WHY PROJECT-BASED?

First, it just makes sense. Imagine- a friend calls you up and asks you to write her a letter describing the different methods of cake decorating and their pros and cons. But she isn’t a baker and doesn’t ever plan on being one- how would you feel about her request? You know she will read it and she offers to give you feedback on the writing style, but you aren’t planning on becoming a writer. It would just be busy work- this is how our students feel when they are asked to write a paper on something that doesn’t interest them or help anyone, and will never be seen outside the classroom.

What if, instead, a friend told you she wanted to start a business decorating cupcakes? Then she asked if you would mind doing some research and writing up your findings to help her out. A little better, right?

Now imagine that you decide together to start a baking business and that you need to research decorating techniques and share what you learn with each other.

Technically you are doing the same action each time- writing about decorating cupcakes, but it is obvious in which scenario you would spend more time on, learn from, and enjoy. Why would this be different for kids?