As an educational society, we still struggle with the transition from traditional, didactic pedagogy to authentic learning experiences. One of the ways that authentic learning has been embedded into classrooms across the nation has been the growing use of Project Based Learning experiences, or PBLs. 

According to PBLWorks.org, PBL can be defined as "a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects." As a former gifted education teacher, I had gradually added PBLs to our math curriculum, and noticed a large increase in student engagement. This is due to the fact that PBL allows for student creativity, movement, collaboration, and peer interaction, which are all important components of authentic pedagogy (Sormunen, Juuti, & Lavonen 2020). PBL also adds relevance to the use of curriculum. For example, in a project that I had done with 5th grade gifted education math students, students were learning about percentages. In order to increase real-world relevance, we worked together on a PBL in which students searched Realtor.com for their "dream house". They then researched current interest rates at local banks, and we calculated monthly mortgage rates based on those numbers. Students then used budgeting tools to be able to determine what their monthly income would need to be in order to afford that home. This was more meaningful to students than rote memorization of the formulas for finding percentages. 

PBLWorks.org

While PBL has been proven effective in increasing student engagement and contributing to retaining of learning, there are some drawbacks and obstacles that may need to be considered when implementing PBL. Teachers have reported that challenges in implementation include time constraints, equipment, inequality, cost, students' capabilities, and discipline (Swift 2018). These can be addressed by the use of PBL grants, teacher assistance and guidance, and ensuring that the PBL is of high quality, thus leading to engagement that would mimimize disciplinary issues. 

References: 

PBL Works. https://www.pblworks.org.

Sormunen, K., Juuti, K. & Lavonen, J. Maker-Centered Project-Based Learning in Inclusive Classes: Supporting Students’ Active Participation with Teacher-Directed Reflective Discussions. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 18, 691–712 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-09998-9

Swift, Arwen (2018) "Integration of Project-based Learning in Elementary Social Studies". The Councilor: A Journal of the Social Studies: Vol. 79: No. 2, Article 4.