PBL: Real World Connection

What is it?

As an element of PBL, a real world connection makes classroom content relevant for your students.

These connections place new learning within a larger context, whether related to students’ lived experiences, current events, or future occupations.

Why does it matter?

By drawing on students’ prior knowledge, we can ease their cognitive load–instead of wrestling with all new information, they have a foundation on which to build.
This foundation provides capacity for new learning.
Connecting to students’ lives validates their own knowledge, experience, and interests.

Types of connections

Student-centered connections: Look for ways that your content is present in students’ lives right now.
Career-centered connections: Consider how your content might be applied in a professional setting. How might your content relate to specific career pathways?
Themes of civic or social purpose: Draw attention to ways that skills and content might help improve your students’ world.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals offer a great lens for connecting the classroom to contemporary issues.

Entry Events

An entry event helps to launch the project by sparking student interest and/or excitement. This might be a field trip, a guest speaker, puzzle, simulation, etc.

An entry event is often one of the first opportunities during a project to connect classroom content to external issues, challenges, or applications.

Tips & Tricks

Look for opportunities within your own school campus.
Learn about your students through surveys, 1-on-1 conversations, and class discussions.
Pay attention to the topics that spark student interest and excitement.