I love project based learning!  When I started teaching over 25 years ago most of the curriculum that I was given consisted of flipping to the next two-pages in the textbook and working the problems that I selected.  Not satisfied with this approach to teaching math, I was soon on the hunt for powerful math activities and projects that would infuse life into my math classroom.  More on that quest in a moment.

Pendulum Swings of Curriculum Change

I’ve taught middle school math long enough to have been through several pendulum swings of curriculum change.  From strictly using a traditional textbook to using a math book that was filled with activities but did not strengthen student’s basic skills, and everything in between, I’ve been there.  While it is imperative for students to have a strong foundation in basic math skills, it is also very important for them to participate in meaningful, project based learning.

Benefits of Project Based Learning

Project based learning places mathematics into a context that is more meaningful to students.  Instead of just solving a group of isolated problems in a textbook, students are involved in math work that carries them toward the project goal.  Students are stretched intellectually when they have to take their math skills and apply them to a task or a problem.  Such mathematical thinking is more difficult than solving isolated problems, but I believe that project based learning produces more interest on the part of students and a deeper sense of satisfaction when the project is completed. [Read more…]