Project Based Learning n the 7th Grade

 Project Based Learning in the Classroom

    Think about your time in Social Studies class. Many people have different experiences. Some would say "I only read a textbook and took notes". Others would say "I did a lot of fun things in social studies from simulations to debates". Many Social Studies teachers battle the stereotype of the sit and read the textbook teacher. For decades, this stereotype has been long ingrained in public perception of what a social studies teacher does, especially at the high school level. Different kinds of learning can make for a more dynamic classroom experience not just for the students, but also for you as an educator. Take project based learning as an example.  Project based learning is defined as a "student centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach through active exploration of a topic". This idea centers around the idea that student exploration and investigation with inquiring skills is a different approach from the traditional take notes textbook style and encourages active critical thinking and creativity.

    One of the advantages of project based learning is student engagement. Most, (but not all), will find this style of learning particularly engaging. Usually, project based learning often incorporates elements of choice into the project design. This gives students a certain level of control over what kind of topic they'll be picking and a sense of agency. The idea that "I can pick what topic I want within the parameters" creates a sense of self discovery and control over learning. It feels more special and unique to the individual student or group of students. Take for example this "Japan Research Poster Activity" I did with my 7th graders this year. They were in the midst of a simulation about Japan and were in various castle groups. I created this research project as a way to get them learning more about the "castle" they represented and gave a list of topics to pick from.

Select portion of the direction sheet students could make a poster from.

This gave the students a variety of choice about varied topics to learn more about and investigate. The project created numerous success stories and saw a wide variety of student work and creativity, while hitting the core directions. 

    Another successful example of project based learning for Social Studies is research essays! Even with 7th graders this can be highly successful with the right supports provided. I was really proud of the creative ideas my students came up with for our 5 paragraph research essay. The project was based on a research question they had to create on their own. It had to be focused on Korean history from ancient to modern times and approved by me before starting. The project gave students a ton of creativity and ultimately allowed them to write about something they were interested in. This made student enjoyment of an otherwise onerous project much more joyous. Additionally, the choice in essay topic created a wide variety of topics that were not covered in class. Take for instance this student example.

    This essay produced a very engaging research question and covered complex research topics that we wouldn't have covered without doing a project based learning activity. Not only did this student learn something new, but also went deeper with a topic with a greater personal understanding. Another student example showed similar results. 

    This one dives deeper into the relationship between Kim Jong Un and ordinary North Koreans, performing a deeper dive into the content and giving the student an investigative insight into current and historical events in the region. The overall results proved quite strong for 7th graders and tremendous growth from the beginning of the year, particularly when it came to writing and the ability to go further with project based learning aided in that development.

    There are some potential challenges with project based learning. Too much project based learning can lead to a decentralized feeling in the classroom, lacking a central focus. This can be a significant downside as it can lead to many students going deeper in their overall area of focus, but lacking a base knowledge overall about a topic. A common debate playing out in Social Studies classroom across America today is exactly this conversation about how much "base knowledge" one should have, how many facts, how many baseline things to learn. While there's no right answer to this, too much project based learning can delay the amount of content you cover in the class time. Additionally, Too many projects can begin to feel overwhelming to the students, or just plain repetitive which could cause student interest to lag.  As with all things, I believe a balance of everything is the best approach in the classroom. Mixing project based learning with other types of learning, in my opinion, creates the most dynamic and best overall experience in the classroom for both students and your interest as a teacher. I encourage any teacher to use project based learning and break the stereotype for Social Studies teachers and show how dynamic, creative, and rigorous a Social Studies classroom can be.