Those closely linked to the educational field understand the nuts and bolts of Project- Based Learning (PBL); that it's an instructional approach designed to serve up authentic learning activities to interactively engage students, peak their interest and to boost overall motivation. The PBL approach is meant to design questions or problem-solving scenarios that reiterate learning and struggles that come into play in the everyday working sphere and outside of the typical classroom environment.

The United States Department of Education recently performed a rigorous experimental design study of surveys and focus groups to draw on student results and how PBL has directly enhanced their state tests, whether or not they're college-bound, as well as college persistence metrics. The Regional Education Laboratory West released 'Effects of Problem Based Economics on High School Economics Instruction.' This in-school, randomized controlled trial tested the effectiveness of a Problem-Based Economics (PBE) curriculum developed by the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) on student learning and problem solving skills.

The study addressed the following key research questions:

• Does PBE increase student content learning, motivation to learn economics, and problem-solving skills?
• Does PBE increase teacher knowledge in economics and teacher interest in teaching economics?

The study results showed that benefits were seen among high school students and teachers:

• Students outscored their peers in the control group who received the more typical textbook-and lecture-driven approach.
• Students also scored higher on measures of problem-solving skills and their application to real-world economic challenges.
• Teachers scored higher in satisfaction with teaching material and methods than those in the control group.

One question lingers: Will more schools and teachers be apt to utilize the PBL method now that hard data confirms this approach in the classroom?

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Sources:
”Evidence the PBL Works” by Bob Lenz, EduTopia, September 3, 2010.
”“From basement classrooms, a broader view of the world” by Pat Dunnigan, Chicago Tribune, September 29, 2010.