The "Six A's" of Project-Based Learning

In the book Real Learning, Real Work, Adria Steinberg establishes a list she called the "six A's" of designing projects. These are:

• Authenticity
• Academic rigor
• Applied learning
• Active exploration
• Adult relationships
• Assessment practices

Steinberg's intent in creating this list is to provide a "self-assessment tool for teachers" (Steinberg 1998) with each "A" including several sub-questions teachers might ask themselves when designing projects.

When I look at the project work I've been planning for the coming semester, I see a lot of things I've incorporated into them that her Six A's suggest doing. For example, the art project we're about to begin asks students to explore the process of making paint from scratch in order to use it in creating their paintings - which is a skill that many professional artists value in their work ("Authenticity"). Also, I'm planning to incorporate some element of inquiry into the world of gallery and museum curation by having students interview curators about what is valued in the world of contemporary art, with the goal of developing that contact into something that will provide them feedback as they produce their own work ("Adult relationships").

There are some things that I haven't yet incorporated but I would like to. For example, she suggests that students should be a part of setting project criteria, rubrics, etc. ("Assessment practices"). This is something that I think about but often neglect to incorporate into my planning. Typically, we'll put a rubric together and impose it on the students without asking for their feedback; however, getting their input would certainly help them understand the expectations better and feel more invested in meeting them. I want to make sure this happens in the future, starting with our next project.

She says, "It is probably unrealistic to expect to be able to answer 'yes' to all of the questions posed." But it doesn't hurt to try!

References:
Steinberg, A. (1998). Real Learning, Real Work: School-to-Work As High School Reform. New York: Routledge.