In my last post, “Why PBL is Key to Meeting Portrait of a Graduate Goals” I made the case for using project-based learning to build the student competencies commonly listed on graduate portraits created by schools and districts. In this and two following posts, I’ll explain how PBL builds nine specific competencies. I’ll be using the indicators in Defined Learning’s Portrait of a Graduate as a framework.
We’ll start with two Portrait of a Graduate goals that have to do with “content”--what students learn in terms of Academic Knowledge and Skills and Career Readiness. You might think of these as among the more traditional goals typically held for high school graduates.
Sometimes when schools and districts are in the process of generating ideas for their Portrait of a Graduate, gathering input from teachers, parents, community members, students, and other stakeholders, they forget about traditional academic goals. They get caught up in the excitement of talking about “21st century skills” or multicultural awareness, innovation, and technology. But then someone might say, “don’t we still want graduates to know how to read, write, use math, and know some science, history, and the arts?” Then everyone nods their head and says “of course!” So that’s why it’s the first on the list here.
Indicators of Academic Knowledge and Skills in Defined Learning’s Portrait of a Graduate are:
Every good project has academic knowledge and skills at its heart–despite an old stereotype that PBL is not appropriate for teaching this (which the research debunks). When teachers select or design projects, they align it to content standards and skills that are important to the discipline they teach. Students learn and employ the disciplinary practices and processes used by people in the adult world when addressing issues and solving problems.
Every project is different and places students in a new situation that presents new problems to solve, topics to explore, and products to create. PBL is the opposite of “rote” learning which puts the emphasis on familiar problems or academic tasks.
PBL has always been regarded as a type of inquiry-based learning. Student-generated questions (aka “need to know”) guide much of the work students do in a project. They conduct various forms of inquiry to find answers to their questions–from traditional research to interviews with experts or other people, surveys, experiments, text-based discussions, and finding out what end-users of a product want and need.
Experienced PBL teachers see this all the time; students get engaged by a topic, issue, or problem, and want to know more about it. They might even take a project in a new direction or go off on a tangent that interests them. In PBL, they come to realize that learning has an authentic purpose–the point is not merely to get a good grade or do well on a test.
Like Academic Knowledge and Skills, being prepared for entering the workforce has always been seen as an important goal for high school graduation. Some students might decide to get a job right away, and others go to college or get technical training. Either way, it helps to know about what the possibilities are out there in the modern economy and to have some of the skills and self-knowledge that will lead to satisfying employment.
Indicators of Career Readiness in Defined Learning’s Portrait of a Graduate are:
In PBL, students learn content and skills in order to apply them to a real-world situation or problem. Students might be asked to complete the kind of task people do in the world beyond school–design a playground, create a business plan, or propose solutions to traffic problems. In some projects, students might even work with adult professionals or people in their community who perform certain jobs–for example, they might work with school cafeteria staff to plan healthy and appealing menus. In some projects, students actually take on a career role, as they do in Defined Learning’s performance tasks.
When students engage in the kinds of projects described above, they’re not only learning content and skills; they’re learning how to identify problems and figure out the best ways to address needs. By being exposed to real-world situations and working in a professional capacity, students are increasing their awareness of what’s possible for them out there in the community or wider world–and what they need to do to be prepared for life after school.
One of the most valuable on-the-job skills is the ability to manage a project. Many jobs are basically a series of projects, and employers want people who can determine needs and parameters, set benchmarks, monitor progress, and make a plan for reaching goals. In a well-managed project, the teacher teaches these skills and facilitates students’ use of project management tools (e.g., Trello, Asana, Monday.com, etc.).
Students are also learning a lot about themselves in PBL. “Reflection” is one of the six criteria for a good project in the Framework for High-Quality PBL, and effective teachers build opportunities for students to reflect on every project. Students should reflect on the content they’re learning, the skills they’re building, and how the project is going–and also on themselves. What am I good at, and where do I need to grow? What issues do I care about and what kinds of problems do I like to solve? Where can I see myself in my future?
In my next post, we’ll look at the Portrait of a Graduate competencies that have to do with using one’s mind well: Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, and Innovation and Creativity.
|
Competency |
Indicators |
| Career Readiness |
|
| Academic Knowledge and Skills |
|
| Innovation and Creativity |
|
| Problem Solving |
|
| Critical Thinking |
|
| Communication |
|
| Collaboration |
|
| Citizenship |
|
Note: This article is part of a 4-part series on how Project-Based Learning builds Portrait of a Graduate competencies. For further reading, see the full series below:
How PBL Builds Portrait of a Graduate Competencies Part 4: Communication, Collaboration, Citizenship
About the Author:
John Larmer is a project-based learning expert. In his 20 years at the Buck Institute for Education/PBLWorks, he co-developed the model for Gold Standard PBL, authored several books and many blog posts, and contributed to curriculum and professional development. John is now the Senior PBL Advisor at Defined Learning.