Project-based learning is a great approach that allows students to learn and acquire knowledge through hands-on learning.
This gives them an opportunity to develop their skills by engaging in projects that are set around the challenges they might come across in the real world.
Why project-based learning?
Children since their early childhood tend to grasp concepts very quickly. This helps them to remember it throughout their lives.
By organizing workshops, events, competitions and exhibitions, children learn and understand a lot more than what is being imparted to them within the four walls of the classroom.
We indulge students in the following type of projects,
Science related models like the water cycle, volcanoes, water harvesting system,
Models that explain the significance and understanding of the math subject,
PowerPoint presentations that help them in putting up concise information with relevant illustrations,
Putting up posters in the classroom, indicating that students have been engaged in meaningful learning
Such meaningful projects fulfill an educational purpose.
What every good project needs?
Every project assigned to students should follow basic criteria that when students are assigned a particular task, they should work towards it in order to perceive meaningful learning and that they want to ace in it.
Being the educators of Sanskriti-The School, we have set-up a sustained program that helps students understand the concept of in-depth project-based learning.
Some of the most essential elements of meaningful projects are;
A Good Content
It is indeed vital to make students understand specific topics and the significance they hold in general.
We offer them the opportunity of learning by linking their classroom activities to real-life experiences.
We adopt innovative activities like storytelling, arts, mnemonics that helps in stimulating a child’s brain activity, thus making it function faster and better.
When students are presented with significant content in a well-designed project, they tend to grasp and comprehend more deeply.
Importance Of Understanding
Before we invite students in performing a hands-on activity, we ensure that we have imparted to them the necessary information that will keep them engaged throughout and develop more interest in them.
We do this through;
Videos where illustrations are displayed and increase more curiosity in them,
Field trips
Guest speakers
Lively discussion
By telling them real-life stories and a lot more.
If students are presented with a project that consists of packets of worksheets and papers, there are fair chances that it is merely going to turn them off and make them do without any encouragement and just for the sake of getting it done.
A Driving Question
A good driving question captures the heart of the project in clear, compelling and straightforward language, giving students a sense of purpose and challenge.
The questions raised by our students are provocative, open-ended, complex, and linked to the core of what we want students to learn. It could be abstract, concrete or focused on solving a problem.
A project without a driving question is like an essay without a thesis.
Without a driving question, students may not understand why they are undertaking a project and the importance it plays in their overall development.
If none of those as mentioned above roles are played, students may soon give up and lose interest. They might end up doing it just because they have been assigned to do so.
Project-based learning is super fun and exciting when it is done not for the sake of teachers or the test.
It engages students in an extended process of inquiry, critique and revision. They learn a lot of essential things in the process.
Such activities help them learn better and create real products.
