EDUTOPIA Article: 5 Strategies for Aligning PBL to Real-World Problem-Solving

5 Strategies for Aligning PBL to Real-World Problem-Solving

The closer project-based learning comes to the messy, complicated problems of our world today, the more students benefit. In March 2020, I faced a number of challenges as a school superintendent. Earlier in the month, I had read about a virus that was sweeping the world, and while American schools had not shuttered, the challenge seemed both eminent and far off. Over the next several weeks, months, and years, I, and every other leader, faced a series of problems, including closing schools, redesigning in-person instruction, developing virtual learning programs, and working in partnership with public health organizations. Interestingly, I learned that authentic, real-world problem-solving has a few key features: I was never given one problem but was presented with a number of problem situations in which I and my team needed to derive key questions that drove our decision-making. The problems we faced continued to change, requiring us to go back and learn new content, prepare for multiple contingencies, and communicate up-to-date information and our plans for multiple scenarios. Contemporary learning frameworks and related methodologies can learn a lot from what we are experiencing with Covid-19. Applying the two features above to project-based learning (PBL) by using a more fluid rather than static, linear model may best prepare students for what the future of learning and work actually looks and feels like. To read more, click here >>>>> 5 Strategies