Problem-Based Learning vs. Project-Based Learning
Adapted from http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/PBL&PBL.htm

Problem-Based

Project-Based

Problem-based learning, as the name implies, begins with a problem for students to solve or learn more about. Often these problems are framed in a scenario or case study format. Problems are designed to be "ill-structured" and to imitate the complexity of real life cases. The approach uses an inquiry model. There is a great deal of variability with respect to how much “exploration” is done relative to solving the problem. Example might be to explore/describe non-linear flow.

Project-based learning typically begins with an end product or "artifact" in mind, the production of which requires specific content knowledge or skills and typically raises one or more problems which students must solve. Projects vary widely in scope and time frame, and end products vary widely in level of technology used and sophistication. The project-based learning approach uses a production model. Example might be to build a product that uses a non-linear fluid. By its very nature, Projects tend to take longer than Problems.

DEFINING STANDARDS-FOCUSED PBL
Adapted from https://www.bie.org/pbl/pblhandbook/BIE_PBLintro.pdf

Standards-Focused PBL can be defined as a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks. This definition encompasses a spectrum ranging from brief projects of one to two weeks based on a single subject in one classroom to yearlong, interdisciplinary projects that involve community participation and adults outside the school. More important than the definition itself are the attributes of effective projects.

Outstanding projects:

• Recognize students’ inherent drive to learn, their capability to do important work, and their need to be taken seriously by putting them at the center of the learning process.
• Engage students in the central concepts and principles of a discipline. The project work is central rather than peripheral to the curriculum.
• Highlight provocative issues or questions that lead students to in-depth exploration of authentic and important topics.
• Require the use of essential tools and skills, including technology, for learning, self-management, and project management.
• Specify products that solve problems, explain dilemmas, or present information generated through investigation, research, or reasoning.
• Include multiple products that permit frequent feedback and consistent opportunities for students to learn from experience.
• Use performance-based assessments that communicate high expectations, present rigorous challenges, and require a range of skills and knowledge.
• Encourage collaboration in some form, either through small groups, student-led presentations, or whole-class evaluations of project results.