by Teresa J. Kennedy and Donna L. Fields
Phenomenon-based Learning (PhBL) utilizes cross-curricular materials and a multi-cultural perspective, presented through an enquiry structure in which students design, plan, and carry out an extended project that culminates in a public sharing of the final product. PhBL projects promote knowledge through personalised research, multi-skilled practices of the classroom language, and the 21st Century Social Skills essential for today’s professional demands. A complete PhBL structure focuses on critical thinking techniques, a growth mindset, an intentional strengthening of the affective domain, a classroom culture of trust and excellence, and judiciously chosen moments for scaffolding and formative assessments. Transdisciplinary and plurilingual curricula are organically included through the CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) elements.
Introduction
What if… insanity ran in your father’s family. Your mother, determined to make sure that you will not be affected by this trait, looks for every means she can find to give you the most advantageous future possible. What types of tools could she use? Anne Isabelle Byron, wife of the poet Lord Byron, looked for just such a remedy to counteract the genetic predilections her daughter might have inherited from a father, infamous for his unpredictable and eccentric behaviour. She designed a program for her daughter’s education that would now be labeled Phenomenon-Based Learning: exploring, considering, reframing, and ultimately arriving at unique and viable conclusions for challenges found in our daily lives.
Differing from the more basic model of project-based learning in which students may do no more than work independently from publisher’s books or a given mono-curricular lesson, Phenomenon-Based Learning prepares students for global interaction as these projects are necessarily designed with interdisciplinary elements and include the critical 21st-century skills highlighted by the World Economic Forum, the OECD, and the UN 2030 Agenda. Phenomenon-Based Learning projects promote an independent thinking that will, to a great degree, ensure a student’s viability in the professional world despite the proliferation of technology.
Methodology
PhBL has become the standard for global practices as it fosters a cross-curricular, multi-cultural platform. It is an educational movement initiated by Finland’s educational system in 2016, in which students are immersed deeper into contextual situations aligned with real-life issues, while also applying knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines and in different languages.
A complete planning of a PhBL project is embedded with three overriding components: the 5E model of Instruction, the CLIL approach, and the STEM Play Cycle. At its best, it seamlessly immerses students in a learning environment that fosters the development of an essential global skill, critical thinking, and the opportunity to discover the why of learning, instead of the what.
The conceptual platform of a PhBL project is visually explained in the 5E Model of Instruction shown below in Figure 1. The progression of strategies creates an armory of critical thinking skills.
Figure 1
Evidence-based practices: The 5E Model of Instruction
Note: Graphic used with permission from the San Diego County Office of Education, 2018. https://ngss.sdcoe.net/Evidence-Based-Practices/5E-Model-of-Instruction
The five elements of the 5E Model of instruction are further qualified by the building blocks of key 21st Century Skills, supported by the World Economic Forum, the OECD and the UN 2030 Agenda, as depicted in Figure 2 (Fields, 2017).
Figure 2
Educators implicated in plurilingual planning find that PhBL projects are ideal for fostering the learning of classroom languages (L2, more specifically any language that is not the majority language spoken in the homes of the school in any given community). The CLIL approach, classified in its five parts (5Cs) as seen in Figure 3, complements the elements of the PhBL structure, as, in the dynamic of giving students agency in the choosing of the phenomenon, they then move organically into language acquisition: content and language explored and developed simultaneously by motivated students.
Figure 3 
Transdisciplinary studies such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) generate spontaneous and autonomous environments that help ignite students’ interests and prepare them for the skills they will need in the emerging workforce. The STEM Play Cycle, as shown in Figure 4 (Tunnicliffe & Kennedy, 2021), promotes creativity, observation, questioning, exploration, investigation, and constructing meaning through problem-solving and applying knowledge gained from previous experiences.
Figure 4
Phenomenona And Enquiry Questions
Literally speaking, phenomena are “occurrences in the natural and human-made world that can be observed and cause one to wonder and ask questions [that] require students to use the science and engineering practices (SEPs), crosscutting concepts (CCCs), and disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) in concert to explore, investigate and explain how and why phenomena occur” (Cerwin et al, 2018, p. 9). From a more practical perspective, all students, including English Language Learners (ELLs) and students from culturally underrepresented populations in STEM fields, should be supported to investigate phenomena that are engaging and meaningful to them.
Learning is optimsed when the subject is collaboratively chosen and relevant to the students’ environment and so will elicit curiosity and engagement. Examples of such phenomena include:
- environmental justice
- entrepreneurship targeted to raise funds for a community in need
- a water filtration system
- food insecurities
- the consequences of AI supplementing jobs in developing countries
The phenomenon chosen for a PhBL is introduced through an Enquiry Question. This springboard is a carefully crafted, higher-order question that opens the door to research, has multiple possible answers, seeks to address a problem (intellectual, theoretical, or philosophical), and encourages students to become intellectually engaged. Enquiry questions invite expansive possibilities, permit any answer that can be justified through the presentation of research and processing, and are at their best when begun with ‘What if…’, the highest of higher-order thinking questions - which is why we used the same kind of question to open the present article. Using the question continuum of lower- to higher-order thinking questions is one way to facilitate this outcome. An example of lower to higher-order thinking questions is given below in Figure 5 (Fields, 2020).
Figure 5
As seen above, when questions are formed by the highest indexes on the question continuum (how, why or what if… ), students are transported into an arena of limitless cognitive processing, the consideration of information from any and all angles, and the testing of solutions that lead to unique conclusions. It is important to note that these driving questions may not reflect all elements of the final task, but rather serve to launch the project and establish an environment of inquiry and engagement.
Examples of Enquiry Questions:
- What if I were identified by a periodic element? Which one would it be and why?
- How can I design a lifestyle that would be healthier for me and my classmates?
- What if I had to emigrate without warning? How would my life change?
- How have the discoveries of mathematicians affected my life and my community?
- How could the philosophies in ancient cultures clarify politics today?
Structure
PhBL projects stand apart from traditional project-based learning as they include additional elements designed to develop social and academic skills not addressed in the more basic models. With this comes a change in mindset in that there are many interconnected parts and the structure is not linear; this means that flexibility on the part of the designer is necessary. However, this also brings with it a liberal amount of freedom as teachers can begin with whatever element most inspires them, and then circle back to amend, complete and adjust criteria as necessary. Further, this non-linear dynamic mirrors the freedom the students have once the projects are put into motion and so sets us on a course of independent learning.
In addressing the rubric (or checklist) of a PhBL, teachers may choose different entry points.
- One teacher will begin by defining learning objectives (sometimes synonymous with ‘learning outcomes’)
- Another cannot move forward without envisioning and developing the criteria for the final task
- One teacher takes delight in formulating the Enquiry Question before moving into more details.
Just as with the final product presented by the students, there is no right or wrong way to design a PhBL project beyond the need for valid justifications and a carefully thought-out final product. Even after the project has begun, it is appropriate to be flexible in adjusting elements of the project, clarifying assessments, and introducing moments of direct teaching.
The objective in PhBL projects is for students to have as much agency as possible. In this respect, as teachers gain confidence in their abilities and the process, the checklists or rubrics can be progressively co-created with the students. Below you’ll find a PhBL project designed with a rubric (designed by the authors), the CLIL approach and STEM focus (Fields, 2021):
Conclusion
The research suggests that students perform as well, if not better, on standardized exams after learning through PhBL projects, than those who are taught through teacher-centered methods. The focus on the learner helps students to become more active in their own process; the inclusion of global issues and multi-cultural recognition, along with the other elements of the PBL structure, activate student engagement, interest, and belief in their own future possibilities.
PhBL breaks down the artificial barriers of STEM and general disciplines enabling students to understand the connected nature of knowledge and utilize critical skills leading to success in the 21st century economy while combatting the realities of the increasing efficiency of cybertechnology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. PhBL strategies that employ Mini-Lessons combined with the CLIL approach to focus on critical thinking techniques and a growth mindset, strengthen the affective domain and create a classroom culture of trust and excellence.
References
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https://www.wested.org/resources/next-generation-science-standards-in-practice/
Fields, Donna L. (2017). 101 Scaffolding Techniques for the Language and Content Teaching. Octaedro.
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Author Biographies
Donna Lee Fields, Ph.D., international teacher-trainer, author, professor at the University de Jaén (Spain), specialises in the CLIL approach, Phenomenon-Based Learning and EFL innovative practices. She has been nominated for awards for her book 101 Scaffolding Techniques for the Language and Content Teacher and her website scaffoldingmagic.com, and is currently finishing the fifth volume of What if...The Comprehensive Guide to Creating Phenomenon-Based Learning Projects.
Teresa J. Kennedy holds a joint appointment as a Professor of International STEM and Bilingual/ELL Education in the College of Education and Psychology and the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Tyler. She has combined STEM with content-based second language learning for over 30 years, focusing on implementing brain-based learning and teaching strategies through Project-Based Learning scenarios. She has also worked extensively with environmental science programs and ocean literacy platforms.