The project method in postindustrial education

The publication of Kilpatrick's classic paper on the project method' sparked a lively theoretical debate in the USA about learner-directed projects in the curriculum. Boyd Bode's critique a decade later brought the American debate to a close, but projects have continued to play an important practical role. Recent trends in the US, including authentic assessment' and project-related work in the postindustrial economy, have stimulated renewed attention to learner projects.This paper reviews the earlier debate on project method and assesses its implications for postindustrial education.