1. Discuss the potential pitfalls in project design.
"Long on activity, short on learning outcomes." - Projects can take up much time and energy yet does not hit on significant learning outcomes. Small/lower-order learning aims are much better suited for a brief lecture or reading rather than a huge project.
"Technology layered over traditional practice." - If students are just making use of technology rather help the students reach a somewhat "lofty" goal, then the project does not stray far from traditional uses. A sign that technology is really essential to a project is if it is used to connect students to other people, data, and primary sources that they would not be able to use if the technology was not there.
"Trivial thematic units." - Thematic teaching is not a synonym for PBL - it must be interdiscinplinary, collaborative, and rigorous. For example, just relating all of the core subjects to a theme is not PBL; using a theme to create over-arching projects with all of the stated qualities can be a PBL unit.
"Overly scripted with many, many steps." - Students need to have the freedom to direct their own learning, not have to follow many predetermined steps. A PBL unit will not end with "cookie cutter work" due to specific steps the students had to take.
2. Discuss the features of a good project.
Features of a good project includes the following: designed loosely so students have the option of pursuing different learning paths rather than tightly-designed and leading to cookie cutter work; makes the students to create their own meaning; focuses on a "driving" question; relate to complex and motivating real-life problems or situations that are relevant to the students' lives; multidisciplinary; collaborates with others outside of the school; uses primary sources or "rich data" rather than all secondary sources; sets students up to be the "inquiring expert"; develops and builds upon 21st-century skills and literacies; emphasizes important learning dispositions; and has students "learn by doing" rather than be passive learners.
3. Discuss where project ideas come from.
Project ideas can simply come from others who have tested them and found them successful. However, teachers are free to create new project ideas, and these ideas can come from many sources - the news, current issues, the students' interests, a "classroom irritant" used in an educational way, and a synthesis of an already successful idea and new tools.
4. Discuss the steps to design a project.
Before finalizing or designing a project, it is beneficial to create a "Project Sketch" with notes and ideas. When ready to develop the project, the framework needs to first be revisited - what will the learning objectives be, what 21st-century skills will be addressed, and what learning dispositions will be developed? Then what will be the "evidence of understanding" will be decided - what will students be able to do or understand when the project is over? Then the "vehicle", or the project theme/challenge itself, will be planned with "optimal ambiguity", which is the ideal balance between flexibility and structure the students need to succeed. Then the introduction or "entree" to the project experience that will get the students' attention and excitement will be planned.
5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
The concepts in this chapter are very relative to our topic/project, as we are in the process of project design! We need to keep all of the pitfalls in mind so we don't fall into them while also making sure that are project embodies all of the qualities of a good project. The steps in designing a project will also be used as we create it.
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