Physics teacher, Ms. Heather Binkley, at the beginning of the Energy and Momentum unit, declared to students in two her classes that she will be using a new method of teaching from now on: project based learning. Students will form teams of five for the unit, use what they learn from the few lectures and assignments they are given, and ultimately build a roller coaster together by the end of the unit.

“It’s not really a new concept,” said Ms. Binkley. “1990s, when I was in college, in graduate school, there was a method of teaching called constructivism, and the idea was that rather than lecture and give multiple-choice tests… give them a common experience they can all draw on, something that’s going to reinforce what you want to learn.”

“What you’re seeing now is a move in Loudoun County to really embrace what is called the new incarnation of constructivism, project based learning. It’s exactly the same thing: the idea is that the students need to build and construct their own understanding of things by really engaging with the content and doing meaningful real-life manipulations, so that they have something invested in what they’re doing, like building a roller coaster. You guys will care about the outcomes of the content.”

Ms. Binkley was trained by this method herself, and she has always tried to apply the ideas of constructivist teaching in her classes throughout her career. She believes “students are much more engaged during class time” when she uses this method of teaching.

“In my experience, it is the most rewarding form of education that students can engage in, and I think it leads to be the most lasting learning that you are likely to see.