive learning through meaningful activities in the social environment (Kokotsaki, 2016). PBL is supposed to focus on various factors, including teamwork, problem-solving, experimenting, taking responsibility and social skills.

An important aspect of PBL is that it brings new relevance to learning. PBL, in this case, brings real-life technology and context into the curriculum, encouraging students to become better critical thinkers, independent workers and lifelong learners (Guo et al., 2020). Besides that, PBL provides a more authentic approach to assessing a student’s progress, thus allowing teachers to systematically document a learner’s progress and development (Kokotsaki, 2016). For example, PBL allows students to demonstrate their capabilities while working independently, develops the learner’s ability to work with peers and build teamwork, and helps students show their abilities to apply desired skills, including doing research. In addition, PBL accommodates different learners with varying learning styles. PBL, in this case, recognizes that children have different learning styles and therefore addresses these differences to ensure each student’s learning needs are addressed (Guo et al., 2020).

Application

The first step towards developing lifelong learners is through PBL, which teaches students to take charge of their learning process, for example, by taking part in real-world activities (Kokotsaki, 2016). In this case, an example of a real-life instructional activity in which students can participate in pitching a business idea. Pitching a business idea enables students to use their creativity to create individual companies; it allows them to learn how to work with others and the basics of entrepreneurship. Below is an example of how a teacher can design an instructional activity for their students that involves pitching a business idea:

1. Splitting the classroom into groups: While splitting learners into groups, the teacher will consider each student’s role in a business.
2. Discussing the community’s needs: The teacher lets the groups brainstorm on the services and products to offer to the community.
3. Assigning Jobs: Upon selecting a service or a product, the teacher will teach learners common business roles, after which every student within each group will assume a specific position. Doing this is crucial because it enables the students to voice individual interests and strengths.
4. Writing business plans: After assigning the jobs, the teacher will ask the students to outline business plans for their companies, including how they would want to market their businesses, plans for positioning the businesses and also prototypes for inventions.
5. Developing pitches: Developing pitches will require students to create business presentations where each group member has a role to play in the pitch, depending on their business role.
6. Pitching the ideas to business leaders: Upon developing pitches, the teacher will invite local leaders in business to listen to the pitches and provide feedback on the groups’ business plans. Doing this gives learners access to community members who can give praise or advice relating to business in the real world.

Taking part in such a project enables the teacher to assess how well their students performed in the project in terms of research, communication and teamwork (Guo et al., 2020). The project also acts as an excellent way for learners to combine critical thinking skills and creativity to solve a social need in the community. Moreover, through such a project, learners become comfortable with public speaking, different vocabularies in business, overcoming obstacles and advocating for one’s viewpoint.

Reflection

With the constant changes in today’s world, sometimes learners might experience gaps in what they learn in school and what is happening in the real world, including the skills they need to survive in real life (Barak & Yuan, 2021). As a result, schools are under great pressure to develop innovative ways such as PBL within the educational system through which they can adequately equip learners with the much-needed life skills. In this case, project-based learning acts as one of how students can acquire and develop collaborative and interpersonal skills, self-directed skills and also the skills of collective responsibility and reliability (Maros et al., 2021). Therefore, with life skills being an essential aspect of 21^st-century education, PBL focuses on students’ ability to communicate, collaborate with others in achieving similar goals and develop positive social relations (Barak & Yuan, 2021).

In addition, PBL addresses students’ abilities to identify, plan and achieve individual learning goals (Maros et al., 2021). As a result, students learn to evaluate separate learning outputs and outcomes, manage their effort and time, and identify personal weaknesses and strengths (Barak & Yuan, 2021). Besides that, PBL enables students to take responsibility for their individual and classroom learning, where each learner has a role to play and whereby learners’ roles are integrated to achieve similar goals and outcomes (Maros et al., 2021). Therefore, applying a student-centred strategy like project-based learning enables students to develop essential life skills that enhance their learning experiences in school and the real world.

Conclusively, PBL enables students to develop skills for living in a highly technological and knowledge-based society like the 21^st century. The traditional passive learning model, where students merely learn facts and recite them out of context, is no longer enough to prepare students to survive in the real world today (Barak & Yuan, 2021). Therefore, solving highly complex issues in today’s world requires learners to have 21^st-century skills like problem-solving, teamwork, critical thinking and communication and fundamental skills like writing and reading. Combining these skills, PBL enables students to become managers and directors of their learning processes under a skilled teacher’s mentorship and guidance (Maros et al., 2021). Moreover, it enables them to have a first-hand experience of what happens in the real world, thus making them well-equipped for it.

References

Barak, M., & Yuan, S. (2021). A cultural perspective to project-based learning and the cultivation of innovative thinking. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 39, 100766.

Guo, P., Saab, N., Post, L. S., & Admiraal, W. (2020). A review of project-based learning in higher education: Student outcomes and measures. International Journal of Educational Research, 102, 101586.

Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving schools, 19(3), 267-277.

Maros, M., Korenkova, M., Fila, M., Levicky, M., & Schoberova, M. (2021). Project-based learning and its effectiveness: evidence from Slovakia. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-9.