The Four Arrows of Project-Based Learning

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Project-based education is focused on four primary areas of learning: It helps students take ownership over their process of learning; it helps students to become self-aware as learners; it provides students with ongoing opportunities for interaction, collaboration and engagement; and it provides students with opportunities to generate new knowledge.

Find out more about project-based education.

There are at least four arrows in the quiver of project-based learning: participating in Wikis; keeping a journal; participating in discussion boards; and developing a blog.

The Wiki is an effective tool for both collaboration and generation of new knowledge. It requires students to summarize their understanding of the course and to respond to what others are taking away from texts, class sessions and their own projects. Wikis provide a hands-on process that turns students into teachers, which is one of the most effective methods of learning. It is also a good arena for brainstorming. The keys to participating effectively in wikis are to build on what others have said, and to correct their errors.

Keeping a Journal strengthens students' skills in being self-reflective learners. Students use journals to note their process of learning, the problems and questions they encountered, and how they overcame those problems or answered those questions. The journal is used to plan and track one's progress in learning. Self-reflection as a learner is the key to writing effective journals.

Discussion Boards enable students to learn from one another and use each other as sounding boards to try out ideas. Students should use discussion boards to get ideas for what they might want to talk about in their blogs, and to test ideas before publishing them as blog entries. Discussion boards tend to be informal and the sources and warrants for one's opinions have not necessarily undergone careful scrutiny. Interaction and engagement with other students, in conversation, is the key to effective participation on discussion boards.

Publishing Blog Posts raises the stakes a bit. Although the voice of the author of a blog may be informal, when a student publishes a blog they need to be concerned about accuracy and seek verification of what they are about to publish before they post it. With the blog, your credibility is on the line. If you violate one of the academic virtues you will lose the confidence of your readers in the "real world," and, in the classroom, you will damage your credibility with your teacher, which could hurt your grade. Checking your sources, verifying your facts, and inviting people to participate in the discussion through their comments are keys to good blogging.

So, these are the four arrows in the quiver of project-based learning: Wikis, journals, discussion boards, and blogs. Be sure to make appropriate use of the tool for learning that you happen to be engaged in.

See also: Wikis, Journals, Discussion Boards and Blogs




C. Matthew Hawkins

Keeping a Journal as a Study Tool

Image credit: American Night Writers Association

Keeping an academic journal can be a powerful tool for study. When you are reading a primary, or even a secondary, source you will likely come across terms, concepts, names or events that are unfamiliar to you. It helps to keep a journal, where you jot down things that are obscure so that you look them up and find out why they are important in order to get the most out of the text you are reading.

For example, in a history class, if a student is reading Frederick Douglass' Autobiography of a Slave and comes across Douglass' reference to Sheridan's speech for Catholic emancipation, and notes that Douglass said this speech resonated with his own struggle for freedom, it is highly likely that few contemporary readers would know who Sheridan was; what Catholic emancipation was all about, when the speech was made, and why this speech would have any meaning at all to Frederick Douglass, who was an African American slave in the 19th century.

A good use of your journal would be to note the reference in Douglass' text and search for [Sheridan Catholic Emancipation Speech]. Since this is an actual assignment I use in my classes, and since anyone can do this search right now and get the answer, I will not tell you what you will find -- I will let you try it for yourself.

The point is that in your academic journal you want to put your thought processes and problem-solving skills on display. One of the ways to do this is to jot down the terms, concepts, events, and persons who are unfamiliar to you; look them up; and then discuss how what you found is important to the text and enhances your understanding of what you are reading.

See also: Wikis, Journals, Discussion Boards and Blogs

C. Matthew Hawkins