I recently ran a professional development workshop for teachers at Khan Lab School about Project-Based Learning. I used, as a framework, the Gold Standard PBL guidelines from PBLWorks. The following represent some of the notes from that workshop, as we evaluated what the project design elements outlined by PBLWorks might mean for our practice in our context.
1) Driving Question: Teachers were encouraged to use a driving question that hints at the role students will play in the project, the product that will be created, and the audience who will view the work. It is sometimes helpful to use the framework: "How can we, as __[role]____ do/make/create ___[product]____ for __[audience]____? Teachers were pushed to go beyond thinking of the students as "students". For instance, we rewrote any questions that began "how can we as students...."
2) Sustained Inquiry: This is about the research phase of the project. Teachers were asked to anticipate the important questions students might ask, and how they would be held accountable for their pursuit and documentation of answers to those questions. Will they do online research and write a paper? Keep up an annotated bibliography? Maintain an engineering notebook? Interview stakeholders? How can they seek answers besides asking their teacher? How can the teacher support their growing skills as researchers?
3) Authenticity: Is the work we are asking students to do "authentic"? That is, are there people in the real world who are doing these kinds of tasks? Will an actual audience see (and care about) the work the students are producing? If the work doesn't have any relevance beyond practicing a specific skill taught in the class, it is not "authentic" in the sense of PBL. Students (and teachers) should be able to answer the "who cares?" question about their projects.
4) Student Voice and Choice: A common mistake of early implementers of PBL is that they take voice and choice too far. They give students complete control over every aspect of the project. While this can be powerful for older students with excellent executive function and project management skills, it is not appropriate for every class. Teachers have to make intentional decisions about which choices they allow students, and which are made for them. Constraints can breed creativity, and not every choice you give a student is meaningful. When considering whether to open up a choice in your project, ask yourself - is this an important choice for the student to be able to make? Does it take anything away from the learning if I make this choice for them? Does giving the student a choice in this matter create unnecessary extra work for both them and me? Do the students have the skills and context necessary to make this choice?
5) Reflection: While engaging educational experiences are crucial for learning, the "stickiness" of the learning comes from reflection. Often, teachers think of reflection as an exercise that comes after the project is over; it's a chance for teachers to catch up on grading while students write paragraphs about their projects. This placement at the end of the project makes the reflection process seem like an after thought (literally), and means that it often gets cut for time if the project runs long (or it becomes optional for students). For more a meaningful reflection, consider integrating constant short-form reflection into the entire project, from the beginning. Reflection can take the form of short journal entries, 2 minute Flipgrid vlogs, self-assessment based on the project rubric, etc.
6) Critique and Revision: As important as a student's self-reflection is the feedback they get from their peers. It is a skill we should build in our students to ask for feedback and to give useful feedback. "Useful feedback" is kind, constructive, and specific. Use protocols to teach students how to give useful feedback on a regular basis, and get them in the habit of using each other as resources. This has the added benefit of putting less pressure on the teacher's input, so students aren't stuck waiting for feedback from one person before moving on. Consider asking students to actually incorporate that feedback into their work by requiring revisions. Here's a useful video to help underscore the power of feedback and revision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_6PskE3zfQ
7) Public Product: This is the hardest element to include in a project if you are in "build-as-you-go" mode. It requires teachers to plan far ahead, and arrange for an audience for their students' work. This sometimes involves coordinating with third parties outside the school, inviting experts to partner with the class, or arranging for a field trip. For low-stakes public presentation, just challenge yourself to get the students' work displayed outside the classroom in some way. Ask yourself - who in the larger community cares about this work? Why are we doing this project? What was the answer to the "who cares" question? The answers should push you towards a public product of some kind.