Project-Based Learning

Project-Based Learning Design Guide
(High Tech High)

Some ways to define Project Based Learning:

1. “deep immersion in a consequential activity” (Bruner, 1966)
2. “…wholehearted purposeful activity proceeding in a social environment…” (William Heard Kilpatrick, 1918)

Where do I start?

While every project conception is different, the project nearly always starts with one of the following:

• A Product – What do you want the students to create? Example: “A two minute documentary film”
• An Essential Question – What question guides the student experience or what question are the students trying to answer with their work? Example: “Is democracy the most effective means of government?”
• Goals, skills & content – What do you want your students to learn, do, or accomplish during this project? Example: “I want students to interact meaningfully with adult professionals, understand how the democratic process works, and learn how to record and edit videos.”
• Audience & Exhibition – When, where, how, and to whom will students present their completed works? Example: “Students will present their videos to the local city council just before the primary election season.”