The aim of project based learning is to enable the students to make an age appropriate sustained and meaningful inquiry. This exercise should develop their skills and further their conceptual knowledge through an in-depth investigation. The project should culminate in the form of a product (material or intangible) that makes a positive contribution towards the immediate or wider community. Above all, the students must, by engaging in this exercise, be able to understand and appreciate the process of learning and take pride in their accomplishments.
The objective of project based learning is to enable the students to understand different aspects of ‘learning by doing’, including evaluation of their own work. The project may be assessed based on how a student goes about the following.
The role of teachers in project based learning is to supervise the student. Every student must have a dedicated supervisor who will counsel and guide the student in the project(s) undertaken over the academic year. A teacher will supervise a set of students depending on the number of students to be supervised in total. Their task would include the following:
The pedagogy of projects in the middle school must be based on inquiry driven learning. The project must be based on the objectives mentioned above and must focus on:
The project assessment must take place on the basis of criteria explicitly communicated and explained by the supervisor to the student.
The student must produce the following to have the project assessed as per above criteria
Some example of probable projects (product) for the middle school