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Now is the Time: Leap to Student-Centered PBL

Ben Owens

Sept 8, 2020

Ben Owens writes about how the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted educators to embrace Project Based Learning (PBL) as an effective and engaging solution.

In this unprecedented school year, many teachers are cautious about implementing Project Based Learning (PBL) in a remote learning environment, grappling with the uncertainties and complexities involved. Despite this hesitation, a growing number of educators are eager to explore alternative, more engaging, and effective approaches for their students. Rather than persisting with traditional compliance and control tactics, they are leveraging this period of uncertainty as an opportunity to meet students where they are through approaches such as PBL.


Embracing high-quality PBL in a virtual context requires significant effort, especially when compared to simply reusing passive lessons with standard deadlines and grading criteria. However, the rewards of genuine PBL significantly outweigh the challenges, as it provides engaging and relevant learning experiences for students even in remote settings. Teachers adopting PBL in remote learning are part of a global community, sharing project ideas, online learning hints, and complete projects through platforms like PBLWorks, which offers a wealth of free resources for various grade levels and curricular areas. Furthermore, PBLWorks has adapted its Gold Standard PBL 101 workshop to demonstrate exemplary PBL instruction in a virtual setting, reflecting the transformative potential of PBL.


A recent virtual PBL workshop provided an inspiring example of the transformative potential of PBL. A group of high school teachers struggled to develop a virtual, cross-curricular project relevant to their students in a rural school. By suggesting a few pertinent questions to guide their project development, the teachers were inspired to create a project exploring the current issue of mask-wearing in the context of COVID-19. This simple idea led to diverse and interdisciplinary connections, demonstrating how PBL can provide authentic entry points for sustained inquiry and engagement even in a remote learning setting.


The shift to student-centered PBL has the potential to bring excitement and deeper learning to classrooms, developing essential problem-solving skills in students. By trusting the process and adhering to the core elements of authentic PBL, educators can expect increased engagement and deeper learning, thereby preparing students for the challenges of today's world. Ultimately, this moment offers an opportunity to create a teaching and learning environment that promotes collaboration, engagement, and problem-solving skills for all students, despite the difficulties posed by remote learning.

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