Project Based Learning

Creating an Optimal Learning Experience

“In our opinion, the price was reasonable for the drinks and cake pop because in New York, it is expensive. Other shops might be a little more expensive because of inflation.” A helpful Yelp review? Possibly! But this Starbucks review is the final stage of a project-based activity led by Speech Therapist Jamie Nussbaum.

Educators of America describe Project-Based Learning (PBL) as “more than just a teaching method. It is a revitalization of education for students so they can develop intellectually and emotionally.” A good initial framework for understanding PBL, but Parkside takes this one step further... or perhaps, more accurately, several steps deeper.

Rather than focusing on isolated skills, Parkside therapists often integrate their goals into a context led or chosen by the student. This approach supports attention, motivation, and risk-taking— in short, the student is engaged!

As projects extend through weeks or even months, goals blend with deeper meaning to create an optimal learning experience.

Let’s return to the Starbucks review. Jamie and her three students chose a food review project for their work. This real-world scenario provided the context of visiting restaurants such as Starbucks, a local bubble tea shop, and a Japanese restaurant, followed by writing reviews. A wide range of language and executive function goals were included: expanding vocabulary and sentence complexity, daily goal setting, time management, and compromising. In addition, writing goals were incorporated using Judith Hochman’s writing method. Students then distributed their reviews to the Parkside community. Jamie reflected, “The students felt extremely accomplished when their multi-month project was complete and their work was published (shared)!”

For Speech Therapist Remya Thomas, the PBL context arose from student- initiated problem-solving. Remya recalled, “My students expressed that they had a lot of energy during our speech appointments and needed more opportunities to move around.” A basketball hoop project became the context for Remya’s work. Communication and executive function goals included: remembering and following multi-step directions, collaborating, remaining flexible during group decisions (i.e., where to hang the hoop), and problem-solving. Remya described this project as “a practical way to help make learning more dynamic and impactful for my students—not to mention the final product, a basketball hoop now used for movement-based therapy activities!”

As has been described, project-based learning provides opportunities for students to practice skills in the domains of social communication, language, and executive function. These skills were also addressed in a project led by Speech Therapist Greta Lincoln. Greta’s students created a board game called Random Rumble, which was “entirely child-led and incorporated both students’ interests in Minecraft and YouTube videos.” Greta used Sara Ward’s “Get Ready, Do, Done” template to support her students’ abilities to visualize the final product and work backward to plan the game goal, design the board, and create the rules. Greta described her students as meeting their goals of perspective-taking, working collaboratively, and producing specific, detailed language. Greta noted that her students “even brought Random Rumble to their classroom, where they could play with their classmates during free choice.” Random Rumble was a hit!

So what do sipping a Classic Milk Tea, dunking a Nerf basketball, and landing on the 5 Nerd Bucks Space have in common? You guessed it! They’re all examples of project-based learning through which our Parkside students practiced many different skills while experiencing the joy of learning.