Using Project-Based Learning to Motivate Students in America

When the school year began, an outside consultant gave an in-service training on how to implement project work with students. Although some of the teachers were reluctant to use project-based learning (PBL), I have always been a firm believer that such assignments and continuous assessment are a better way of motivating students. In Britain, I coordinated a vocationally-based course utilizing PBL in which the students had to produce a series of assignments to show their understanding of the curriculum. Therefore, here in the States, I introduced student projects and presentations to assess students' learning.

In my sophomore biology classes, our first project topic was on the structure and function of the cell, and it was amazing to see the effort students put into their projects. Their products representing the organelles in a cell ranged from posters and models to cakes, candies, and gelatin. One group produced a cake, a poster, and a model made from plasticene. It was hard not to award all of them full marks. A number of colleagues came to help me judge the students' work, and the teachers were not only impressed with the quality of the students' learning but also fully enjoyed the chocolate and strawberry cake that one group made.

In many ways, the most interesting aspect of this project was the work of the most difficult sophomore class I teach. One group of boys decided to do their project on the sperm cell. Well, what started off as a big joke ended up as being one of the best projects of all, with some high-level research into the structure and function of the sperm cell, a superbly produced poster with the word SPERM spelled out in individual sperm, and a large papier-mache model of the cell itself. These boys didn't realize it, but they worked much harder on that project than they normally work in class.

More recently, the students did a project on enzymes. Each group had to present information on at least one lab they had carried out and also do some research on the industrial use of enzymes. Again, the quality of the work was quite spectacular. The best group wrote, performed, and danced a rap that described how to carry out a particular experiment. The rap included an awareness of safety issues and showed a real understanding not only of the scientific method but also the biological principles that underlie it.

My experiences with American students thus far has led me to consider the major differences between teaching students in England and in the United States. Here are three major differences I've found:

• American students are louder than their British compatriots and a little less patient. They are reluctant to let me complete an explanation without asking questions. The brighter students interrupt because they've thought of relevant questions to ask. The less able or younger students interrupt because they are bored and want to do something active, like a lab.
• American students are used to homework and will do it to a higher standard than British students. British students know that the all-important exams at the end of the year are what count and so they will produce a lower quality of work during the year – unless it is course work that counts towards the final grade. In fact, the only grade a British student ever sees is a final grade at the end of the year. So it is easier to motivate the students here with their never-ending desire to see what their grades are. American teachers definitely need their grade book software to keep students' running grades up-to-date.
• American students are less aware of testing techniques and how to review for exams than their British counterparts. I've taught them the skills of review and suggested the importance of mind maps and other ways to summarize what they need to know for their forthcoming tests. My students initially thought I was from Mars, but some have taken my advice and are performing better in exams.

Other than that, students here are like students all over the world: Some will try to get away with doing as little work as possible. Others, of course, are really committed students who are excellent and deserve every success they achieve. Interestingly enough, my American exchange partner came up with similar conclusions, and our thoughts will be in the school's yearbook here.

Andy's prior journal entries

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