Nearly every parent has had a child come home moaning
about a group project gone awry. Instead of project-based learning (PBL),
educators are now employing a more a problem-based approach that provides
students with ways to collaborate on solutions for real-world issues.
Gary Garber, physics instructor at Boston University
Academy, guides students away from the traditional scientific method approach
by using different equipment so each experiment has to be done in different
ways.
“There isn’t one method for doing science,” he said in
a report for eSchool News. “One of the big highlights of the Next-Generation Science
Standards is that there are a variety of science practices—modeling, trial and
error, and so on. The source of good science discoveries is good innovation and
creativity. We don’t need kids who have mastered the textbook. We need kids who
are innovative and creative.”
The biggest issue with this new approach is getting teachers
comfortable with the concept, even though the hands-on experiences can be
invaluable to students. Making sure teachers have the proper training is the
first step in building their confidence to use PBL tools and experiments.
“As a teacher, a test doesn’t necessarily show what a
student has learned,” said Dan Whisler, a high school science teacher who has
created projects on wind turbines and electric cars with his Sterling, KS,
students. “Hands-on activities and the opportunity to give presentations to
community groups do. That’s when students really start to demonstrate what
they’ve learned. Wen you start sharing it with other people, that’s when you
really learn it.”
