“But Money Makes It Real!”: Problematizing Capitalist Logic in Project-Based Learning
In an effort to boost engagement while also nurturing 21st century skills such as collaboration and critical thinking, a growing number of U.S. public schools have expanded opportunities for students to engage in applied learning experiences via projects. This conceptual article explores the under-e...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | AERA Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241309919 |
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| Summary: | In an effort to boost engagement while also nurturing 21st century skills such as collaboration and critical thinking, a growing number of U.S. public schools have expanded opportunities for students to engage in applied learning experiences via projects. This conceptual article explores the under-examined relationship between such experiences and the logic of neoliberal capitalism. The author explores how project-based learning, despite its potential as a lever for equity, sometimes takes up neoliberal capitalist tropes such as individualism, competition, profit maximization, the commodification of learner-made artifacts, and market-based solutions to social problems. The article suggests that until the field embraces approaches to project-based learning which include a Freirian emphasis on criticality and praxis, capitalist logic will persist as a mechanism by which “real world” learning can perpetuate all-too-real systems of oppression. |
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| ISSN: | 2332-8584 |