How project-based learning can make your lessons more inclusive

elsa o’brien lópez

Project-based learning provides the kind of flexibility needed to allow students to approach and respond to a task from different angles. This flexibility can also be an asset to ensure students’ motivation and interest whatever their interests, needs and learning styles.

Teaching practices are tightly tied to student motivation and this, in turn, with performance (Lightbown, P. M. & Spada 2018: 89). Universal Design for Learning sets a series of guidelines to increase student motivation and engagement as a way of including a higher number of learners.

Other ways of making sure that students with diverse learning needs and styles get the chance to participate is by providing different ways of accessing materials and a variety of ways of responding to a task. Project-based learning provides the kind of flexibility needed to allow students to approach and respond to a task from different angles. It involves students finding a hands-on solution to a problem through designing, developing and creative thinking. 

According to differentiation expert Carol Tomlison, teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements in order to meet their students’ readiness , interest or learning profile: according to content, process, product and learning environment.

Project-based learning allows teachers and learners to differentiate all of these areas of a task. Here are some differentiation strategies that can be applied to most tasks to make them more inclusive:

1. Team work.  Although this is a core feature of project-based learning, it’s a key one and can be used to our students’ advantage. Creating mixed-ability groups can enrich the learning process and encourage peer-learning. Students can boost their confidence as they become aware of their individual strengths. However, depending on the project, for example those that involve reading, we might decide that it is better for our students to be paired up according to their ability.

2. Assigning tasks. If we choose to compose teams with different ability students it can be very useful to assign mini-tasks to each pupil during the planning stages. This structured approach in an otherwise rather flexible methodology will break down the task and make it seem more manageable during the initial stages. Students who lack initiative or find it difficult to plan or to interact in groups will benefit from being given a specific assignment. 
   
   The teacher can monitor the groups’ work and reassign tasks if the initial one is not working, or to encourage students to try different things. Some of the tasks that can be assigned and that can vary from project to project and depending on the life-stage are: looking up information, making a list, checking spelling, reading out loud the instructions, crossing out the steps as they’re completed, etc.

3. Focus on the process. Learning takes place throughout the whole project and not just at the end. It’s important to acknowledge this and be ready to assess our students in every stage. Some students will feel more comfortable presenting in front of an audience, but others will prefer to carry out a quiet analysis of the results in smaller groups. Paying attention to what our students are doing in all of the steps will allow us to assess them for what they can do instead of for what they can’t.

4. Giving students certain leeway when it comes to deciding how to present the outcome. Considering our students’ preferences will be key to engaging them with the task. Some students can have trouble focusing for a long period of time as they can easily lose sight of the final outcome. Working towards a goal that motivates them and they have chosen themselves can help with this. 
   
   A way of differentiating by outcome can be letting students choose whether they want to present their findings in a poster, a writing, make an online quiz out of it or make slides and present them orally.

5. In language classes or Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), students will benefit from having easy access to the language required. Getting them used to making and checking toolkits with essential vocabulary will make them independent and confident learners. 
   
   Placing a word cloud with essential vocabulary or language stems on the group’s desk to be used throughout the project will help scaffold the process for those students that are lacking the language skills or need support with their memory.

As teachers and students become used to working with projects, some of these strategies will become automatic leaving room for new ones. As each group of learners is different, teachers will find through practice ways in which the flexibility of project-based learning allows them to best meet their students’ diverse needs.

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