Project-Based Learning

Learn how to bring cross-curricular, arts-infused project-based learning into your classroom.

At Nashville Big Picture High School, students personalize their own learning -- from presenting projects on real-world issues to pitching their own business plans.

At Charles R. Drew Charter School, third-grade students use PBL to prepare for the next Snowpocalypse.

Ralston Elementary School is creating a culture of inquiry to nourish 21st-century learners.

By using real-world problems as projects for children to solve, Crellin Elementary empowers, engages, and excites students about what they can learn and how they can use that knowledge.

Wildwood IB World Magnet School uses the inquiry-based model to put students in charge of their learning, with lessons that stem from student questions and harness the power of curiosity.

Beginning with a central question and driven by curiosity and personal passions, science students at Casey Middle seek answers through research, experimentation, and data analysis.

During Quest to Learn's intensive PBL "Boss Level" challenge, students engage in hands-on projects to practice real-world skills. Learn five steps to design your own classroom challenge, for any school or grade

Assessment can be integrated seamlessly into project-based learning. Find tools for measuring student understanding from the beginning to the end of a project.

When they are directly involved in planning and steering projects, students are more invested in their learning. Get ideas for empowering your students to work independently.

PBL provides a unique opportunity to help students practice critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Learn how to optimize the environment for teamwork in your classroom.

Project-based learning doesn't mean leaving standards behind. Follow these tips to plan projects that challenge your students and align with core learning goals.

Students are more engaged when learning relates directly to the world they live in. See how to extend your projects beyond the classroom walls.

Well-designed project-based learning (PBL) has been shown to result in deeper learning and engaged, self-directed learners. Learn more about the five core elements of successful PBL.

Learning how the body works becomes an adventure as sixth grade students embark on a biology-based narrative journey at game-based learning school Quest to Learn.

Teachers at Sammamish High in Washington share their difficulties and triumphs as their school moves from traditional delivery of instruction to schoolwide problem-based learning.

Middle school students learn social studies through Historia, a paper-based simulation game that incorporates a world cultures curriculum aligned to state standards.

Sixth graders learn math concepts in tandem with lessons about perseverance and stretching to achieve goals through a board game called Caterpillar.

Middle school students create their own 3D virtual worlds and learn lessons about communication, collaboration, and digital citizenship through the first-person sandbox-style game called Minecraft.

Through a project called Knowledge in Action, researchers at the University of Washington have been exploring whether project-based learning can help high school students with diverse learning styles understand content more deeply in advanced placement courses.

In Part 3, the team reveals the refurbished classroom to the principal and students, and walks through the new ways of teaching and learning that will be enabled by the physical changes.

Edutopia's three-part series follows a determined middle school teacher as he transforms his crowded classroom space to enable deeper learning. In Part 1, Mr. Mattice and the designers from The Third Teacher Plus figure out what's working and what's not.

In Part 2, the designers and Mr. Mattice get students, parents, and community volunteers to come together for a weekend of construction and collaboration.

16-year-old Noah finds purpose and learns valuable career skills working at a nonprofit two full days a week, while protecting and restoring his local watershed. Internships with deep impact are a key element at his high school, San Diego Met, part of the

Math used to be a struggle for 14-year-old Kathryn, until she fell in love with cars and started a hands-on project to build her own. Now the math matters and makes sense, and a whole new world of learning has opened up for her.

Go inside Manor New Technology High School, part of the New Tech Network of schools, where an unwavering commitment to an effective schoolwide PBL model keeps both students and teachers motivated and achieving their best.

The noted educational futurist describes his "holodeck" classroom -- an environment that supports project-based learning -- and makes the case for why the role of the teacher must change from lecturer to exploration guide.

Edutopia.org's Director of Video Programming, Zachary Fink, interviews UC Berkeley professor Dor Abrahamson about how to increase students' understanding of math.

A public middle school and high school in Whitfield County, Georgia show how to recreate the learning strategies of a renowned charter school in a traditional setting.

Once a traditional lecture-style teacher, Michelle Underwood's science classroom now hums with the energy of students absorbed in collaborative learning projects.

Editor's Note, 4/18/11: According to numerous press reports, including CBS's "60 Minutes" broadcast on Sunday April 17th, there are many inaccuracies in Greg Mortenson's books "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones Into Schools." Edutopia is following these reports closely and will provide clarifications for our audience as soon as we know more. Meanwhile, we suggest that readers proceed with caution before involving students in the Pennies for Peace program mentioned in this video. Pennies for Peace is a project of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, founded by Mortenson. "60 Minutes" has raised questions about CAI's financial accountability.

poetry slam, slam poetry, video conference

Portland, Maine, STW, Schools That Work, kinetic sculpture, public art, science

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers, science, King Middle School

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers

Schools That Work, Portland, Maine, Edutopia, GLEF, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Schools, Laptops, Teachers