(Re)counting meaningful learning experiences: Using student-created reflective videos to make invisible learning visible during PjBL experiences

Abstract

This ethnographic case study investigated how the process of learning during a yearlong after-school, project-based learning (PjBL) experience could be documented by student-created reflective videos. Guided by social constructivism, constant comparative analysis was used to explore the meaningful learning that took place in addition to the planned curricula, resulting in an exploration of the intersections of life lessons that include (a) “making learning more real,” (b) being “on a mission to change the world,” and (c) “you can’t control anybody but yourself.” Findings from the study indicate that student-created reflective videos can document meaningful learning that is capable of “counting” both as a creative form of self-expression and an alternative form of measuring the learning process throughout PjBL.