Principles, Characteristics and Objectives of Project Education

Based on texts that have been published by the ‘Development of Project Education Foundation’ (Stichting Ontwikkeling Projektonderwijs), see also www.mep.schilpdel.nl

In April 2007 the text was updated by: Anne-Ruth Wertheim, Theo Jansen and Johan Marteijn (translation from Dutch into English by Nicola Chadwick)

Introduction

Between 1973 and 1989, a special form of project education was developed, at first at the VWO/HAVO (pre university education/upper general secondary education) school ‘Het Wagenings Lyceum’ in the city of Wageningen and then at a variety of other secondary schools, ranging from MAVO (lower general education) to LBO (lower secondary vocational education). This form of education was named ‘open project education’ due to the lack of subject-related objectives and the open character of the learning processes.
The principles, characteristics and objectives of this project education are described below in brief points. This list is not meant as a checklist of goals to be ticked off, which have to be strived towards in every project, not to mention realized. It is much more a ‘philosophy’; actual principles, characteristics and objectives of education forms which take the personal and social development of pupils seriously, without leaving them at the mercy of a vague assignment to ‘learn independently’. The list is meant to give direction and grip to a form of education that combines the social significance of learning with the pleasure and curiosity, inventiveness, commitment and solidarity which pupils have in them.
In short, the following discusses project education and projects.

Principles and characteristics of project education

The basis of the learning processes in project education is a combination of research activities by groups of pupils and the way in which they work together.
Teachers support these processes intensively in which learning to research and learning to work together are closely interwoven.
In a process for which plenty of time is set aside, pupils choose the themes which they are to research themselves.
The process of choosing a theme goes from individual choices per pupil to the formation of a group around a common theme.
The area in which themes can be sought is limited by the following conditions:

Pupils have to be personally involved: “it has to be something to do with you.”
The theme has to be able to be researched using multiple sorts of sources, both inside and outside the school: books, internet, audio-visual material, visits to institutes and companies, face-to-face meetings.
The theme should not be too extensive and nor too limited: researchable in the available time.
The theme has to have personal and social significance.
The research has to set a problem as well as solve a problem if possible.

The teachers can draw up a ‘Basic List of Notions’ before the research begins, to explain a number of terms and to get the pupils emotionally involved in the research. For this, the teacher chooses notions which are relevant to the theme once an umbrella theme or a central question has been chosen. In the other cases, they choose notions which they think are important for the research. Notions can be added during the research, for instance as preparation for a visit or interview.

Experiences outside school is invaluable, just as processing within school is.
In addition to the group research, activities take place within a project which are aimed at joint self-management: class meetings with democratic opinion-making and decision
making about the general running of matters, the organisation of parents’ evenings and working weeks outside school.
In as far as possible, projects cover long periods of time (preferably a number of months) and a number of lessons are dedicated to the projects every week.
Support is given by a few teachers who are present at the same time and systematically share the responsibility for running affairs with the pupils.
The pupils’ personal interests and experiences form the guiding principles for the learning processes. But that does not mean that the direction in which the learning processes are supported is arbitrary. The objectives of project education describe what kind insights, attitudes and skills are sought after.
Support ‘by project’ means that teachers themselves develop attitudes, insights and skills when they support the pupils, which turns a project into a mutual learning process. Project education learning takes place on the basis of equality. Everyone involved learns from each other and teachers avoid using their powers over pupils.
During support of the project, teachers use structured methods to learn both how to research and how to work together.
The evaluation in project education is meant to improve the individual and group learning processes and not to select pupils. Nevertheless, it is desirable to formulate minimum requirements per objective at the beginning of a project, in consultation with the pupil, taking their individual capacities into consideration.
Evaluation takes place during and at the end of a project in processes which involve the pupil. A word report can be part of the progress report which is personal and non-comparative. Progress can be measured against the pupil’s own starting position, capacities, needs and efforts and not compared to those of others. Teachers report in terms of progress, and if it stagnates, they indicate how to change this and which support teachers and fellow pupils can give.

Objectives of project education

To give some grip on the preparation, support and evaluation of a project; the described principles and characteristics are translated into concrete objectives.
Firstly, here are the two main objectives of (open) project education:

1. Learning to research the reality of society

Pupils learn how to develop their own research manner with regard to information and its interpretation and with regard to notions, feelings and behaviour they encounter in society, in others and in themselves. They learn to ask questions and to question answers about situations and relationships they encounter and about their own reactions and those of others to this. And they learn to think about possible solutions to what they experience as right or wrong, just or unjust or problematic.

2. Learning to work together and show solidarity

Pupils learn to work together as equals. They learn to recognize each other’s needs and interests so that they can make choices to take joint decisions and to undertake useful activities, in which everyone has an equal say in as far as possible.
Within these two objectives, a range of sub-objectives can be formulated, which are shown below in a long list. On one hand, this list is not exhaustive, on the other the list is not supposed to be used as a checklist. The circumstances of a project determine which choices should be made, by teachers and by pupils. The list is a kind of library.

Possibilities for 1. Leaning to research social reality

1.1. Learning to research social reality

Learning:

to differentiate between views and facts
to formulate and delineate useful questions
to choose and apply suitable research methods
to look critically at acquired information
to doubt information that has been offered
to be alert to incompleteness of information that has been offered or acquired.
to link (concealed) information to (social) interests and contradictions in society
to refuse to accept simplistic divisions into good and bad
to recognise prejudices
to link prejudices to interests and contradictions in society
to recognise (concealed) injustices and unequal positions of power
to discover social coherence
to order data into conclusions
to make useful reports
to present data/information in an attractive way
to base your own views on your own research as much as possible
not to form/judge an opinion too quickly
to have doubts
that the results of the research may consist of better defined questions or new ones
to turn vagueness or doubts into new questions
to change their own opinions on the basis of new information
to question phenomena of society that appear to be matter of facts
to question their own notions, feelings and behaviour
to see connections between structures that have developed historically and notions, feelings and behaviour of people or groups of people
to see connections between structures that have developed historically and contemporary events and developments.

1.2. Learning to design

Learning:

to give shape to their own learning situations: research activities, processing, presentations, action taken
to plan
to design presentations to share knowledge
to design alternatives for unjust/ineffective and frustrating situations
to design various solutions to problems
to design images of the future
to publically present designs (in words/pictures/theatre/music).

Possibilities for 2. Leaning to work together and show solidarity

2.1. Learning to work together

Learning:

to define responsibilities
to connect responsibilities to a democratic division and acceptance of tasks
to call each other to account
to confront each other without humiliating each other
to combine criticism to finding solutions
to express and accept criticism and appreciation
to learn from each other’s skills and expertise
to take initiative
to appreciate initiative from others
to listen to each other
to think less in terms of blaming a certain person and more in terms of interaction and roles
to express their own feelings promptly and in ways that others understand them
to help others to express their own feelings promptly and in ways that others understand them
to combat prejudices and gossip
to see through what the cause and effect can be of ranking and labelling in groups (for instance the mechanism of making someone scapegoat)
to place the existence of ranking in a social context
to form their own opinion
to stand up for your own opinion, even if it deviates from the majority
to interpret what is personal in social terms and vice versa
to persevere in combatting injustice
to recognise small steps of progress when combatting injustice
to choose who to show solidarity to
that working together and showing solidarity can be learnt.

2.2. Learning to organise and manage

Learning:

to hold meetings (as chairperson, as minutes secretary and as participant)
to manage finances
to plan and draw up and execute work timetables
to differentiate between opinion-making and decision-making
to formulate proposals and to explain them
to summarize
to organise communal activities
to delegate
to give and accept a mandate
to manage material
to use communication tools effectively
to organise joint working periods and breaks
to give shape to alternatives for unjust, ineffective and frustrating situations.