The project method involves students carrying out a meaningful project or activity together. It is based on principles of learning by doing and cooperation. The major steps are providing a situation for the project, choosing the project, planning it, executing the plan, evaluating the results, and recording what was done. Examples of geography projects include making models of landforms or staging a play about different regions. Benefits include promoting cooperation and giving students responsibility for their own learning. Limitations include the large amount of time required and lack of textbooks for this method.

1. Project Method
Prof .Amol Ubale

2. Introduction
 Project method owes its origin to the pragmatic school of philosophy. It was Propound by W H.
Kilpatrick and was perfected by J. A.Stevenson. The method consists of building a
comprehensive unit around an activity that may be carried out in the school or outside. The
essence of this method is to carry out a useful task in a group in which all the students work co-
operatively. Learning by doing and learning by living are the two basic principles involved and
children learn through association, co-operation and activity.

3. Definition
 “A project is a unit of whole-hearted purposeful activity carried on
preferably in its natural setting”. Kilpatrick
 “A project is a problematic and carried to completion in its natural
setting” -Stevenson.
 “A project is a bit of real life that has been imparted in to the school” -
Ballard.

4. Principles of the Project Method
1. The principle of freedom
2. The principle of reality
3. The principle of activity
4. The principle of experience
5. The principle of utility
6. The principle of interest
7. The principle of sociability

5. Major steps of the Project Method
1. Providing a situation
2. Choosing the Project
3. Planning
4. Carrying out the project
(executing)
5. Evaluating
6. Recording

6. Providing a situation
A Project is never to be forced upon pupils. Situations
may be provided by conservations or different topics,
discussions on pictures, buildings or cities, by telling
stories or taking out children on excursions and
educational tours and trips.

7. Choosing a Project
 After a situation has been provided, the next step is the choice of a
good project. Only such a project should be selected as many satisfy
some real need of the pupils and for the good of all of them. The
pupil must feels that the project is their own.

8. Planning
 After suitable choice have been made, the next step is prepare a plan for
the execution of the project. The entire planning is to be done by the
pupils under the guidance of the teacher, after a good deal of discussion.
Each child should be encouraged to participate in the discussion and
offer his suggestions. The entire plan should be put in black and white by
the pupils in their project book is complete.

9. Executing
 When the plan is ready the teacher should encourage the pupil to put in into practice. He
should ask the pupils to assign duties and distribute work among themselves, according to
their individual interests and capacities. Each must be given some duty to do for the
successful completion of the project. Then, they should be asked to work in co-operation
with one another till the project is complete.

10. Evaluating
 After the completion of project, the student should be asked to
review their work. They should note their mistakes, if any, and see
whether they had proceeded, according to the plan or not.It is a sort
of self criticism which is a very important from a training and should
never be neglected

11. Recording
All the pupils should maintain a project-book in which they should put down a
complete record of all the activities, connected with the project. This record will be
include the choice of project, its planning, discussions held, difficulties felt, duties
assigned, references and books consulted, information gathered, experiences gained
,guidance sought etc.Impotant points for further references and guidance are also to
be noted down.

12. Geographical Project Applied in Schools
 Making sand or clay models of different sections of the various
river valleys-the Ganges, the Indus etc.
 Pupils may be encouraged to stage a play showing the life in
various regions of the world.
 A hill scene i.e. Shimla or National showing railway lines, a
bridge, cultivated fields, roads and other important features.

13. Geographical Project Applied in Schools
 Pupils may be asked to prepare economic and distributional of
the local area.
 Setting and running a geographical museum is another
important and useful project of educational value.
 Pupils may be encouraged to read papers and organise
excursions.
 Pupils may cultivate a vegetable or a fruit garde

14. Merits of Project Method
 It promotes co-operation and group interaction.
 It gives training in a democratic way of learning and living.
 There is no place for rote memorization.
 As it is based on the psychological principle, it is only for the development of the
inherited traits of the child providing the most natural conditions.
 Applying this method, education gets more meaning and value in comparison to the
traditional methods of teaching.
 It develops social values like co-operation, fellow-feeling and brotherhood

15. Merits of Project Method
 It trains the pupils in the exercise of invention and self-responsibility.
 The child gets training in research work through this method.
 The child derives satisfaction when he achieves something by his own
efforts.
 Lastly, the students can evaluate their work.

16. Demerits of Project Method
 Project absorbs large amount of time and can be used as a part of
science work only.
 Many aspect of curriculum will not yield to project work.
 Larger projects in the hands of an inexperienced and unskillful teacher
lead to boredom.
 Textbook written on this lines are not available.
 The method is highly expensive, as pupil has to purchase lot of item,
travel and do outdoor work.