The following is an excerpt from chapter 5, “Managing Your Project,” in PBL Starter Kit: To-the-Point Advice, Tool and Tips for Your First Project in Middle or High School, published by BIE.

One of the hardest things for teachers to do during a project is to “let go” of their students. The traditional model of schooling involves a lot of spoon-feeding, hand-holding, and pouring-of-information-into-empty-heads. If this sounds anything like your classroom culture, it has to change in a PBL classroom. You may have to resist the urge to do things for students too quickly. Let them struggle a little—the right amount builds character.