"Doing a Project" vs. Project Based Learning

1. In a high school math class, students are asked to do research on a famous mathematician and make a presentation about him or her.

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2. After a two-week unit on the history of the 1960s that ended with a test, students spend two days staging a mock protest and hippie gathering, with costumes, props, and music.

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3. Students consider the driving question, “Why did civilizations fall from their Golden Ages, and what lessons can we learn from what happened?” as they research various ancient civilizations and create museum exhibits to share their answers.

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4. Students make posters at home to illustrate ways to save water and energy, and put them up on the walls of the classroom.

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5. Students investigate how waste in local waterways contributes to the problem of plastic in the ocean. They propose solutions to the problem and present them to city officials.

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6. Students launch bottle rockets at the end of a physics/math unit, to apply what they have learned.

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7. Students create mobiles with various geometric shapes, which are hung in the classroom.

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8. In a middle school English Language Arts class, students create a fan fiction website, including a feature that enables editing and giving feedback so other students can submit their writing.

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