Project-Based Learning: Turning Ideas into Action

While many school programs integrate projects into their teaching methods, these projects frequently become overwhelming extra work for teachers and impersonal activities that do not fully engage students. Therefore, it’s essential to look for ways to implement Project Based Learning (PBL) in a way that is both enjoyable and inspiring for students, while also remaining practical and manageable for teachers.

The new edition of the course “Introducing Project Based Learning in the Classroom” took place in Palermo from 06/07/2025 to 12/07/2025. Participants joined from manyl European countries, including Andrea Lukášová and Vilma Saktorová from ZŠ 1. máje Hranice in the Czech Republic; Monika Pawłowska, Magdalena Małek, Beata Wrześniewska, and Małgorzata Wojtyła–Drwal from Zespół Szkół w Mętowie in Poland; Sabine Henninger from Hessenwaldschule in Germany; Agostinho Martins from Escola Profissional de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural de Ponte de Lima in Portugal; Carlos Cote Caballero from FEDAC Manresa in Spain; Dominika Pochylska from High School number 158 in Warsaw (CLVIII Liceum Ogólnokształcące z Oddziałami Dwujęzycznymi im. Księżnej Izabeli Czartoryskiej) in Poland; and Dorothée Verhaegen from Collège Saint Jean in France.

At the start of our training course, participants engaged in an opening activity where they shared and discussed their fears, expectations, and what they hoped to contribute personally. In the early days of the course, participants explored the core principles of Project Based Learning (PBL). They focused particularly on the five key elements of PBL, using case study videos to analyze how these components were implemented in real projects. Through this exploration, they quickly realized that PBL is more than just a standard project—it is a unique teaching method with its own specific guidelines and practices.

1.Preparing the class for project-based learning. Through self-reflection and open discussions, the teachers recognized the importance of equipping their students with the right mindset and essential qualities—primarily curiosity, reflection, inquiry, and, most importantly, the ability to collaborate effectively with peers.

2. Developing clear definitions for Learning Outcomes and applying the “Backward Designing” approach. A key aspect of Project Based Learning is ensuring it is fully integrated into the curriculum, rather than treated as extra work to be added after finishing a unit.

​3. Creating the “Driving Question” and defining the project details are vital components of Project Based Learning. The “Driving Question” acts as a spark for students’ curiosity and involvement. As students work to solve the problem or challenge posed by this question, they engage in research and investigative tasks. This journey helps them tackle the immediate challenge while also discovering and understanding key concepts and knowledge from related subject areas.

4. Designing appropriate assessment strategies emerged as an important topic for our participants, especially in terms of evaluating individual student progress during group work. In this part of the training, they explored the differences between formative and summative assessments, discovering that formative assessment is often more valuable and effective for monitoring and supporting students’ learning and performance than summative assessment.

​5. The integration of ICT tools in Project Based Learning is indispensable. When working on a PBL project, it is difficult to imagine proceeding without the assistance of modern technologies. Our participants had the valuable opportunity to directly experience and utilize some of the essential tools that facilitate the seamless and effective implementation of PBL in the classroom.

The participants gained valuable hands-on experience by working on their own project throughout the week. Each day, they delved into different elements of implementing PBL and, as a group, developed a project specifically designed for their students’ age levels. This activity served several purposes: it helped clear up any uncertainties about creating individual projects, encouraged the exchange of ideas, and fostered engaging discussions among colleagues from various countries.  Thanks to the input and enthusiastic, open-minded attitude of all participants, we were able to achieve excellent outcomes as a team during our PBL course.

Discover more about this course here.