From Teaching to Learning — A Canadian Perspective

July, 2000

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Imagine a high school class in which the teacher enters the room, announces a high-stakes assignment for which the students have received no instruction, and then sits down to read the newspaper or check his e-mail. What would you do with this teacher? Fire him? Place him in a special coaching program to improve his teaching skills? Transfer him to another school where he can inflict his brand of education on someone else's turf?

In this case, you'd arrange for the Prime Minister of his country to give him a citation for excellence in education.

The teacher's name is Ted McCain, and his brand of education makes a huge distinction between teaching and learning, with all the emphasis on the latter.

"When students get the assignment from me, and then see me sit down, they are shocked. I've just told them that 20% of their final grade hinges on this project, and then I stopped talking," Ted says.

The students typically expect a lecture on some topic (in this case the course deals with technology), with the lecture given in the traditional decontextualized manner with the expectation that the assessment will be a similarly decontextualized test. After all, this is still the way many schools operate -- stuff and dump. The problem with this approach, of course, is that students may learn enough to pass a test, but they will soon forget what they have learned, and, more importantly, they won't have a clue as to how they might apply what they've learned in the world outside the classroom.

And that, to Ted, is the key issue.

So, when he sits down the students sit in stunned silence for a few minutes and then someone says, "Aren't you going to give us a lecture?"

Ted says simply, "No."

"Well, then, how are we going to get help with this assignment?"

At this point, Ted asks what they want to know, and a dialog begins. Students look for clarification of the assignment and quickly identify the skills they think they need to complete it effectively. At this point, in direct response to student questions, Ted may provide more in-depth explanations, point them to online resources, or direct them to printed materials. While these tools might be the same ones Ted would use in a lecture-based class, the major difference is that he has waited for the students to ask for them, thus ensuring they will pay close attention when they explore these resources.

This topsy-turvy approach to instruction builds a bridge from traditional teaching to project-based learning. The students are learning something because they have asked for it, and they have asked for it because they need this information to help them do a project.

For maximum benefit, the projects need to reflect the kinds of challenges these students would experience in the workplace whenever possible. One example for a technology class like Ted's might be to provide broadband Web access to a department in a corporation in a cost- and time-effective manner, for example. In addition to learning how to set up switches and routers, and getting firewalls installed, the students learn how to budget for a job, choose component vendors, and a myriad of other real-world skills. The result is a course that is high both on the scales of rigor and relevance.

Although a pedagogical approach like Ted's is often beneficial, there are also many challenges that come from teaching in this manner. For example, if you are the only teacher in your school that uses this approach, students need to know how to shift gears to confront a different reality in your classroom than they encounter elsewhere. In addition, the students need to learn how to do a project (as opposed to take a test).

This last point is not trivial. The topic of project planning and implementation is explicitly taught to these technology students using what Ted calls the "four D's:" Define, Design, Develop, Debug. In essence, the four stages apply to any project in any subject, and they also apply to projects in the real world. The ideas behind each of these four elements is fairly straightforward:

Define
In this phase, the scope of the project is accurately defined. This not only provides clarity for the project definition, but also establishes the criteria by which the project will be graded. If a student has a written document that delineates the exact criteria by which a project will receive an "A" grade, then if the teacher gives a lower grade, the student can confront the teacher with the project definition and have a strong basis for arguing his or her case. Power, in this case, transfers to the learners where it belongs.

Design
During the design phase, the actual project is outlined and all the critical steps are established before actual work begins. This step helps establish the work flow and provides measurable outcomes for each point of the project.

Develop
The development phase is where the actual project is implemented. Parts are acquired and assembled, programs are written, and the whole system is put through its paces.

Debug
The last phase, "debugging" (or debriefing) provides the opportunity to identify the problems that cropped up, and to evaluate the entire project. If the project does not meet its goals, then this phase helps set the stage for running through the cycle again until the project is completed satisfactorily.

It seems to me that the "4-D's" (or their equivalent) need to be taught as part of any class that is shifting to project based learning. I'm one of the staunchest supporters of this method of learning in the world, but if teachers jump onto this approach overnight without preparing their students, the approach will fail, and the students and teachers alike will be frustrated. This is especially important in high school because students will already have figured out "how school works," based on years of experience, and be incredibly thrown off balance if the rules are suddenly changed on them.

So, if you are thinking about making the change to project-based learning, think about Ted's approach. It is aggressive, shocking even. But it works and works well.

When Ted received his commendation from the Canadian Prime Minister, I'm sure part of his happiness was based on his understanding that his students were now prepared to function effectively in the world outside of school. And this, in my view, is something we should all be thrilled to achieve.

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