Develop a good understanding of the benefits of Projects in the early years

Introduction

Project approach is one of the strategies that are applicable in imparting content to the children in school which is aligned with curriculum goals. In this method generally learners become active, innovative, initiative and effective listeners because any projects should be carried out with proper instructions from teacher. Well-designed projects encourage active inquiry and higher-level thinking (Thomas, 1998). Brain research underscores the value of these learning activities. Students' abilities to acquire new understanding are enhanced when they are "connected to meaningful problem-solving activities, and when students are helped to understand why, when, and how those facts and skills are relevant" (Bransford, Brown, & Conking, 2000, p. 23). Project-based learning is an instructional model that involves students in investigations of compelling problems that culminate in authentic products. Projects that make for stronger classroom learning opportunities can vary widely in subject matter and scope, and can be delivered at a wide range of grade levels. Nonetheless, they tend to share defining features. Projects grow out of challenging questions that cannot be answered by rote learning. Projects put students in an active role such as: problem solver, decision maker, investigator, or documentarian.

Benefits of project in the early years

The project based learning methodology provides wide range of platform to both the learners and teachers for interaction and investigating new steps to tackle problems. Children love playing and as play is main tactics to boost cooperative learning in the school. It encourage learners to investigate in-depth on particular topic, it generates interest in learning, can make optimum use of teaching learning materials and enhance critical thinking, creative thinking and also inculcate sense of collaborative working/belongingness. It benefits teachers professionally as to develop learning materials which is not available in the school and will make teacher active, innovative and build more skillful. It provides opportunity to explore and to connect with IT world as to make projects effective and meaningful. We thought that this project method also provides opportunity for teachers to be alert and to be prepared to face any circumstances as we have to involve numerous concern authorities. 

There are many kinds of projects being implemented in daily teaching in the Bhutanese school but not been conscious hence it was not structured/planned projects. We also thought that project based learning in lower primary classes can be like modeling, measuring objects in and around the classroom and so on. We have noticed that this approach is liked by our children as they participate actively in this process and even it retain for longer period. It reinforce/encourages children to learn inquiry bases and get more experience interaction skill. The effective projects will balance the level of learner control with teacher-planned structure that guides and focuses the learner work. In this approach, learners get ample of opportunities to explore by themselves whereby they learned by doing but should be within planned activity in order to achieve academic goal.

As per the expertise, the benefits of project-based learning are;  it increased attendance, growth in self-reliance, and improved attitudes toward learning (Thomas, 2000), Academic gains equal to or better than those generated by other models, with students involved in projects taking greater responsibility for their own learning than during more traditional classroom activities (Boaler, 1997; SRI, 2000 ), Opportunities to develop complex skills, such as higher-order thinking, problem-solving, collaborating, and communicating (SRI, 2000),  Access to a broader range of learning opportunities in the classroom, providing a strategy for engaging culturally diverse learners (Railsback, 2002).  The project based learning/teaching is strategy which provides learners to experience real-world activities and it motivate to take roles in projects.

Project based learning supports the development cognitive thinking skills such as collaboration, self-monitoring, analysis of data, and evaluation of information. It will also provide learners to think what, how, when and where to use required learning materials in the processes of project based learning. Through project based learning/teaching, inquiry of questions aligned with curriculum goals will offer learners to think and make connections to the contents/concepts that matter with subjects. Well designed projects will provoke learners to put their interests and passion to culminating products and performance, for that learners will make best use of resources that are accessible to them and teacher’s responsibility or role is to serve as a facilitator or guidance for learners to lead in right direction.

We came to know that this strategy will create a richer learning environment and promote higher thinking level because it will engage learners in open-ended discussion, authentic tasks and involve in decision making to have better/best results at the end.  But if we compare the life style of western children, our learner are behind in cognitive development or in other skills because of literacy, environment and lack of advanced technology. In reality, schools in Bhutan most probably will not have enough materials to conduct effective project based learning tasks as a result our learners’ will not take active role in this leaning activity. In other hand, a parent does not pay much concentrate to their child or our society percept in other way. Hence, the project based learning in our schools is not that much productive, meaningful and moreover teachers are not well equipped with this projects strategy but hopping with this insights, definitely it will help implementing in this academic year onward.

How can we as an educator help learners to learn meaningfully? What are required to provoke children’s interest to participate in this project based learning task?  And does it really fit in Bhutanese context/situation? After a long debate in a group, we have concluded that this strategy is one of the best teaching methodologies in 21^st century to impart content to our children. In 21^st teaching pedagogy, we should focus more on skills rather than content as job opportunity is less due to the population growth in the country. Teachers and parents need to impart skills to our children order to survive in the modern world and have to keep updating skills/knowledge in order to educate our children or for development.

As to make learning fun and meaningful in the school, the project based learning is serving the purpose and we teachers should be in position to influence the stakeholders to support this strategy. The school administration should be in position to support, provide feed backs and to make necessary information to concern authorities. The subject teachers need to be active, innovative and risk taker to conduct effective projects task; for that there should be proper/structured plan, attractive and accessible learning materials, equal and enough distribution of materials in order to get equal opportunity by learners. Making them to feel real objects, talk politely, be frank, interact and create conducive atmosphere to arouse interest to participate in projects task.

There is much to be said for the old adage: Practice makes perfect, this approach cannot be successful within short span of time, and it requires proper planning, enough materials and of course active teacher in order to make this approach successful. We should make learners to practice more to acquire good result and at same time we should encourage, support, need to give proper feedbacks and conduct assessment in the process of learning. We need to evaluate learner’s interest base on their performance and need to provide necessary skills or concept to promote interest/participation in project based learning process.

We have to bring project-based learning/teaching into the classroom which needs to adopt new instructional strategies to achieve curriculum goals. Having taken the role of guide or facilitator is not enough for them to proceed; we have to give clear and proper instructions with simple language which can be understood by all learners. Direct-instruction methods that rely on textbooks, lectures, and traditional assessments do not work well in the more open-ended, interdisciplinary world of project-based learning. Rather, teachers do more coaching and modeling and less "telling." They need to be comfortable with "wrong turns" that students may make en route to completing a project (Intel, 2003). Teachers may find themselves learning alongside their students as projects unfold.

Conclusion

As to conclude this writing, we realized that the project based learning is related with 21^st teaching pedagogy which our children learn through inquiry bases. In this approach inquiry encompasses a broad range of activities that give reign to our natural curiosity about the world. Teachers who use inquiry as a strategy typically encourage students to raise questions, plan and carry out investigations, make observations, and reflect on what they have discovered.  Even within a single classroom, definitely inquiry activities are taking place along a continuum, from more structured and teacher-directed on one end to more open-ended and driven by student interest on the other hand. So, our duties in this strategy is to assess, evaluate, provide necessary corrective measures, make more accessible materials, give proper instructions and have effective plans in hand.   

References;

 Harris H, J, & and Katz, L. (2000). Young Investigators, The project Approach in the Early Years

Boaler, J. (1999, March 31). Mathematics for the moment, or the millennium? Education Week

Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and

School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Goodrich, H. A. (1997). Understanding rubrics, Educational Leadership. 54(4)

Overview and Benefits of Project-Based Learning; Retrieved from, http://www.behrmanhouse.com/blog/8-essential-characteristics-of-project-based-learning