Characteristics of PBL Theoretical Description

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a. Characteristics of PBL

Based on Stoller 2006: 24 theory, PBL is considered effective if: 1 Having process and product orientation In undergoing project-based learning, the students should experience the process of making the project. By experiencing it, the students will learn many things by themselves. Besides, because the students are dealing with projects, they have to make products of the projects. Hence, PBL should have process and product orientation. 2 Conducted over extended periods of time In order to make the students experience the process of making the project, time is obviously needed. 3 Encouraging natural integration of skills Project-based learning demands the students to communicate, write scientific papers, read journals, articles, and theories, and present their result in front of the class. Hence, it will naturally integrate their skills. 4 Requiring the students to work in groups or individually. Project-based learning could be done in two ways, group work or individual work. 5 Demanding the students’ responsibility of the projects through gathering, processing, and reporting. The process which is contained in project-based learning should contain the process of gathering, processing or analyzing and reporting. By being 19 responsible of those processes, the students will learn how to conduct scientific research. 6 Resulting in concrete final products The final products of the project should be concrete or tangible, such as papers and presentation. 7. Concluding with students’ reflection on the process and the result of the projects. Reflection is an essential part in implementing project-based learning. By conducting reflection, the students and the lecturers will know how PBL is beneficial for them. Moreover, the lecturers and the students will know what needs to be improved to get the better implementation of PBL. PBL contains the process of planning and communicating Mergendoller, 1999. Students are given the opportunities to find their own sources and gain knowledge from the sources they have found. By experiencing that, the students are expected to gain self-learning and self-understanding. The next step is communicating what they have got with the other group members to have an authentic result. Here, the students are expected to develop their communication skills. After passing through this step, the final task will be solving the problems and then making their product according to their knowledge the students gained. In project-based learning, the students act more than the teacher does. In this framework, the students have to do active learning. Active learning means they are looking for knowledge not being given the knowledge by the teacher. 20 Teacher’s role, here, is only to assist and give the students advices and suggestion in passing through their project. However, to make Project-based learning successfully applied in the teaching-learning activities, it needs the cooperative work of the teachers and the students itself.

b. Goals of PBL