Want your students to love math?  Absolutely!

What is project based learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method where students learn by working on real-world projects that are meaningful to them. Instead of just listening to the teacher, doing worksheets, or reading textbooks, students dive into interesting questions or problems, using what they learn from different subjects to find solutions.

As a part of this, they collaborate with classmates, think critically, and get creative.  All this happens while their teacher (that’s us!) guides and supports them. PBL makes learning fun and practical, helping students understand how their education applies to real life and preparing them for future challenges.

Why use project based learning in math?

So often, we teachers are struggling to fit in our content.  We have crazy pacing guides that steer our planning as we push students from unit to unit and standard to standard.

Where PBL activities come into play is that we can take all those important standards (and they ALL seem important, right?) and ask students to combine them in meaningful ways.  Here’s what I mean.  When we teach addition with regrouping–that’s what we practice.  Students develop fluency and can master it.  The same goes with fractions.  With measurement.  You get the picture.

What we REALLY want is for students to be able to take all the math we have taught them and know WHEN and HOW to use it.  We want them to think about the problem facing them and draw upon their math experiences to get a plan, try the plan, and modify the plan if needed.

If we don’t ever ask students to APPLY the math they are taught, we take away the thinking. If they only multiply when we tell them to multiply, they don’t learn how to USE math. Project-based learning activities can help give them those opportunities with fun topics that relate to their real world!

Benefits of PBL in Math

PBL can be a very effective way to teach math. Here are some of the benefits of using PBL in math:

• Engages students and keeps them motivated. PBL projects are typically more engaging than traditional math lessons. This is because they allow students to work on real-world problems that they are interested in. When students are engaged, they are more likely to be motivated to learn. My students LOVE doing real-world, meaningful math.

• Helps students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. As mentioned earlier, PBL projects require students to use their critical thinking and problem solving skills to solve problems. This type of learning can help students develop these skills in a meaningful way.
• Promotes collaboration and teamwork. PBL projects are ideal for cooperative work!  The math talk and dialogue about strategies make the math even more powerful.

• Encourages creativity and innovation. PBL projects often require students to be creative and innovative in their solutions and strategies.  Because so many of them have multiple entrance points and lots of ways to tackle the problem–there is no “one way”!
• Helps students see the relevance of math in the real world. PBL projects often involve real-world problems that students can relate to. This type of learning can help students see the relevance of math in the real world. (From sleepovers to bake sales to planning parties to amusement parks?  Engagement soars!)

How to implement project based learning in math

• Start with a clear goal or objective. What do you want students to learn?  This could be specific skills (such as subtraction with regrouping) or could relate to math practice standards such as perseverance, using models, and so on.
• Break the project down into smaller tasks. This will make it easier for students to manage. This is a GREAT way to differentiate.  Different students will need differing levels of support and structure.  I love that I can use the same task with my class and just scaffold more when needed!
• Provide students with resources and support. They may need help finding information, solving problems, and working with others. You may even want to make sure tools such as calculators, grid paper, or manipulatives are easily accessible so students can grab them when needed.
• Be flexible. Things don’t always go according to plan, so be prepared to adjust the project as needed. I’ve had to stop the class when I see things going poorly, bring them back together to give some clarifying information or instruction, then send them back to work.
• Celebrate students’ successes. This will help them stay motivated and engaged. I love to share great work!  We do gallery walks, showcase work under the document camera, and give compliments to classmates who have found great strategies.  It’s so empowering for students to be recognized for more than just getting correct answers!

Are you convinced yet?

PBL is a valuable teaching method that can be used to teach math. If you are looking for a way to engage students, develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills, and help them see the relevance of math in the real world, then PBL is a great option.

Want to read another great post about problem solving?

Interested in some of the tasks I use?  Click the images below to learn more about them.