Last school year, my students completed a project where they planned a series of cross-country road trips. 

In small groups, they mapped out their routes, managed their budgets, worked through disagreements about lodging,gas stops and rental cars and explored exciting destinations – all without leaving the classroom. They created videos as “travel vloggers,” describing the minutia of their calculations and problem analysis to a pretend following. They calculated proportions throughout the assignment, saw how algebra is meaningful in the real world and became stronger collaborators. 

When I think back on my own education, the learning memories that shine most brightly are always projects like this. I can’t tell you anything about homework assignments or essays I wrote, but I can describe the people I collaborated with on projects, what we learned together and the challenges we overcame.

That’s part of why building my own math instruction around projects is important to me. Project-based learning is a way of presenting the material so it really sticks with my students, and it also offers an opportunity for social engagement, which feels so critical, especially after the pandemic lockdowns. In my classroom, students learn important math concepts – but they also learn what it means to collaborate toward a goal and work together.

How to Get Started? Look to Our Fellow Teachers.

When I first began teaching, I wasn’t sure how to begin with project-based learning, especially as a high school math teacher. I searched online for ideas from other teachers, and I came across so many teacher blogs from all across the country. The searching is never over, thanks to educators who are willing to share their practice. When I find something inspiring, I grab it, I tweak it and I make it my own as I find the way it fits in my curriculum. 

One of my favorite blogs is High Heels and No. Two Pencils by teacher Jacqueline Richardson. From her, I’ve borrowed projects including the Barbie zip line, in which students create zip lines using the Pythagorean theorem. Idea Galaxy highlights smaller activities that I use in between the larger projects.

Having to engage in all this research and discovery upfront was a lot of work, but  as I’ve added to my toolbox, I am often simply setting things in motion and allowing my students to make their discoveries.

4 Strategies for Supporting Students through Math Projects

When students arrive in my math classes, they’re frequently surprised to find that we’re engaged in projects, and I often have to model what it looks like. The following strategies help me set students up for success with math projects. 

1. Assign Roles.

I support student groups by assigning leadership roles to every member. For example, we have a team captain, a materials manager and a time-keeper, with roles evolving along with the needs of particular projects. We invest time upfront in defining the roles, and students come to own their particular responsibilities.

2. Role-Play Conflict Resolution. 

Before a project begins, we walk through conflict scenarios that might arise and how we can address them. What might a team leader say to diffuse a tense situation? How might the time-keeper respond when the time in a given session is drawing to a close and a lot still needs to be done?

3. Try the Project Alongside Students. 

When I can, I like to carry out my own version of the project alongside my students. It enables me to hone my creativity and authentically troubleshoot obstacles. It also allows me to model skills. For example, I might start a class session by thinking aloud about how I will allocate my time, then invite students to make their own plans.

4. Support Students in Their Mindset Shift Toward This New Way of Demonstrating Learning.

Every year, there are students who resist the project-based approach because they’ve experienced success with traditional paper-and-pencil assessments in the past. I tell them, “Taking a test isn’t going to reveal much to either of us.” But when my students engage in a project, I get to see them work through the problem. I get to see the ways they turn to others for help and how they use mathematical thinking to work through obstacles. And by the end of the project, they won’t just have demonstrated learning. They will have learned valuable new social skills along the way.