Statement of Intent

The first step in making something great is deciding to do it.

How Students Declare Their Intentions

Students create a small advertisement about what they intend to be doing. The advertisement should give audience a glimpse about what is to come or the purpose of the work the student is about to engage in. 

Why We Make Statements of Intent

We want students to publicly declare their intentions for a few reasons. First, it creates a level of accountability for the student and the teacher. PBL can be a little “messier” than traditional learning because each project is individualized to the student. Because of that, both teachers and students need to have a clear idea of where the project is going. Declaring one’s intentions publicly allows for further discourse around the objectives of the project. 

Next, we believe that the process of learning is just as important as the final outcome. The first part of creating anything is deciding to take an idea and give it life. Publicly declaring one’s intentions celebrates the start of the learning process. 

Finally, we want students to publicly declare their intentions because doing so draws in resources like experts in a particular field and other interested parties that can partner with the student to enhance the learning. If no one knows what the student is planning on doing, there is no way to naturally attract those resources.