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Project-Based Learning

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning is a student-directed, collaborative learning process that results in a project or product. Among the many approaches to project-based learning and environmental stewardship (i.e., project-based learning that is intended to solve an authentic local environmental problem), are the following methods and models for engaging students:

The Continuum of Environmental Awareness, Know-How, and Problem-Solving

Adapted by EEA from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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GREAT Project Storylines: EEA's scaffolded guides for student-directed stewardship projects

EEA, in partnership with the Captain Planet Foundation, has created a series of scaffolded project guides that lead a class from decision point to decision point through a process that includes observation of a phenomenon, problem identification, research, investigations, ideation and pitching of solutions, engagement with the community,  project implementation, assessment, and reflection. We call this scaffolding the GREAT Project Storylines (see below for a schematic example). The GREAT Project Storylines were designed to provide three-dimensional learning experiences that can be used in states that have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards and in states that have not. 
 Water Quality 
Biodiversity
​Zero Heroes - coming soon
Schematic Concept Map of GREAT Project Storylines

Key Research that Informed the Design of GREAT Project Storylines 

Connection to Nature

3-Dimensional Learning

Graduated Challenges 
“As a result of the curriculum initiative, education officials found that students felt hopeless and disempowered. The problems were seemingly so widespread and beyond their control that the students tended to turn away from, rather than face up to, participating in local attempts at problem- solving.” - David Sobel in Ecophobia, 1996 
3-dimensional learning is based on research into how children learn. Its key tenets include students observing and trying to make sense of phenomena before teacher explanations. Students engage in science or engineering practices and look for crosscutting concepts to understand core ideas. 
Louise Chawla's research addresses both formative experiences in childhood to which adults attribute their environmental ethic, and a process of exploring the world  that results in increased environmental know-how, competence, and confidence in the ability to change the world. 
“When children have satisfying experiences in the world nearby, they are motivated to explore further; and with each feature of the environment that they come to understand and each challenge that they overcome, they build greater levels of environmental knowledge and personal competence.”

Environmental Stewardship in Action: Films & lesson plans from This American Land and Captain Planet Foundation

If a picture tells a thousand words, watching a video conveys the potential and value of an instructional strategy such as project-based learning more effectively than reading the research on which it is built. Check out these videos of student projects, which vary widely in the degree of teacher facilitation, and get inspired! Then read the research if you would like to know more.

Sustainable School Programs

There are several whole school initiatives that focus on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals as a compass for student projects. Some of these programs offer professional learning for teachers and all provide recognition for schools that make measurable improvements toward a sustainable future, often focused on school operations. To learn more, click the buttons below.
Environmental Education Alliance, Inc.  
P.O. Box 801066  Acworth, GA 30101

EEA does not does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in its program or activities. For more information on EEA's non-discrimination commitment click here . Grievance officer may be contacted at info@eealliance.org
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