During the week commencing Monday, 10th November 2025, JUMP had the pleasure of hosting a group of teachers from Lithuania. In addition to exploring the local geography, nature, and culture, the guests learnt the fundamentals of Project Based Learning (PBL).
Project Based Learning is a dynamic teaching method wherein students acquire knowledge and skills through active engagement in investigating and responding to authentic, complex questions, problems, or challenges. Learners work on a project over an extended period—a process that requires planning, collaboration, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving—culminating in the creation of a publicly presented products or/and solutions. By focusing on a deep understanding and the practical application of knowledge, this method fosters key future competencies, such as communication and creativity.
On the first day dedicated to the PBL component of the course, two teachers from Utena Adolfas Šapoka Gymnasium in Lithuania – German teacher Gitana Preissler and Physics teacher Stasys Kirdeikis – began their coursework by exploring the fundamental principles of Project Based Learning. Aided by clear materials prepared for the session, they delved into the key concepts associated with this framework.
Detailed discussion covered crucial topics, such as the ‘driving question’ and the definition of ‘results’ within the PBL framework. Particular emphasis was placed on clarifying the apparent paradox between the terms ‘structured’ and ‘flexible’ regarding PBL projects, as well as presenting a broad spectrum of exemplary project results across various subjects for both primary and secondary education.
Following the necessary theoretical introduction, the teachers – who were primarily keen on the practical dimension of the course work – were introduced to two project scenarios developed specifically for them. One scenario focused on Physics, whilst the other addressed German language teaching. Crucially, both scenarios featured driving questions that aligned with the didactical requirements for teaching secondary school German and Physics, respectively. Each was clearly structured in its description (though deliberately differentiated), and both allowed for an appropriate yet flexible timeframe.
The first day of substantive work concluded with a presentation of useful, step-by-step instructions on writing a PBL project, combined with humorous tips and advice. This was followed by the introduction of the first assignment: the course participants were tasked with drafting a project engaging their school, addressing the needs of the local community in Utena, and incorporating interdisciplinary cooperation between German and Physics teachers, all in line with the PBL framework. That afternoon, the group took an excursion to Soverato Superiore alongside other course participants, providing the teachers with an opportunity to discuss the framework of their project, including with the instructor if required.
On the second day of the core part of the course, the participants were immersed in a review of valuable and inspiring online sources intended to potentially assist them in preparing and creating their own PBL projects. This part of the activities also included a survey of websites belonging to organisations important for the PBL tradition. I then shared my academic knowledge regarding the fundamental assumptions of PBL’s effectiveness as a recommended contemporary educational method, alongside my technical expertise concerning easily accessible, intuitive software and online resources for school and private use, particularly effective in modern teaching. I also presented examples of my own students’ work, created during my generally PBL-compliant classes with both primary and secondary school pupils.
Due to her particularly keen interest in new technologies applicable to the teaching process, Gitana additionally undertook hands-on training. She created a map of Germany, complete with its division into federal states, using the Stable Diffusion programme, corrected graphical errors in an AI-generated image using the raster graphics editor Photopea, and, within the Canva programme, executed two humorous illustrations featuring dialogues in German, utilising free vector images. These language learning aids were designed for direct use during her lessons.
The afternoon session of that same day featured a presentation of technological experiences, achievements, and tools by the Lithuanian group. Stasys shared with JUMP the operational fundamentals of an intriguing application called phyphox: physical phone experiments (a mobile application enabling numerous environmental measurements, such as acceleration, illumination values, or sound frequency). Furthermore, he presented the results of his own students’ work, which had been published online prior to the course, and which were subsequently discussed in terms of their compliance with PBL criteria during the session.
Also during that afternoon session, the preliminary PBL project proposal drafted by the Lithuanian teachers was reviewed with the instructor and supplemented with a further task: incorporating a connection to Soverato as an additional component with local-reference significance.
The third day of the core training module began unusually, starting with a visit from attendees of various concurrent Erasmus courses at the CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) training. During the hour, one CLIL course participant presented the results of her coursework as a lecture and presentation. She was thus able to test her skills as both a speaker and a debater on the core subject content, delivering her specific knowledge in English. The guests from the other courses were asked to note down questions according to a specific key and to pose them to the speaker upon the conclusion of her presentation. Given that the CLIL trainer was a native Briton who had studied at Oxford, the modification of the session format she designed must be appreciated as an excellent opportunity for learning (through observation) the principles behind delivering high-quality, well-structured, thematic, conference-style presentations in English.
Following the time dedicated to CLIL, the PBL trainees took a field trip to Soverato Marina, specifically the lungomare, and explored the surrounding coastal area, where they had the opportunity to gather materials and observations useful for finalising their course project.
After working in their small group, they presented to me the final form of their idea for incorporating Soverato into the PBL project; they decided to invite technical secondary schools from Soverato to participate, envisioning a scope of activities for them that would be easily comparable to that established for the Lithuanian side.
The project outlines the performance of physical investigations of selected objects in both locations within a curriculum-defined scope, and the presentation of results in the form of various outputs, publicly shared through different methods (defined in the project description)—all conducted in communicative German. As such, it superbly meets the PBL criteria and provides an excellent opportunity for establishing international cooperation based on clear principles.
After agreeing on the final details with me and collaboratively applying a checklist of the most important PBL criteria, the participants submitted their project to the course organisers, thanking us all for the engaging training.
I, too, wish to express my gratitude to the trainees for their commitment and interesting ideas, remaining confident that they left equipped with the necessary knowledge, which they will consolidate and utilise soon in their professional environment.
Author: Maja Piotrowska-Krawczyk (JUMP Trainer)
