Project Based Learning: Construct a Driving Question or Problem

Project Based Learning Step 2: Construct a Driving Question or Problem

Define your problem:

A quality project based learning experience should be based on one of the following:

• A problem to solve. (ex. Stop ISD728 students from texting and driving.)
• A question to answer. (ex. How can we improve energy efficiency at school?) 
• A task to complete. (ex. Design a refuge habitat for an endangered animal.)

This problem, question or task drives the entire project and gives it purpose. If this step is crafted well, students will need to master your content standards and 21st century skills before they can successfully complete the project.

A quality driving question, problem or task includes these elements:

• It is meaningful to the students.
• It is posed at an appropriate level of challenge.
• It is open-ended, with no simple, cookie-cutter solution.
• It engages students.
• It is aligned to learning objectives.

These two videos will provide an introduction to this idea and a more in-depth webinar on developing your driving question or problem.

Get students excited!   Inspire!

Great PBL experiences begin with a "launch" activity that gets the students excited to solve your problem. The best launches are often brief, memorable and dramatic. They draw students in and make them want to solve the problem. Here are some articles to give you ideas.

• Edutopia
• Innovation: Education
• Creating a High Quality Launch

Involve Students from the Start   Empower!

While you may initiate the driving problem, be sure to involve your students in the question-generating process. Don't just give them all the questions they will need to answer. Let them do this work! They should ask "What questions need to be answered to solve the problem?" Of course, you should vary the complexity of this activity based on your grade level. Younger students may do this as a large group while older students can work more independently.

• Brainstorm questions as a full class.
• Brainstorm questions in groups.
• Brainstorm questions individually.
• Jigsaw the problem with groups focusing on different parts of the problem.