According to edutopia.org, PBL "is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying." Nowadays there are several charter schools as well as non-charter schools that are implementing variations of PBL. Please review High Tech High's Design Principles to get a better idea of what our school values. Other characteristics of PBL may include:
More depth and less breadth - students may not learn everything but they will understand what they are learning at a much deeper level.
Students learn TO... and students learn THAT... - unlike traditional schools, students at HTH learn real-world applicable skills as well as academic content.
Not memorization but application - instead of just absorbing information, students at HTH do something with the information.
Teacher acts as a facilitator rather than a "sage on stage" - teachers at HTH guide and learn with their students, exploring and wondering together as opposed to students becoming an empty vessel for teachers to pour knowledge into.