We retain approximately 10 percent of what we see,
30 to 40 percent of what we see and hear, and
90 percent of what we see, hear and do.
A major part of our population is operating on 10-40 percent of the retention level.
Even, I hardly remember what I studied in my graduation.
Reason? Our education system needs an upgrade somewhere.
The traditional academic approach is not serving today’s students, which results in
low-to-moderate student’s awareness, low retention capability, and inexperience of the
real-world.
While adopting practical experiences in academics has led to the discovery of project-based
learning. To know how project-based learning is effective for the student’s growth, let’s dive deeper into it.
What is Project-Based Learning?
Project-based learning, also known as PBL, is a method of implanting engineering skills and
knowledge in students’ minds and behaviors with a means of experience-full and engaging
projects.
In simpler words, it is learning-by-doing – an approach supported by an American
Philosopher, John Dewey in the 1900s. Many researchers have investigated the context and concluded that PBL is a far more efficient way to retain knowledge than traditional study methods.
Apart from knowledge retention, Project-based learning also makes kids advanced that
teaches them to solve real-world problems.
How Project-Based Learning Helps Kids Solve Real-World Problems?
To solve real-world problems like poverty, global warming, illiteracy, waste management,
marine pollution, etc., the students must have the mindset to take the initiation, to act upon solution rather than debating over it. PBL provides resources and implants such abilities in the students. Let’s inspect how Project-based learning ideas do so.
Project-Based Learning shows a sight of real-world problems
With the existence of diverse perceptions (biased and un-biased, both) and conveying
sources like social and reporting media, it has become hard for people to decide what media
sources are trustable. By assigning the project of separating the misleading news and the
true incidents, the lesson of trusting the trusted sources with mindfulness can be conveyed
to the students.
The project can also teach students that any news can become misleading with incomplete
information and every fact must be tested with intelligence before believing.
Project-Based Learning invokes students’ intrinsic motivation
Project-based learning eliminates the idea of mugging up textbooks and gives students
space to brainstorm with the ideas that can relate to real-world applications. The
students won’t be done with the formula of motion, instead, they will be given a ball
bearing and asked to find a distance so that a launching cannon can always hit the target.
Such assignments and practices automatically fill students with enthusiasm and motivation.
Other than intrinsic motivation, students will develop creativity, critical thinking,
problem-solving ability, planning & strategizing, the understanding of failures and trying
again with different approaches.
Project-Based Learning introduced that the discomfort is the new comfort
Our education system or the environment has never encouraged the kids to take the initiation to solve real-world problems. With time, it became a habit and now breaking the cycle seems discomforting to us. As a matter of fact, our brain runs from discomfort.
But, that’s nobody’s fault.
Project-based learning fills the gap between the doers and the talkers. With continuous support, knowledge, and resources, the kids are breaking the cycle unintentionally. They are growing up in an environment where everybody talks about the solution and its implementation. The installation of this new nature in kids bringing a change the world needs.
Final Words
Project-based learning has limitless benefits, and the approach has introduced the changes in every education system that students needed for so long. Are you experiencing the project-based learning benefits or have your school adopted the approach yet or if you’re a part of the process in some way?
Feel free to drop your responses at ceo@tinker.ly
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