Project-based learning

How it is used

Often shortened to PBL. Teachers design or run PBL units, and students research, plan, create and present. A project lasts days or weeks and usually crosses subject boundaries.

Example sentences

1. In our project-based learning unit, students designed a playground for a local park.

2. Project-based learning takes more planning, but students remember the content far longer.

Common collocations

• project-based learning unit
• driving question
• final product
• present to an audience

Related terms

• inquiry-based learningAn approach in which students learn by asking questions, investigating, gathering evidence and drawing their own conclusions, with the teacher guiding the process.
• cooperative learningA structured form of group work in which students depend on each other to complete a shared task, while each student is still responsible for their own learning.
• cross-curricularConnecting two or more school subjects, so that students use knowledge and skills from different areas in the same topic or project.
• student-centered learningAn approach in which students take an active role in their learning, for example by discussing, investigating and making choices, while the teacher guides rather than lectures.

More terms: Teaching Methods and Approaches

• differentiation
• pedagogy
• pair work
• group work
• scaffolding
• active learning
• critical thinking
• rote learning