91直播

Teaching

Experts Warn of PBL Pitfalls

By Bess Keller 鈥 September 18, 2007 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

No one claims it鈥檚 an easy way to teach, but proponents of project-based learning say it is far ahead of other approaches in motivating students and helping them thoroughly learn more of what counts.

But critics and advocates alike warn that enthusiasm for PBL can go too far鈥攑roducing parodies of effective projects, failing to play to individual teachers鈥 strengths, and wasting precious class time.

Ben Daley, the chief academic officer of the High Tech High charter school network based in San Diego, is deeply committed to PBL. Still, he lets his new teachers start slow. 鈥淚 tell them to just do what they know to do really well at first,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f they go crazy with a big ambitious project and [do] not accomplish much, what good is that?鈥

See Also

Return to the main story,

No Easy Project

Israeli experts friendly to project-based learning suggested on a recent visit to a High Tech High campus that the schools might have become too good at squeezing out classroom talk by teachers. Lecture-style instruction, they argued, can include narratives that stick with students just as well as hands-on experience.

Daniel T. Willingham, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, said the criticism points up a common misunderstanding of constructivism, the well-established theory that learners make knowledge and are not just recipients of it.

鈥淥ne of the big mistakes people make when they think about constructivism and trying to apply it to the classroom is the idea that learning has to be active, by which is meant physically active,鈥 he said. Rather, it鈥檚 mental activity that counts.

E.D. Hirsch Jr., who has written often on the importance of an explicit, well-crafted curriculum, said care is needed to ensure projects are not sidetracked by faith that children will learn good stuff as long as they鈥檙e engaged in doing.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no substitute for watching plants grow,鈥 if you are learning about plants, he said. But, he argued, too many activities turn out to be tangential.

Mr. Hirsch and others say, too, that PBL can present huge 鈥渙pportunity costs鈥 in the classroom, because other methods can induce understanding in less time. For disadvantaged students, who have fewer opportunities to learn academic content outside of school, that鈥檚 a particular problem, according to Mr. Hirsch.

Mr. Willingham said cognitive science so far does not give PBL the decisive edge over other teaching methods that some of its advocates say that it has. Teacher talk and demonstration, cooperative learning, and case studies鈥攁ll might be effective and, indeed, all could play a role in project-based learning, he said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any method is obviously superior to any other,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檇 take any method done well over any method done in a mediocre way.鈥

Related Tags:

Coverage of new schooling arrangements and classroom improvement efforts is supported by a grant from the Annenberg Foundation.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 91直播's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Improve School Culture and Engage Students: Archery鈥檚 Critical Role in Education
Changing lives one arrow at a time. Find out why administrators and principals are raving about archery in their schools.
Content provided by 
School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Teaching Opinion Trump鈥檚 Executive Orders Are Coming Fast. Here鈥檚 What Teachers Can Do
Here are steps teachers can take to help students in the face of the president's executive orders.
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for 91直播
Teaching Download Teachers, Here's How to Build Stronger Relationships With Boys (Downloadable)
Boys are relational learners, experts say. Here are eight key strategies for how to reach them.
Jessica Arrow, a play-based learning kindergarten teacher, leads her kindergarten class back into their classroom from forest play time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.
Jessica Arrow, a kindergarten teacher at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H., leads her students back into their classroom from forest play time on Nov. 7, 2024. Boys crave strong relationships with their teachers, experts say.
Sophie Park for 91直播
Teaching Opinion 10 Actions Teachers Can Take Now That Trump Is President
On Day 1 of his second term, Trump issued orders that could negatively affect students. Here鈥檚 how to support them.
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for 91直播
Teaching Spotlight Spotlight on PreK-12 Problem-Based Learning
This Spotlight will help you learn how to prepare students for the workforce, partner with students on sustainability initiatives, and more.