#projectapproach

You may have seen the words “project,” “project-based learning”, or “the Project Approach” in recent articles and news relating to education. These are current buzzwords in the education field because of the way curriculum and standards such as Common Core can be integrated into a project. Since it is used so frequently, there are many definitions and philosophies on project based learning.  

My go-to reference on the topic is Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years by Judy Harris Helm and Lilian Katz. In the book, a project is defined as an “investigation of a topic worth learning about.” The goal in the Project Approach is to find a topic in which students are highly invested. Then use children’s questions on that topic to develop an in-depth study that involves investigations, authentic activities, and observations so the children have a deeper understanding on the world around them.

The teacher takes on multiple roles in this process: facilitating and guiding the learning process by providing materials and resources (such as artifacts, books, and art supplies), bringing in experts on the topic, and going on a field site visits to answer questions posed by the children. The teacher is also there as a documenter, demonstrating the growth of the children throughout the project and showing how the children are learning, not just what they are learning.  

There are countless reasons why the Project Approach should be done in the classroom. I believe the Project Approach shapes how a child learns and naturally fosters a love of learning in a child for their whole life. Here are a just a few of the big reasons on why the Project Approach is important:

1)      Children are given a reason to practice academic skills. In the Project Approach, children are highly invested in a topic and it becomes something they WANT to learn about. When they want to learn, they will naturally want to read, write, count, and solve problems on that topic. For example, if a child is studying fire trucks and wants to know how many lights are on the fire truck, they will practice counting and then tallying the number of lights. Or if a child is trying to label something on a fire truck, they will look up how to spell and then practice writing the word down.

2)      Children develop positive dispositions towards learning. A disposition is a frequent and voluntary habit of thinking. Being curious, taking initiative, and accepting responsibility are all dispositions that can be nurtured in project work. Children are more likely to continue using these dispositions outside of the classroom if they are frequently used in the classroom. 

3)      The Project Approach enhances brain development. In the Project Approach, children develop mind brain capacity because they are using all areas of the brain. They use their senses through different experiences and authentic activities. When discussing a topic or reading a book, children connect what they are learning to what they already know based on past experiences. They analyze, hypothesize and categorize their learning. Finally, there is opportunity to practice what they learned and demonstrate their new knowledge through writing, drawing, presentations, and representations. 

4)      The Project Approach connects naturally to curriculum and standards in an authentic way that is meaningful to both the teacher, students, and administration. Topic selection from the students allows buy-in, and then with the correct teacher planning, authentic activities can easily be tied with the standards. It is important to mention that standards are being met in project work. The project gives children a connected way of achieving these markers for educational success. For example, in a spider project, the students wanted to create a museum to share all the work they had done; this relates to Common Core English Language Arts Anchor Standard that focuses on conducting research projects as a way of showing proficiency in undertaking different types of investigation. This was a totally student-directed and ingenious way that led to them making advertisement signs, display panels, sorting their work, reflecting on what they had done, and collaborating together to make the perfect museum. 

One of the reasons I love working at Kohl Children’s Museum is because of the strong belief that learning should be engaging, inquisitive, investigative, and self-directed. These key ideas are seen throughout the Museum exhibits and teacher outreach programming, including our own Early Childhood Connections flagship outreach program which brings educators, parents, and children from underserved neighborhoods together through the use of the Project Approach.

As we continue to blog I will be posting more on the Project Approach and samples of projects that have been done in our Early Childhood Connections program.