A Hands on Experience with Project Based Learning

Project based learning is fast becoming the most sought after type of program for students to participate in. As a parent, it is important to me that my daughter is engaged and actively learning each day. By using hands on experiences and projects to teach, my daughter is able to get excited about a project because she has either chosen something that she has an interest in or because she can actually decide what the topic or theme of the project will be.

While working on a project at the beginning of this year, my daughter had to plan a dream vacation. She chose to go to Machu Picchu, Peru and already knew a number of different facts and information on her destination. Planning the trip was easy because she was already interested in her choice, she just needed a little bit of guidance in where and how to find her data.

She had to take into account who would be going on the trip, he best time of year to travel there, all transportation/parking costs, food and lodging costs, entertainment while at her destination and she had to keep it all under a specific budget amount. While working on this project, she learned how to research and compile all the information specific to the area she would be visiting and how to present what she had learned in a neat, organized way. She also learned how a budget can affect the decision making process and how important it is to stay within specific spending limits. Months later she still talks about all she learned from the project and how much fun she had planning the dream vacation.

Another example of my daughter engaging in a project she enjoyed was when she spent two days making a stop motion video with help from her teacher. My daughter made the characters out of clay and wrote the story. With the help of her teacher, they created a short video that my daughter was extremely proud to show to her friends and family. She learned how much time and effort goes into making a movie using the same technique and even began making her own videos at home using her tablet.

As the final days of school approach, my daughter is actively working on a project that involves how our government works. She has been able to tell me something new she learned almost daily in researching and compiling data. She is engaged in learning about how a president is elected, what the electoral college means and even what the duties are for the three branches of government and who belong in which branch.

While we still participate in learning state requirements, it’s nice that my daughter has the opportunity to participate in projects that she is actively interested in. We are looking forward to another year at Method and cannot wait to see what types of projects are available next year!