K-12 educators are increasingly implementing inquiry-based learning as a way to foster problem-solving within their learning contexts. However, the literature identifies that teachers adapt inquiry-based learning on a number of contextual characteristics. This is important because if teachers diverge from its theoretical foundation, one might…

Dialogue is central to the collaborative processes of inquiry-based approaches. In this methodological article on Interactional Ethnography (IE), we outline the guiding principles of IE as a logic of inquiry for studying the talk and actions of learners and their mentors in inquiry-based learning. Through a telling case of facilitation processes…

While project-based learning (PjBL) and asset-based equity pedagogies (ABEPs) have traditionally been studied separately, there is reason to believe that the combination of the two strategies can produce even more impactful possibilities. This study examines the relationships between students' perception of both PjBL and ABEPs as it relates to…

Education thought leaders highlight the need to expand access to high-quality STEM learning for students historically underrepresented in STEM fields, and project-based learning (PjBL) is often seen as a key strategy. Introducing PjBL to classrooms typically focuses on building teacher capacity, but principals also play a key role in effective…

The current study addresses the limited research on knowledge acquisition in Project-Based Learning (PjBL) and assesses its development using a Multidimensional Curriculum Model (MdCM) among 563 elementary and secondary school students in Israel. The mixed-method approach involves a quantitative pre-post design, comparing intervention groups who…

This phenomenological study describes how secondary mathematics preservice teachers (PSTs) in a teacher residency program designed and implemented project-based learning (PBL) units. The Six A's, a framework used to evaluate the rigor and relevance of PBL units, helped capture the research question: What are the successes and challenges PSTs…

This study reports on the design and implementation of an equity-focused, project-based algebra curriculum in two advanced eighth-grade classrooms. We document with substantial detail a promising approach to capturing how students demonstrate and build robust mathematical understandings in ways that strongly connect to equity issues. We illuminate…

This article aims to describe and analyze the dilemmas facing teachers when fostering student motivation in project-based learning (PjBL). The authors developed a project in secondary education through an action research approach. The different action research cycles aimed to solve dilemmas throughout the project and interpret them in terms of…

Globally, policy reform in education has recommended learner-centered pedagogy for more than a century, but its practical implementation remains an illusion in many classrooms. This study describes history teachers' experiences while experimenting on project-based learning (PjBL) in Zimbabwe's current curriculum reform initiative. Project-based…

Inquiry-based education has been part of innovative science teaching for the last few decades. With the competence orientation now underlying many national curricula, one of the emerging questions is how the development of student competences can be fostered in the context of inquiry-based science education. One approach to supporting students in…

While performance assessment (PA) is well aligned to project-based learning (PjBL), teachers find it challenging to design and implement PA that is faithful to the authentic context of their projects and viewed externally as rigorous. In contrast to standardizing PA tasks--thereby diminishing authenticity--we formed a research-practice partnership…

Supporters of project-based learning (PBL) argue that outcomes from the model include better performance in academic (Bell, 2010; Thomas, 2000) and non-academic outcomes (Saunders-Steward, Gyles, & Shore, 2010). The New Tech Network (NTN) is a school improvement network that provides training and development for high school faculty who commit…

This article illustrates how mathematics teachers can develop design-focused projects, related to project-based learning, to motivate secondary mathematics students. With first-hand experience as a secondary mathematics teacher, I provide a series of steps related to the engineering design process, which are helpful to teachers in developing…

This systematic literature review was conducted to explore the effectiveness of problem-based and project-based learning (PBL) implemented with students in early elementary to grade 8 (ages 3-14) in mathematics and science classrooms. Nine studies met the following inclusion criteria: (a) focus on PBL, (b) experimental study, (c) kindergarten to…

In an effort to address K-8 teacher confidence in STEM and increase basic genetics knowledge to a level consistent with its importance in society, we have developed, implemented, and evaluated a 7-day teacher professional development workshop. The overarching goal of our workshop is to facilitate the implementation of innovative DNA-based…