Create: Our Project-Based Pillar

Project-Based Learning is an approach where students learn by actively exploring real world problems and challenges through projects.

Rather than memorizing facts from a textbook, children might spend several weeks investigating a driving question and then create something — a report, an invention, a presentation — to demonstrate their learning.

The project-based learning that happens at PCS is hands-on, collaborative, research-based and reflective.

Whether students successfully petition their local town board for Turtle Crossing street signs or create fully immersive, multimedia reenactments of the Big Bang to teach their younger schoolmates about the birth of the Universe, or design their own superheroes using current bionic and cybernetic technology to illustrate the positive intersections of humans and technology, the project-based learning that happens at PCS is deeply memorable and meaningful.

Project-Based Learning in action at PCS:

Deeper Understanding and Retention:

  • By applying knowledge to real problems, students develop a more robust understanding of concepts. They are able to remember material longer and apply it to new contexts. For example, students in a project-based learning environment have been shown to retain science knowledge far better weeks later, compared to lecture-taught peers.

Better Problem Solving and Critical Thinking:

  • In a project-based learning meta-analysis, educators reported that giving students real-world problems to solve led to significant gains in students’ higher order thinking skills (like analyzing, hypothesizing and creative problem-solving) compared to traditional teaching.

Higher Student Engagement and Confidence:

  • Children often find project work more meaningful and exciting, leading to higher engagement and few discipline issues.

  • Teachers report that quiet students often blossom as leaders during group projects, and struggling learners find new entry points to understanding through hands-on work.

Increased Academic Success:

  • Research notes especially strong gains in academic achievement for students engaged in project-based learning, and a multi-state study showed significant test score improvements across subjects when schools adopted project-based learning.

  • Studies in elementary and middle schools show that students in project based learning classrooms outperform their peers on standardized tests, even when the projects replace some of the usual direct instruction.

  • This study looked at second graders learning social studies through community projects. The project-based learning group not only enjoyed the lessons more — they ended up gaining the equivalent of 5-6 additional months of learning in social studies, and also showed significantly higher growth in reading skills, compared to students in traditional classes.

Key Outcomes of Project-Based Learning: