Ask the Experts: Elizabeth Edmondson

Q: What are the benefits of project-based learning?

“The world is not siloed into separate disciplines and subjects, but that’s the way that many of our schools operate. Project-based learning is the ultimate benefit, because kids have a chance to see how all the different subjects and topics play against one another and how they’re all connected,” says Elizabeth Edmondson, dean of faculty and director of curriculum development at Gilmour Academy. “It tries to mimic and replicate authentic real-world scenarios. Students can see that science is not divorced from math, and it’s not divorced from reading. They all work together to give a greater understanding of how things function in the real world. It’s a chance for kids to think about things thematically and gives them a chance to work collaboratively.”