Professional Development for Teachers

Developing and planning project-based instructional curricula is quite different from planning traditional curricula. Teachers who aren’t experienced with implementing project-based instruction may feel overwhelmed at first. Administrators can provide essential support to teachers by providing coherent, sustained professional development that focuses on teachers building the skills needed to plan and manage project-based learning (Bottoms & Webb, 1998). Teachers need to know how to formulate guiding questions for students, help provide resources and community members who can relate the project to real-world issues and problems, encourage students to work productively in small groups and independently, and use appropriate assessment tools. In addition, staff meeting and project-planning time need to be allocated so teachers can share ideas and discuss problems. Teachers are much more enthusiastic about implementing new strategies when they have the backing of the administration.

Skills of an Effective Coach

The teacher's role in project-based instruction is very important. The teacher often acts as a coach in guiding students through the process. Some necessary skills include (Martin & Baker, 2000):

• Analyzing tasks and skills needed to carry out the project
• Facilitating the process of analyzing project tasks, setting up the plan of action, and implementing and evaluating the project
• Determining how the project will contribute to the students’ learning
• Facilitating decisionmaking, thinking, and problem-solving skills
• Facilitating students’ demonstration of personal responsibility, self-esteem, and integrity
• Facilitating students’ growth of interpersonal skills, such as working as teams, working with community members, and working with people who are of diverse backgrounds