Project-Based Learning: The Way of the Future

No Point in a Future if we are Stuck on the Past

Devon Small, Paw Print Reporter|March 22, 2022

Student stressing over a test.

We all have that memory, for some it may be distant, sitting at the desk staring at a test that you studied for all night trying to memorize facts but not absorbing the information. Nerves start to fog your memory and cause you to lose focus. There is no time to lose focus, no time to take a breath because every moment you sit stressing, more time is wasted. Taking a test can be a very daunting task that some schools are starting to break away from. Testing is something meant for the past, before we had the internet at our fingertips. There is no longer a need to memorize facts because we have a way to look them up. At this point in our society we need to learn how we can apply this knowledge and use it in our real life. The best way to show this is with project-based learning (PBL). 

One important skill students will learn is problem solving. Everyday we are faced with many problems and mistakes we make in life and one of the best places to learn how to handle a problem is in a controlled environment like school. When given a problem that comes up in their project they will have to persevere to find an answer, which will also teach them about failure and that even if you do not find an answer the first time you have to keep working for your goal. PBL also does a great job of helping the students get a more in-depth understanding of the material. Rather than quickly memorizing the material just to forget it after a test students will be applying this knowledge and showing that they have a deeper understanding of the topic which will in most cases help the student remember what they are learning and apply it in their real life. In some ways it is like driving a car, we do take a test to be able to show that we have been reading about the rules of the road but they wouldn’t give someone their license unless they were able to show that they could apply that knowledge and be safe behind the wheel. 

I’ve never been good at taking tests, I have exhausting anxiety that becomes extremely heightened during tests causing me to lose focus and have trouble remembering what I studied. Tests have become so stressful that I have had panic attacks during the studying process. I know that this is an extreme case and that there are many kids that may not stress as much as me but we can not ignore the fact that there are countless students with mental health issues, some who may not even know it, wondering why they struggle so much. Everyone learns differently and no two student minds are the same so why would we give the same test to every student and expect them to all get A’s.