Academics
Lower School

Project-Based Learning

In This Section

At Nardin Elementary, faculty and staff are dedicated to a dynamic classroom environment that both appeals to different learning styles and goes beyond the regular curriculum.

Outside of the limitations of New York State standardized tests, teachers have the flexibility to execute creative lessons and present material in ways which students find interesting, engaging and fun.

Project-Based Learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students gain both knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to real world problems, questions, or challenges.

Elements of Project-Based Learning include:

List of 5 items.

  • Sustained Inquiry

    Students engage in a rigorous process of meaningful inquiry, finding resources, and applying information.

  • Authenticity

    Students work on projects that feature real-world applications and that address concerns and interests in their own lives. This ensures the end product will be an outcome beyond rote memorization.

  • Student Voice

    Students make decisions and guide the direction of the project. They have a voice in what the outcome will be and in how to express what they have learned.

  • Reflection

    Both students and teachers reflect on the learning activities and address any obstacles and how they may overcome these obstacles in the future.

  • Critique and Revision

    Students give and receive feedback to improve their process. The final project is made public in some way by presenting or displaying beyond the classroom.
By participating in Project-Based Learning, students are able to engage in the learning process and develop skills that are recognized as critically important such as curiosity, exploration, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Each cross-curricular project uniquely prepares our elementary students to both experience and make a difference in the world.

- Nardin Teacher

“We are teaching students to be aware of the world around them”
A private, independent, Catholic school in Buffalo, NY, with coed Montessori, Lower and Middle Schools and a college preparatory High School for young women.

List of 3 items.