Arlington School & Family Magazine November/December 2015 | Page 21

What is PBL?
Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which
students gain knowledge and skills by working for an
extended period of time to investigate and respond to a
complex question, problem or challenge. Essential Elements
of PBL include:
• Significant Content - At its core, the project is focused
on teaching students important knowledge and skills,
derived from standards and key concepts at the heart of
academic subjects.

Young Junior High
Project Based Learning
Young Junior High has
embarked on a journey
that few schools have
attempted. They have
started a schoolwide
initiative to start Project
Based Learning in all
core classes (math, science,
social studies and English). The expectations for students
have changed in recent years. Students are required to
be successful in much more rigorous and challenging
demands. In order to meet those challenges and provide
the education and experiences to be work- and college-ready,
PBL is being implemented at Young Junior High.
That does not mean students won’t do paper and pencil
tasks, but it does mean that they will specifically work
on skills that are important for college and career. They
are working with Engage Learning (http://engage2learn.
org/) in practicing future-ready skills for students such as
autonomy, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical
thinking, growth mindset and professional ethics.
This is a change from what has been experienced in the
past. PBL is focused on the student doing the thinking.
Teachers are there for support, but the students are
challenged to engage the subject-specific criteria at a higher
level of thinking.

• 21st Century Competencies - Students build competencies
valuable for today’s world, such as problem solving, critical
thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity/
innovation, which are explicitly taught and assessed.
• In-Depth Inquiry - Students are engaged in an
extended, rigorous process of asking questions, using
resources and developing answers.
• Driving Question - Project work is focused by an open-ended
question that students understand and find intriguing, which
captures their task or frames their exploration.
• Need to Know - Students see the need to gain
knowledge, understand concepts and apply skills in
order to answer the driving question and create project
products, beginning with an entry event that generates
interest and curiosity.
• Voice and Choice - Students are allowed to make some
choices about the products to be created, how they work
and how they use their time, guided by the teacher and
depending on age level and PBL experience.
• Critique and Revision - The project includes processes
for students to give and receive feedback on the quality
of their work, leading them to make revisions or conduct
further inquiry.
• Public Audience - Students present their work to other
people beyond their classmates and teacher. †

Young will build on this foundation, combining the entire
framework with the necessary support systems—standards,
assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional
development and learning environments. Students are
more engaged in the learning process and graduate better
prepared to thrive in today’s global economy.

November/December 2015 - Arlington School & Family 19