Don't Just "Google It": Using EXPERTS in Project-Based Learning (PBL)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M05mEpYq6KQ

One of the essential elements of Project-Based Learning (PBL) is Sustained Inquiry. According to PBLworks.org, this implies an active, in-depth process where students “seek information or investigate,” rather than just looking things up online. A powerful way to facilitate this is by tapping into real-world experts.

I saw the value of this during a 1st-grade STEM project led by Ms. Gillian Lait. The students were tasked with designing their own instruments to create music for a puppet show. To help them understand the science of sound, we invited James McMullen, our Middle School Makerspace Specialist and a former engineer who builds guitars out of cigar boxes.

James didn’t just show his instruments; he explained the engineering behind them. He taught the students how to choose materials that vibrate effectively (like springy spruce) and how to design the structure so that nothing limits those vibrations. He transferred professional strategies directly to 1st graders.

If you are planning to use an expert for Sustained Inquiry, consider these three steps:

  1. Match the Professional: Look at your project’s performance task. Who does this in the real world? They hold the specific strategies and mindsets your students need to emulate.
  2. Prep the Expert: Meet prior to the session. Explain the unit’s concepts and learning objectives so they can align their talk with what the students are learning.
  3. Prep the Students: Discuss norms for interaction and help students prepare meaningful questions that connect the expert’s knowledge to their specific project challenges.

Connecting students with experts provides an authentic context that a textbook simply cannot match.

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