“Oh, no, no. Thank you Michelle...I Don’t Need Security—I Need More Paper-Mâché”

Admittedly, I fear Project Based Learning. 

No, that's actually not true. I fear the containment of project based learning to the brick and mortar of my classroom... the noise... the chaos... the drop in from admin... the call from Michelle at the front office asking if I need security officer assistance. 

I have done project based learning, on many occasions. Outside the walls of academia, or the academic institution anyways. Summer camp... learning the ecosystem through a creek walk... learning the history and art of fabric crafts through buckets of tie dye and the blast of Janis Joplin through my boom box speakers... learning the importance of community and responsibility when we sit and break bread together and then finish with our assigned night of KP (kitchen patrol for the layperson). 

I think project based learning is about immersion. It's what you pick up through the experience. I struggle to see how I can bring the spirit of the experience into the small confines of the classroom walls but that shall be my next endeavor. 

I've never considered myself claustrophobic but I do need a larger personal bubble than I notice others need. Possibly, I'm just experiencing a reverse growing pain. 

Extreme red-rover could never pass the safety standards of a PE class, but we did learn about the strength of grasping arms vs clasping hands. Project based learning is about the practice of the experience.

I needn't have ever feared the noise, or the available space, or the mess we made when we were doing it in the middle of the 256 acre forest where we were shaded by a canopy of green and cooled by a waterfall fed swimming hole, and spaced as far as we desired gulping in piney sweet and clear air. I need now to only fine tune the harnessing of the spirit to the accommodation of the classroom.

Comments

  1. Robin WhitakerJuly 24, 2025 at 5:58 PM

    It is so true that projects can be loud and chaotic. From an onlooker's perspective, it might appear you've lost control of the class. My classes are known for the energy and noise that spills out into the hallways and, too often, invades other, more docile classrooms. I used to feel a bit conflicted about it because the students are SO engaged that sometimes I feel like a spectator. The projects can take on a life of their own sometimes and like Dr. Frankenstein, I'd silently wonder, "What have I done?" I often console myself by saying, "The best things in life are messy". What a relief to learn that research supports and encourages this classroom culture!

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