s a social studies teacher and technology integrator at the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel. Follow him on Twitter @signorpanna:
These three approaches have much in common aside from their potential to provide authentic and powerful experiences for students. Rather than using an instructional standard as the goal, students are charged with completing a task or answering a question. The teacher's role becomes that of facilitator and students take greater responsibility for their progress.
Inquiry based learning is built around investigating one or more key questions. These can be content-specific or general and enduring. For example, my Ancient History students could tackle a question like: How did the natural environment shape the course of Mesopotamian civilization? Or we could ask something that applies to both the lives of the Mesopotamians and ourselves: What are the pros and cons of living in a highly organized society?
In a problem-based unit, students have to produce a solution to a challenge. Much of the growth occurs as students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to reach a solution. In my Economics class, students chose a country and developed a financial plan for its government. To do this they needed to understand the country's economic indicators (GDP growth, unemployment rate, etc.) and the likely effects of various policy choices. The summative assessment involved a presentation in which they explained and defended their policy recommendations.
Project-based learning is similar in that students respond to a challenge, but here they must create something concrete rather than produce a hypothetical solution. For example, US History students could make a video to educate citizens about the Bill of Rights. Projects like this have the potential for great rewards as students take ownership of their creation and share it with a wider community. What begins as an assignment for school could transform them into community organizers or Youtube stars.
Response From Heather Wolpert-Gawron
Heather Wolpert-Gawron is an award-winning middle school teacher. She has authored workbooks on teaching Internet Literacy, Project Based Writing, and Nonfiction Reading Strategies for the Common Core. She is the author of ˜Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers and Writing Behind Every Door: Teaching Common Core Writing Across the Content Areas. Heather blogs for The George Lucas Educational Foundation's Edutopia.org as well as her own www.tweenteacher.com:
I get asked this question often by nervous teachers with wonderful intentions. And here's how I respond: Don't worry about it. Are you basing your units on the following:
Bringing outside expertise into the classroom?
21st Century Methods of Communication?
Subject Matter Integration?
Then most likely, you can make the argument that you are doing any of 'em. Do your units tell a story where students role play (engineer, architect, board member, etc...) to give them a framework of how to pitch a final product? Do your units combine oral presentation, writing, creating, technology, and literacy?
Project-based, Problem-based, Inquiry-based. These all encompass the above elements. So for that reason I say that teachers shouldn't get too hung up on the terms and instead focus on rich practice that reaches so many different levels of learners.
So everyone take a breath and don't get too concerned about the nomenclature. If you're utilizing these elements, you're teaching with passion, you're teaching with engagement, and you're teaching with rigor.
Response From Ron Berger
Ron Berger, Chief Academic Officer for Expeditionary Learning, taught public school for more than twenty-five years. He is the author of An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students and a co-author of Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools through Student-Engaged Assessment and Transformational Literacy: Making the Common Core Shift with Work That Matters:
What are the differences between project-based, problem-based and inq