Explore how project-based learning transforms education by engaging students in meaningful, collaborative work that showcases their strengths and fosters essential life skills. Through real classroom experiences, Melissa Antinoff, Gifted and Talented Teacher in Lumberton Township School District, highlights how PBL benefits both gifted and special education students while also reducing teacher burnout and workload.

When people walk into my gifted and talented classroom, there are different reactions. Some gape at the 7 shelves lining one wall, holding works-in-progress.  Some wonder how I manage 6 grades worth of projects. Most, though, want to join my students, who are having fun and not realizing they are learning. My entire program is based on project-based learning (PBL), and I choose the majority of projects from Defined Learning. PBL isn’t new to me, though; I’ve been using it to assess student knowledge since I began teaching in 1993.

PBL isn’t “just art,” as some people think. Yes, it involves art, but the students use life skills like organization, planning, problem solving, engineering, math, reading, and writing. I have often found that the best way for students to show their knowledge of a novel or unit is to make something meaningful, in a group, with a rubric, instead of a written test as an assessment. I do use written assessments, but more often, the students are using PBL to prove what they know. I have utilized PBL with every grade and subject I’ve taught, kindergarten through eighth grade.

PBL is motivating and allows every child to show their strengths. When I taught 3rd grade, I ended every social studies unit with a project. My favorite was creating PSAs about pollution and keeping our planet clean. Using a rubric, each group wrote a script, created a backdrop and props, and then performed for our class. Each year, I had several special education students who were reading and writing at a kindergarten or 1st grade level. Paper tests didn’t always show all they knew, even with modifications. Using PBL as an assessment, however, allows them to excel. One student, who read at a kindergarten level, was a phenomenal artist. As his group wrote the script, he created the backdrop and grew confident enough to contribute to the script. He felt successful, and it was clear he understood the material. And, I only had 5 rubrics to grade, not 25 tests.

You might be thinking, “What about the state test?” When I taught 7th grade ELA and assigned a project at the end of every novel, my students consistently earned the highest test scores in the grade. They were motivated to read the book so they could participate in the project, which always included a writing component. They aren’t losing skills with PBL; they are enhancing them.

My gifted students have different needs than a typical student.

As you can see, a typical child matures fairly evenly in each section. A gifted kid excels in one or more areas, but the social/emotional skills can lag behind. They don’t like working with others, and they find school easy, which can lead to disruptive behavior.

However, working with other people is a life skill they must learn. PBL is designed to be completed with others. Because the projects are challenging, the kids can’t figure out a solution independently and grow frustrated. They are experiencing productive struggle, maybe for the first time. I’ve actually had to stop students from throwing away a project that wasn’t working instead of asking for help to fix it.

They do learn, though, and form better relationships with their peers. The beauty of my job is that I have students for several years. An 8th grader recently told me that last year, she procrastinated when a school assignment was hard, then panicked and stayed up all night, trying to figure it out. She didn’t know how to ask for help because she rarely needed it. This year, she realized asking for assistance makes her feel less anxious and she doesn’t wait until the last minute anymore. Just like my special education students are more successful with project-based learning, so are my gifted students. With PBL, my students smile more and argue less.

PBL is better for me as a teacher, too. As an elementary teacher, I planned whole-class and small group lessons for all subjects, every day, as well as grading assessments for each subject. When I taught 7th ELA, I would have 100 or more papers to grade for each assignment. With PBL, I plan the project, explain the rubric, and then the students do the majority of the work while I take on a coaching role. It felt odd at first, not being in the front of the room, in control of their learning.

To acclimate to a louder classroom as students work cooperatively, I make sure to teach the appropriate noise level and reinforce it throughout the period. I love that I rarely leave school overstimulated, I’m not exhausted, and I have energy for my family. I can actually perform self-care! The best part: I have so much less to grade, and it can be completed during contract hours.

Project-based learning is a win-win for both the teacher and the students.  Learners are better able to show their knowledge and feel successful. They are learning how to work with other people, one of the most important life skills. The best part is, students are able to highlight strengths they might never have had the opportunity to before. And having more meaningful, but much less grading is a huge plus!

About the Author:

Melissa Antinoff is the 2019 Burlington County, NJ Teacher of the Year and a 2020 Bonnie Campbell Hill National Literacy Leader Award Winner.  An educator since 1993, Melissa specializes in developing a love of reading in her students and loves watching non-readers blossom into avid readers.  Her experiences with read-alouds and teaching reading can be found in the last 4 editions of Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook.  She has presented at many professional conferences, including the West Jersey Reading Council and NJEA Preservice.  She has also written a feature article for the NJEA Review. Melissa currently teaches gifted and talented students, grades kindergarten through eighth grade, using project-based learning to challenge and engage her learners.