What+are+the+benefits?

**Advantages vs. Disadvantages:** As with any type of design for learning, there are disadvantages in addition to advantages for its use. Project Based Learning should be research and well understood by the educator before implementation into the classroom. The disadvantages of PBL can come if educators are restricted by the amount of time given to be with students. Without the proper amount of time, success with implementing PBL could occur. Another source of trouble can be with restrictions on flexibility. Teachers who create PBL experiences within their classroom must be willing to create environments that yield creativity and flexibility. It is in the best interest of the students if the learning environments and adult in charge have an open mind and are free to change any aspects of their current learning space.

Students are learning 21st century skills!

 * it is intended to teach significant content
 * it requires critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and various forms of communication.
 * it requires inquiry as part of the process of learning and creating something new.
 * is organized around an open-ended driving question.
 * it creates a need to know essential content and skills
 * it allows some degree of student voice and choice
 * it includes processes for revision and reflection
 * it involves a public audience




 * Research showing the success and potential benefits of PBL within classrooms: **

There are a number of studies that find the true benefits of PBL as it applies to student success. Below are a list of links to some of these pieces of information:

@http://www.bie.org/research/study/experimental_study_of_bie_project_based_economics_units This study was conducted by WestEd's Regional Educational Laboratory West and was federally funded in order to find the potential impact of the BIE project based economics unit. Results clearly show that students and teachers benefit from this type of experience.

This article is written by Blumenfeld et al. from the University of Michigan and explains the importance of "sustaining the doing, supporting the learning" within the classroom.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">This document provides a review of reserach from John W. Thomas, Ph. D. It in an "intensive" explanation of many research studies done in the ten years prior to its release in 2000.

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