Why PBL is Now Finally in the Best Interest of all AP Students

I’m a San Marino (CA) High School social studies teacher with more than thirty years of teaching experience. Over the years, I’ve increasingly placed before my AP US History and AP Government students one or more project-based learning opportunities. In turn, my students have produced much “eye-opening work.” They have also scored well on the annual AP Exam.

I first started to incorporate PBL into my AP classes a decade ago, this after a summer spent learning about the educational philosophy and vision of Bob Lenz, George Lucas, David Coleman, Andrew Miller, John Larmer, Linda Darling-Hammond, Vicki Phillips, Michael McDowell, and several other nationally acclaimed education leaders. All, directly and indirectly, kept calling for PBL, though most AP teachers have rejected the call to this day.

Until recently, I couldn’t blame them. There were good reasons for AP teachers not wanting to embrace PBL, but times have changed and changed significantly.

Now, more than ever, PBL is in the best interest of all AP students, this because AP students who are given a chance to engage in PBL will:

1. Outperform their more traditional classroom peers.
2. Submit better college application essays.
3. Receive better letters of recommendation.
4. Report a more joyful learning experience.
5. Cheat less.

Below, a detailing of each of the above-mentioned claims followed by several questions I’m asked when I present these claims, followed by my answers to each of these questions, with one of my answers revealing something that Trevor Packer, the Head of College Boards Advanced Placement Program, shared with me in an email yesterday. To give a sampling, he said:

It’s highly possible that we will design a fall project for every AP course, which could replace part of the AP exam for schools that elect to do it and submit it for scoring at the AP Reading. Students could also use it to submit to colleges before admissions deadlines in the fall. We have much left to learn from educators about if / how best to do something like this, but we’re definitely considering.”

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CLAIM #1: PBL typically results in students significantly outperforming their more traditional classroom peers.

This according to a study released in February of 2021 by Lucas Education Research, a division of the George Lucas Educational Foundation (with this study led by Anna Saavedra and her team at the Center for Economic and Social Research at USC Dornsife.)

Below, the LER press release as it relates to this study:

In the first study ever reported on project-based learning and Advanced Placement results, research scientists at the Center for Economic and Social Research at USC Dornsife found that students taught AP US Government and AP Environmental Science with a PBL approach outperformed peers on exams by 8 percentage points in year one of a randomized controlled trial and were more likely to earn a passing score of 3 or above with the chance to receive college credit. In year two, PBL students outperformed peers by 10 percentage points.

The yearlong curricula were developed by University of Washington professors alongside Seattle and Des Moines teachers. For example, in one of the five projects in the AP Government course, students answer the question, “What is the proper role of government in a democracy?” by conducting a presidential campaign, taking on the roles of candidates, lobbyists, and media. In the first of five projects in AP Environmental Science, students explore sustainability by conducting a personal environmental impact audit and developing a proposal to reduce consumption.

“Before, my classes were all lecture-based, all me, and it was often boring for my students. With the switch to project-based learning, students were asking more questions, taking control of their learning, doing more research because their learning was more connected to the real world. And we saw a big jump in our AP scores, said Erin Fisher, history and social studies teacher, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Virginia, and someone who teaches the Knowledge in Action AP Government and Politics curriculum)

“The evidence is clear, rigorous PBL results in a significant boost in academic achievement for students from many different backgrounds,” said Kristin De Vivo, executive director of Lucas Education Research.

Policymakers, educators, and administrators are encouraged to consider project-based learning as a lever for increasing student learning and equitable outcomes.

Detailed information and videos about the research are available at Lucas Education Research and Edutopia.

For inquiries, quotes, or help connecting with researchers, teachers, and students, contact kate.felsen@glef.org or 646–258–6081.

As for the question of what do I personally think about the LER findings, I need to start by explaining that when I say that I’ve been “implementing” PBL into my APUSH and APGov courses, what I mean is that 50% of the time, I utilize a traditional approach (lectures, quizzes, tests, essay writing, etc.); the remainder of the time, I turn the class over entirely to PBL.

The past two years, my APUSH students, I’ve been told, set a school APUSH record for the number of students who took the exam and the percentage of students who earned a three or better. I’m not sure if that’s true. Regardless, my students did very well, despite so much class time devoted to PBL.

As for my students this year, every indication is that they are on track to do as well, if not better.

In other words, I trust the findings of the Lucas Education Research studies. Rigorous PBL, I have found, results in a significant boost in academic achievement.

CLAIM #2: PBL typically results in better college application essays.

Over the years, there’s been little doubt. The students at the “high-performing schools” have done well in their college applications.

Yet now (as evidenced by the below), there’s good reason to worry that it could become increasingly harder for students everywhere (and especially those at the high-performing schools) to distinguish themselves from other students in their college applications.

• The SAT is Falling Out of Favor (New York Times, 2020)
• Colleges Are Backing Off SAT, ACT Scores — But The Exams Will Be Hard To Shake (NPR, 20200
• It Looks Like the Beginning of the End of America’s Obsession with Student Standardized Tests (Washington Post, 2020)
• Unexpected Pandemic Outcome: The Demise Of The SAT Exam (Forbes, 2021)
• With California’s Influence on Higher Education, Some Believe SAT and ACT Could be Headed for Demise (KTLA News, 2021)

Sure, the above reports could be greatly exaggerated, but since no one knows for sure, shouldn’t high school teachers, if only to play it safe, increasingly provide their students with ample opportunity to produce the kind of work that will open wide the eyes of their college and university admission officers?

If so, PBL can do that, Gold Standard PBL in particular, with examples of Gold Standard PBL appearing below.

AP Daily Video — A Gold Standard PBL for any AP Course
For this PBL, students assume that they have been hired by College Board to produce an APDaily Video, a no more than ten-minute video produced for AP Classroom and designed to teach AP students the all-important content and skills that relate to a particular Course and Exam Description topic.

• Click here to view an 8:39 AP Daily video relating to APUSH Topic 1:2 (The Columbian Exchange), with this video produced by Jayden V; Donovan P; and Julia B.
• Click here to view an 11:21 AP Daily video relating to APUSH Topic 5:10 (Reconstruction), with this video produced by (Jeremy Y, Marcus C, and Elaina Lee.
• Click here to view a 9:59 AP Daily video relating to APUSH Topic 5:10 (The Mexican American War), with this video produced by Lawrence C, Evan K, and Dennis R.)
• Click here to view a 7:25 AP Daily video relating to APUSH Topic 4:5 (The Market Revolution) with this video produced by Alexa H, Aurelia L, and Jocelyn T.

TED-Ed Video — Another Gold Standard PBL for any AP Course
For this PBL, students assume that they have been hired by the folks at TED to produce a TED-Ed Lesson Worth Sharing (a 3–5 minute animated video that focuses on topics ranging from chemistry to Shakespeare to origami, with each animation created by TED-Ed in collaboration with an educator, an insanely talented scriptwriter, and an equally talented animator.)

• Click here to view a 2:50 student-produced TED-Ed Lesson entitled “The Exodusters and their 1879 Migration to Kansas.” The term Exodusters refers to the thousands of African Americans who migrated from the southern states along the Mississippi River to Kansas in 1879, and this video not only describes the push and pull factors but also details what the Exodusters did after settling in Kansas. Of particular note: All the artistic works found within this video were produced by the two students, Carolyn H. and Lilianne F., who conducted the research and produced the text, voice-over, and animation for this video.
• Click here to view a 3:34 student-produced TED-Ed Lesson entitled “The Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre of 1871.” This video not only details the worst lynching in US history but also explains why it happened, what happened as a result of the massacre, and to what extent this massacre is still remembered today. Of particular note: The three 11th-graders who produced this video, Lily T.; Karen L; and Charis C, started work on the video during the spring of 2020 and completed the work during the summer.

Interest Group — A Gold Standard PBL for the AP US Government Course
For this PBL, students assume that they are members of an “interest group” tasked with trying to create, eliminate, or modify public policy.

• Click here to read a San Marino Tribune article describing the work of six students who assumed that they were members of the “Armenian National Committee of America” interest group and tasked with trying to get the California legislature to pass a law that requires the teaching of the Armenian Genocide in the 9th-10th grade World History course.
• Click here for 50 more Gold Standard (stepping-up) project-based learning opportunities for the US Government course.

Exploration Into America’s Past — A Gold Standard PBL for the AP US History Course
For this PBL, students assume that they are employed by the History Channel and tasked with producing something never-before-seen, which the History Channel admins are calling an “Exploration into America’s Past” and describing as a four-page modern-day research paper produced for the internet and designed to “teach” high school US History students world-wide about some all-important but often under-taught topic in American history.

• Click here to view an “Exploration into America’s Past” entitled “Life in the California Gold Fields for the Chinese Immigrant.” Of particular note: The four students who produced this work started to produce this “modern-day term paper” during the spring of 2021, and they completed the work during the summer, though this was not required.
• Click here to view an “Exploration into America’s Past” entitled “The Atomic Bombing of Japan: Necessary Decision or War Crime” by William K.
• Click here to view an “Exploration into America’s Past” entitled “Native Americans of the Yosemite Valley” by Nathan D.

CLAIM #3: PBL typically results in better letters of recommendation
Letters of recommendation are an essential part of the college application process, and I, therefore, take seriously the requests I have received to write these letters. But what makes for a good letter of rec?

According to Allen Cheng in his 2020 post, These 2 Recommendation Letters Got Me Into Harvard and the Ivy League, “the best recommendation letters” help colleges and universities answer one or more of the following four questions.

1. How likely is the applicant to succeed in college?
2. How likely is the applicant to succeed in his/her career?
3. How much will the applicant benefit the school community?
4. How much will the applicant benefit the community beyond school?

But to write a letter of recommendation that addresses any one of these questions requires the teacher not just to know the applicant but to know the applicant well.

PBL allows a teacher to do just that, as every teacher who has placed one or more PBL opportunities before his/her students will assuredly attest.

When students engage in PBL, they usually reveal much about themselves.

1. They reveal what they are passionate about and what they are interested in. This because PBL, by definition, calls upon the teacher to provide the student with much “voice and choice.”
2. They reveal what skills they possess, especially in terms of their research, writing, and public speaking skills, their critical and creative thinking skills, and their tech and digital media skills. This for several different reasons, all having to do with what students are required to do when working on PBL, a Gold Standard PBL in particular.
3. They reveal what personality traits they possess (and especially those that colleges prefer and are always asking teachers to comment on — integrity, leadership, curiosity, creativity, empathy, perseverance, motivation, ambition, collaboration, and confidence. Conversely, they also reveal what personality traits one would hope colleges (and life beyond) do not prefer: lack of ethics, narrow-mindedness, lack of motivation, self-centeredness, arrogance, rudeness.
4. They reveal how well they respond to adversity. This because students, when they work on PBL, typically find massive roadblocks placed before them, and hence teachers are provided a chance to see firsthand how students respond to these roadblocks.

This is not to say that a teacher can write a good letter of recommendation without PBL. It is simply to say that I have found I’m able to write far better letters of rec when I write on behalf of a student who has engaged in PBL.

It’s also to say that if we are indeed entering an era where we will all witness the demise of the SAT and the value placed on other forms of standardized testing, then the letter of recommendation will probably take on far greater importance.

And if that’s so, then teachers wanting to help their students get into the college of their choice may seriously want to consider placing one or more PBLs before their students.

CLAIM #4: PBL typically results in students reporting a more joyful learning experience.
Within the past five years, and certainly, since school 2016, high schools nationwide have not only found themselves in a position of having to create various on-campus “wellness centers,” they have also found themselves in a position of having to consider the creation and implementation of entire “wellness initiatives.”

And why a Wellness Center? The typical answer . . . to provide students with “a space where kids can just take a break,” with this answer expressly suggested by a headline in a November 2018 San Marino Tribune article announcing the opening of my school’s Wellness Center.

But there’s also another answer to the question of why, after all these years of public schooling, do schools now need to spend all this time, energy, and money on the issue of wellness.

This answer is an infinitely more revealing if not damning answer, one that holds for hundreds of high schools nationwide and is revealed in the first paragraph of the San Marino Tribune article referenced above.

There it said that the SMHS Wellness Center should be viewed as a place where students can “escape the rigors of the academic world.”

What? Students today need to escape the rigors of the academic world?

Yes. That’s what the article said. That’s also what’s said in many other articles found online about the opening of high school Wellness Centers elsewhere.

Such an interesting development.

The way I look at it, if students today need a place to “escape rigor,” then one of two things are true. Either teachers and schools over the years have so “cranked up the rigor” that they have outstripped the ability of many students to handle the rigor, or students today are infinitely softer, weaker even, than the students of the past when it comes to the issue of handling rigor.

Regardless, what’s suggested here is that many students today probably aren’t viewing school as “a joyful learning experience.” And, says my school’s Wellness Center counselor, this is not uniquely an SMHS issue, “It is also an issue at many other high-performing schools, maybe even most, according to the data I’m seeing.”

PBL, many say, can turn that around.

• Over the past decade and a half, I’ve seen how well-executed project-based learning can provide a joyful learning experience for students. When projects offer the right mix of challenge, engagement, and personalized support, blended with a motivating, meaningful learning experience that reaches deep into the soul, joy is the outcome. You can see it bubble up in the animated faces, big smiles, body language, and the open-hearted response of students at the end of a good project. Thom Markham, CEO PBL Global.
• PBL engages kids in the joy of learning.” Bob Lenz, CEO PBLWorks.
• A set of promising new schooling techniques (with project-based learning topping the list) has gained traction during the pandemic (and) could bring joy back to education. Matthew Ladner, American Enterprise Institute.
• While an hour a week may seem like an impossible sacrifice in the face of packed pacing guides and scheduling constraints, creative teachers across the world are using this model to bring joy back into their classrooms.” Tamara Letter, personalized learning specialist.
• When students engage in PBL, they experience the sheer joy of learning. They are able to hit a state of creative flow and learn that there’s something deeply profound about creativity. They become self-directed, independent thinkers. John Spencer, Teacher, author, blogger, and expert on project-based learning.
• Studies comparing learning outcomes for students taught by project-based learning versus traditional instruction show that when implemented well, PBL increases long-term retention of content, improves problem-solving and collaboration skills, and improves students’ attitudes towards learning. Vanessa Vega, former Edutopia Senior Manager of Research

To take this one step further . . . if you are an AP teacher, believe in the notion of “happy teacher, happy students,” and wish to have your students report having a more joyful learning experience, here’s one more excellent reason to place PBL before your students.

It’s called “The 2015 “How Do Teachers Respond to Their PBL Experience” Research Findings” with these findings suggesting that teachers who work to implement PBL often enjoy the experience.

These findings were based on data gathered in a study conducted during the 2015 school year in a reputable Israeli high school experimenting with project-based learning (PBL) as part of an innovative pedagogy for the information age.

The overall research goal was to investigate the teachers’ views of PBL and the ways by which these views have changed following the experience of designing, teaching, and evaluating PBL activities.

Among the results, one noticeable theme has crystallized throughout the qualitative analysis: “our participants felt excited about their in-school experiences with PBL, and expressed their enthusiasm and satisfaction repeatedly.”

“I think it’s an amazing experience for kids to make this, I really got excited. And something here is very authentic”, summarized one teacher the previous several weeks she had spent with her ninth-graders, dealing with history by way of PBL — Project-Based Learning. “He made an amazing thing in the products evening. I’m out of words… I am shaking as I speak”, added a social studies teacher in a staff meeting.

Click here for details.

Final thought: a 2014 Gallup-Purdue Study shows that completing a significant project during college is correlated with greater career and life satisfaction, according to Rick Vaz, director of Worchester Polytech Institute’s Center for Project-Based Learning.

CLAIM #5: PBL typically results in students cheating less.
With the advances in technology and the ever-increasing pressure on students to excel, schools everywhere have been more and more admitting to the existence of a “widespread and frequent” cheating problem.

Since 2016, my school certainly has had to acknowledge the existence of a cheating problem.

In its 2020 WASC Self Study Report, my school went so far as to say that the cheating is so “widespread and frequent” that the school’s teachers, admins, parents, and staff would need to spend an endless numbers of hours over the next six years in meetings geared toward trying to figure out how to “promote integrity and enforce academic honesty through systemic changes and student/guardian education.”

The self-study reports of thousands of other schools surely say something similar.

Now true. This is a “tough nut to crack,” as no assessment is uncheatable. On the other hand, a simple search of the internet reveals one educational expert after another asserting that students are far less likely to cheat when they are invited to demonstrate learning in ways that are most authentic to them, with the term “authentic assessment” seminally defined by Grant Wiggins as “engaging and worthy problems or questions of importance, in which students must use knowledge to fashion performances effectively and creatively when faced with tasks that are either replicas of or analogous to the kinds of problems faced by adult citizens and consumers or professionals in the field.”

According to Thom Markham, in an email to me recently: “When the classroom culture is focused on care and authentic challenge, cheating virtually disappears.” (Thom is the CEO of PBL Global. He’s also an internationally-respected consultant to schools focused on project-based learning, the former Associate Director of Buck Institute for Education, and the author of two best-selling books on project-based learning, the Buck Institute for Education’s Handbook on Project Based Learning and the Project-Based Learning Design and Coaching Guide: Expert tools for Innovation and Inquiry for K — 12 Educators)

I agree with Thom. When invited to demonstrate learning in ways that are most authentic to them, as is the case with PBL, students don’t want to cheat. They want to rise to the challenge and, with integrity, demonstrate their own understanding and skills.

I can say from my own experience that PBL certainly reduces the opportunities and recognized incidences of cheating. (Of course, there may have been rampant cheating that I did not recognize — but I am convinced it did not happen).

Regardless, says former SMUSD superintendent Loren Kleinrock, “It is incumbent upon teachers to minimize cheating to the greatest degree possible so as not to disadvantage those who are trying to do things honestly.” Hence, if the placing of one or more PBLs before their students will help to ameliorate the “widespread and frequent” cheating problem, teachers should give PBL serious consideration.

Sidenote:
Days after publishing this article, Kristin Wobbe, the co-director of the Worchester Polytechnic Institute’s Project-Based Learning Center, emailed me to suggest that I either read Dr. Jame Lang’s book, Cheating Less, or reach out to him directly. Dr, Lang’s book, says Wobbe, might lend further support to the claim that PBL typically results in students cheating less.

Since Dr. Lang’s book was written in 2014, I decided to both read his book and reach out to him directly. The book has been ordered; the email sent.

For now, the below from Harvard University Press:

Courses that set the stakes of performance very high, that rely on single assessment mechanisms like multiple-choice tests, that have arbitrary grading criteria: these are the kinds of conditions that breed cheating . . . (whereas students will cheat less in) learning environments that foster intrinsic motivation, promote mastery, lower the stakes, and instill the sense of self-efficacy that students need for deep learning.

Sounds like a call for PBL to me, but as to the question of whether it actually is, here’s what Dr. Lang had to say: “It seems plausible to me that there would be less cheating in PBL contexts, but I didn’t write about that specifically in Cheating Lessons, so I’m not sure I could find you an exact quote that would support your claim. But one place that you can look for plenty of ideas and resources on reducing cheating in education is the International Center for Academic Integrity, which you can find here.”

Regardless, when I share all of the above with any AP teacher (or with any other educator), I’m often asked several questions. Below, the questions I’m asked most often.

• How do you respond to those who say there’s no place for PBL in AP?
• How do you respond to those who say that in AP, there isn’t enough time for PBL?
• How do you respond to those who say PBL in AP will lower test scores?
• How do you respond to those who say that PBL is beneath the dignity of AP students at high-performing schools?
• How do you respond to those who say PBL in AP means teamwork, and that means one kid does all the work, the rest do little or nothing, yet all get the same grade and credit?
• How do you respond to those who say their AP students are already “doing projects” or “hands-on activities?”
• In your call for PBL in AP, are you calling for “wall-to-wall” PBL?
• How do you respond to those who say that PBL is just the latest fad?

For my answers to each of these questions, click here.