© 2008 Festo Corporation 86 U
Getting Started with Festo MecLab
Projects
Objectives of the Project Lesson
For students the project itself is the goal towards which all actions are directed. For the
teacher, it is a way of encouraging students to work on their own (e.g. planning, executing
and evaluating).
The project lesson is a type of activity-oriented lesson. It offers the opportunity to go beyond
the technical level and to encourage active and constructive thought processes. The project
lesson is thus a comprehensive means of developing competencies.
The exercises and problem definitions for the project lesson should be comprehensive and
realistic. It should include a deadline as well as scheduled “milestones”.
8.2 Characteristics of the Project Lesson
Project work as an open lesson form requires the teacher to plan the sequential structure of
the project, the students' capabilities and the conditions under which the project is to be car-
ried out.
A lesson can be described as open if the subject matter as well as the manner in which it is
learned is not prescribed and students can follow different solution processes that they have
defined.
The term "project lesson" is often used loosely. There are characteristics that define and de-
scribe this method. The project lesson should include some of the following:
Practice-oriented
Students should recognize the importance of theory and practice. They can either gain this at
the start of the project work or experience it while working on the project.
Interdisciplinary
The nature of the project lesson requires the inclusion of several scientific disciplines or
fields (science, technology engineering and math). Engineering sciences are multi-
dimensional and tend to focus on creative problem solving. They start with a “needs-
analysis” and aim towards what is physically and economically possible, ecologically sustain-
able and humanly desirable. In other words, work on technical projects is driven by human
need and technical action, both of which may have conflicting objectives.
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