City Park PBL

Anita Benna Topper, in her article, A Journey Through Geometry: Designing a City Park (1999), describes a fifth-grade problem-based learning project that attracted the attention of not only the students, but also the community. The task was to design a city park that would meet the needs of the surrounding neighborhood. While an actual new green space wasn't being considered by the city planners, the students would be given the opportunity to present their proposal to the city council once complete.

The students began their project by determining what they already knew about park design and what they would need to learn to effectively complete their task. With the help of a statistician, they developed, conducted and analyzed a survey regarding the community's opinion on what an ideal park would offer.  They then completed a 6-week in depth study of geometry that included all the necessary skills and concepts they would need to proceed to the next stage: park design. Students worked independently during the geometry units and were given the choice as to which order the necessary skills were mastered. All the while, students recorded their learning in a journal. The teacher evaluated and guided their learning through face to face meetings and journal responses throughout the project. As the unit reached its close, it was time to create blue-prints. This naturally brought the focus of learning to the concept of scale drawings, practical design, and perspective. An architect was brought in to co-teach some of these concepts. In the end, the students were permitted to present their designs to the city council along with their reasoning.

This article was a stellar example of how problem-based learning can be used at the upper elementary level. The students were provided with an authentic problem that was of interest to them and within their developmental capabilities. The skills that were required to solve the problem were diverse and well integrated. Percentages were required to interpret their survey; geometry was needed to for element design; scale and proportions were needed to create a comprehensible blueprint; and communication skills were needed to present and defend their recommendations. While a real park was not under consideration, industry professionals and community leaders provided a legitimacy to the student's efforts. In addition, the teacher provided subtle guidance and discrete evaluations throughout the process, judging not only the students' final products, but also the skills and understanding needed to get them there.

The only thing this project did not offer was a phase where the multiple student solutions were judged based on a set of predetermined criteria. Students were to have taken the survey results into account when creating their design, but it was not apparent if their final products were evaluate by these recommendations. In addition, the students each made their own design as opposed to a group design. While a lot of the mathematical skills and data collection involved collaborative work, the actual solutions did not.


Tepper, Anita. (1999). A journey through geometry: Designing a city park. Teaching Children Mathematics. Retrieved from http://nctm.org/.