The Power of Collaborative Project Work in Learning

When I first began to teach, the idea of a class being divided into groups and working away one some project was not well-regarded. Parents worried about the student who did no work and yet got the same grade as the student who carried the group on his or h eer shoulders. I had a principal who was not happy with me when I had my students working all over the school on an integrated Art and Geography project. But, now, thanks to the work of people like Vygotsky, Gardner, and Piaget, we understand that deep learning only occurs when children are processing their new learning and given chance to apply it in another way. Hence we come to Problem Based Learning or Project Work. In this podcast, I explore in greater detail how projects done collaboratively contribute to deep learning and a sense of self-esteem and accomplishment in our students.