Why Must It Be Doing Projects vs. Project-Based Learning? Why Not Both?

One of the popular debates that has made the rounds is doing projects vs. project-based learning. Project-based learning is considered to be "good" — or rather, teaching and learning that should be promoted in the classroom. Doing projects is regarded as "bad" or a learning experience that has little merit or value.

While visuals and graphics clearly distinguish the differences between the learning experiences of doing projects and project-based learning, the message is often clear — teaching and learning experiences that have students doing projects are "bad" but those that engage students in project-based learning are "good."

The discussion over doing projects and project-based learning should not be about which one is "good" or "bad." It is actually a comparison between product vs. process.

Doing projects is about producing a product that reflects or represents a student's talent and thinking.

Project-based learning is the process of designing something — a plan, product, or procedure — that will address, handle, resolve, or settle an issue, problem, or situation. The project is not the end product produced but rather the activity or task of addressing or responding to an issue, problem, or situation.

This makes project-based learning actually more synonymous with the other PBL in education — problem-based learning. The Center for Teaching Excellence of Cornell University defines problem-based learning as "a student-centered approach in which students learn about a subject by working in groups to solve an open-ended problem." The processes and stages of both PBLs are practically the same. The difference is the goal. With problem-based learning, the goal is to solve the problem. With project-based learning, the end result is to design or develop a project that will solve the problem.

David H. Jonassen developed a Taxonomy of Problems that identifies and scaffolds different types of problems based upon their complexity. These problems can serve as the scenarios, settings, and situations in project-based learning:

• Domain-Independent: Tame puzzle problems that have a specific outcome or result but require no background knowledge or foundational understanding in an academic area.
• Routine: Tame, well-structured problems that have a specific answer, outcome, or solution and require background knowledge and foundational understanding in an academic area or subject to solve.
• Non-Routine: Ill-structured problems that are complex (there might be more than one possible solution or way to solve them) or wicked (these problems cannot be solved — only addressed, handled, resolved, settled, or even avoided).

Wicked problems are often considered to be impossible projects because there are so many components, issues, and even obstacles. However, impossible projects are the greatest opportunity for demonstrating and communicating creative thinking — making desires and dreams practical and real. Wicked problems and impossible projects are what put us on the moon, helped us cure diseases, and encourage us to grow and develop socioeconomically and socioemotionally.

Most kids not only find doing projects to be enjoyable but also memorable.

Think about your own experience in grades K-12. What do you remember? Do you remember that lecture your teacher gave, that worksheet you had to do, that test you took, or the project you created and perhaps worked on with your classmates? Along with the extracurricular activities in which we participated and the social experiences we had, what we typically remember about our K-12 education are the projects we did.

That is the greatest benefit of doing projects — it is personally rewarding. The student feels a sense of pride having their work showcased and even shown off for everyone to see and praise. It also allows students to think like an artisan — people who make things or provide services "with a distinctive touch and a flair in which they took personal pride." When students think like an artisan, they take pride in what they do.

Doing projects also fosters teaching and learning for differentiation and individualization, and personalization:

• Differentiation: Allows teachers to utilize multiple ways students can demonstrate and communicate their learning.
• Individualization: Focuses on how an individual student processes and presents the learning they have acquired and developed.
• Personalization: Encourages students to express and share their learning in their own unique way rather than simply do the same task or take a standardized assessment.

To promote differentiated and individualized instruction and personalized learning through doing projects, I designed the Multiple Intelligence Activity (M.I.A.) Grid. Each square within the grid addresses a specific strength or skill identified in Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. The students are presented with a driving good question that asks them how could or would you or what can you design, develop, or do.

Student choice is a key component. The M.I.A. Grid promotes student choice by allowing students to choose which project they want to do. Instead of giving them the same project to do, students can choose from a menu of options that challenges and engages them in developing and demonstrating their talent and thinking through design.

In the center of the grid is a square called Student Original Combo that allows students either to combine the project choices presented or come up with their own project that would address the objective and essential question of the unit. This not only further encourages students to choose how to demonstrate and communicate their learning but also think creatively about what kind of project could they personally come up with that addresses the text or topic they are learning.

Inevitably, active student-centered learning experiences will have students doing projects and engaging in project-based learning. The issue should not be doing projects vs. project-based learning. The question should be:

• Should students do a project so they can express and share their learning creatively?
• Should students develop and demonstrate their talent and thinking by addressing and responding to a problem through a project-based learning experience?

Why not both?

Erik M. Francis, M.Ed., M.S. is an author, educator, and speaker who specializes in teaching and learning that promotes cognitive rigor and college and career readiness. He is the author of Now That's a Good Question! How to Promote Cognitive Rigor Through Classroom Questioning published by ASCD. He is also the owner of Maverik Education LLC.