Project Based Learning of Grade 5 in WBS

This semester, in our grade 5 English classes we ran a project based learning course, in which the students decided on a research question, and pursued it over a 3 month period. As some of the visiting scholars from MIT recently noted, students that engage in PBL are more likely to achieve higher grades in high school and college. 

An important aspect of PBL is the pursuit of 21st Century skills. In our case, it was the ‘4 C’s’ (Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking and Creativity). The children are empowered to direct their own learning, and reflect on their own abilities in an open and honest way. This kind of reflection provides the basis for many of the soft skills tools they will need later in life (in jobs, college, and so on).

In the first few weeks the learners were tasked with deciding on a research question. The question needed to have an affect on life outside of the school, to show the kids that they truly can change things when they work together. After this, the learners were provided with some examples of other projects, and began to learn some basic research skills. We also taught them about online safety, responsibility, time management, and collaboration (just to name a few).

In the middle of the project, the children worked independently in their groups while being monitored by the teacher, both inside and outside school (if they were communicating online). Here is where the students did most of their work on the project. This was also a very important phase for their 21st century knowledge. At this stage they should have been getting a little better at reflecting on their work, and communicating to further a team goal.

Towards the end of the project, they moved onto the design phase. Here they considered how to present their work, who should be there, what they wanted to learn from the people coming, and gave plenty of opportunities for visitors to interact with their work.

In a mirror reflection of the children’s work, the teachers also reflected on the process and will use the data to improve on any future attempts at this style of learning.