Potential for project based learning curriculum

Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein once said, “Play is the highest form of research.”

Such is the philosophy behind project-based learning, a classroom technique in which students investigate solutions to highly applicable problems and challenges.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is an organization that designs and provides activity, problem, and project based curriculum to schools across the nation.

Their goal: to encourage innovative thinking and inspire imagination in future leaders of the world’s scientific community.

PLTW aims to transform learning experiences and reinvent the classroom by creating “an engaging, hands-on classroom environment and empower students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills they need to thrive.”

While considering changes to their curriculum, Lind-Ritzville High School is considering the potential in becoming a PLTW school.

In doing so, LRHS would exalt the project based learning mentality.

Of their philosophy on education, PLTW explained, “We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.”

Such is reflected in the curriculum they provide. PLTW Launch is available for students in kindergarten through fifth grade and PLTW Gateway is offered to middle school students.

Three courses exist for high school students, championing activity, problem, and project based learning. Subjects include engineering, computer science, and biomedical science.

PLTW engineering “empowers students to engage in design thinking as they collaborate on real-world projects like working with a client to design a home, programming electronic devices or robotic arms, or exploring algae as a biofuel source.”

“At a time when computer science affects how we work and live, PLTW Computer Science empowers students in [high school] to become creators, instead of merely consumers, of the technology all around them,” PLTW explained of their computer science course.

Biomedical science is a discipline that applies science and engineering to healthcare.

PLTW explains their course “allows students to see themselves in the roles of biomedical science professionals as they solve real-world challenges, such as preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease and investigating the death of a fictional person.”

Many local schools have already adopted PLTW curriculum, including Colfax, Davenport, Medical Lake, Cheney, Moses Lake, and many schools in Spokane.

Its applicability to classrooms across the nation supports the necessity of alignment with national standards. They explained, “All PLTW pathways align to Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts and Next Generation Science Standards.”

“Our multidisciplinary programs… provide districts and schools with the flexibility to tailor programs to meet their specific state or local requirements as needed,” PLTW added.

Further, high school courses in PLTW can be conducted in conjunction with the College Board’s Advanced Placement program. This provides evidence for the rigor of the program, necessary “to help prepare all students for the global workforce.”

PLTW continued, “Global and local challenges surround us. To address these challenges and move forward, we need people who know problem-solving strategies, think critically and creatively, communicate and collaborate with others, and persevere when something does not work the first time.”

A proponent of the role of project based learning in achievement, Einstein said, “Success comes from curiosity, concentration, perseverance, and self-criticism.”