THE PROJECT APPROACH
Managed by the Educators Institute at Duke School
Sample Projects
Reading about—and seeing—project work in the classroom provides an excellent way to learn about or enhance one’s use of the Project Approach, a kind of project-based teaching and learning. The projects compiled here are sorted by grade level, with many making use of local surroundings and resources, integrating technology in purposeful ways, raising awareness about “green” issues, and achieving other goals aligned with best practices in 21st-century education. We invite you to explore the links below—but we also emphasize that the best projects evolve from student interests and needs and cannot be recycled in another classroom.
As you browse through examples, we encourage you to look at projects outside of your grade level. The content, activities, and skills addressed will vary, but the core goals (to engage students in active and meaningful learning pursuits) remain similar in all projects, regardless of the students’ age. In addition, you might also pick up strategies and tools used by teachers outside of your grade level. One high school teacher, for instance, heard about an innovative technology platform from a project-based second-grade teacher. The platform, known as iEarn Collaboration Centre, sets up opportunities for students to connect worldwide—a phenomenon that could enhance project work at any grade level.
