Along with learning about academic subjects, students spend their time in school discovering who they are and who they want to be. Many students find that extracurricular activities give them the most opportunities for self-discovery. However, there’s another way students can learn a lot about themselves while learning about classroom subjects: through project-based learning. Here are some of the ways project-based learning can help students find themselves.
Collaboration and Social Skills
Project-based learning requires students to work together toward a common goal. One of the best ways to learn about yourself is by working with others. Students learn how they can overcome challenges, from the intrapersonal to the academic. They learn the most effective ways to communicate, often through trial and error. At the end of each project, they build even more on these essential skills, gaining more insight into who they are.
Building Autonomy and Self-Direction
It may seem to contradict the previous point, but in many projects, working independently is as important as collaborating with the group. Each student needs to build their part of the project so that the whole can come together. While working collaboratively, they learn what they can do by themselves and where they need to lean on each other. Once the project is complete, each student can take ownership of their contributions.
Developing Critical Thinking and Creativity
Children who learn in project-based settings often find themselves needing to think creatively and critically at the same time. Leaning too much on creativity can create beautiful end results that lack substance, while leaning too much on critical thinking can lead to too much thinking and not enough doing. Each project creates new opportunities to make informed decisions with the help of teammates, who learn from each other in the process.
Cultivating Passion and Purpose
Finding yourself, especially as a young student, means discovering what you’re passionate about and where you excel. Project-based learning allows students to explore their personal interests in a way that relates to the subjects they’re studying. Rather than being abstract and distant, academic concepts become tangible, and therefore more relatable. Students may discover interests they never knew they had and talents that they choose to explore outside the classroom.
At North Tampa Christian Academy, we believe project-based learning puts students on the path to success. Students at our Tampa private school thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.