Assignment Questions
1. Evaluate the effectiveness of professional development in improving teachers' confidence
with Project-Based Learning (PBL).
2. Analyze the challenges educators face when implementing PBL in classrooms.
3. Critically assess the research methodology used in the study and suggest potential
improvements.
4. Discuss the impact of COVID-19 on teacher confidence and instructional strategies within
PBL environments.
5. Propose additional training interventions that could enhance teachers’ PBL
implementation skills.
Western Governors University MAES Capstone - C548 – Task 1
, Capstone Prospectus
Topic
This study is intended to research the impact of professional development in Project Based
Learning on teachers’ perceived abilities and confidence. This research is important to me
due to me having been a Teacher, Interventionist and now Substitute at New Possibilities
Academy (school name is a pseudonym) over the past 3 years, as well as a student pursuing
a master’s degree in education. This topic relates to my educational degree program of
study by delving into the impacts of a major teaching method which is a method used in
many classrooms across the world (Boss, 2018).
While I enjoy New Possibilities Academy and its students, working there as a teacher is not
without its challenges. One challenge I perceived, that was also expressed by many other
teachers, was the requirement of Project Based Learning methods in the classroom. This
school specifically requires teachers to teach within a project based method and does not
allow for other methods of teaching. This study will investigate the impacts that project
based learning requirements have on its teachers before and after professional
development in the topic.
This topic is important to the field of education, as project based learning is a widely
accepted method of teaching. Any study pertaining to methods of instruction in the
classroom only leads to a more advanced education culture. Student impacts are always of
the highest importance in education, and project based learning has been proven to yield
success for students in the classroom by learning through doing rather than traditional
methods of learning (Cummings, 2022). However, the impacts on teachers are rarely
thought of. Researching the impact that project based learning has on teachers is important
to understand how teachers feel, which affects their ability to be decent, well-rounded
educators.
1. Evaluate the effectiveness of professional development in improving teachers' confidence
with Project-Based Learning (PBL).
2. Analyze the challenges educators face when implementing PBL in classrooms.
3. Critically assess the research methodology used in the study and suggest potential
improvements.
4. Discuss the impact of COVID-19 on teacher confidence and instructional strategies within
PBL environments.
5. Propose additional training interventions that could enhance teachers’ PBL
implementation skills.
Western Governors University MAES Capstone - C548 – Task 1
, Capstone Prospectus
Topic
This study is intended to research the impact of professional development in Project Based
Learning on teachers’ perceived abilities and confidence. This research is important to me
due to me having been a Teacher, Interventionist and now Substitute at New Possibilities
Academy (school name is a pseudonym) over the past 3 years, as well as a student pursuing
a master’s degree in education. This topic relates to my educational degree program of
study by delving into the impacts of a major teaching method which is a method used in
many classrooms across the world (Boss, 2018).
While I enjoy New Possibilities Academy and its students, working there as a teacher is not
without its challenges. One challenge I perceived, that was also expressed by many other
teachers, was the requirement of Project Based Learning methods in the classroom. This
school specifically requires teachers to teach within a project based method and does not
allow for other methods of teaching. This study will investigate the impacts that project
based learning requirements have on its teachers before and after professional
development in the topic.
This topic is important to the field of education, as project based learning is a widely
accepted method of teaching. Any study pertaining to methods of instruction in the
classroom only leads to a more advanced education culture. Student impacts are always of
the highest importance in education, and project based learning has been proven to yield
success for students in the classroom by learning through doing rather than traditional
methods of learning (Cummings, 2022). However, the impacts on teachers are rarely
thought of. Researching the impact that project based learning has on teachers is important
to understand how teachers feel, which affects their ability to be decent, well-rounded
educators.
