Project Approach
St. George's is a nationally recognized expert in the Project Approach. Our commitment to in-depth, investigative learning inspires our students with a lifelong passion for knowledge and creates tangible, real-world applications for the curriculum.
What Is the Project Approach?
Inquiry-based learning that leads to lifelong love of knowledge—welcome to the Project Approach.
The Project Approach is a unique, student-led approach to learning through in-depth study of a particular topic. The investigation has three phases: topic selection, development and culmination. All ages at St. George's, from one-year-olds in Early Childhood to school-leading 8th graders, utilize the Project Approach at least once per school year to nurture their love of learning, develop confidence and explore their wonderings or the assigned curriculum.
St. George's Expertise in the Project Approach
The Illinois Early Learning Project, a website hub that provides community resources for parents, has featured several StG Project Approaches. Early Childhood's 2022 projects, "The Car Project" and "The Teeth Project," remain gold standards.
The StG "Path Project" is featured in the book "Growing Child Intellect: The Manifesto for Engaged Learning in the Early Years," written by Judy Helm and Karrie Snider.
St. George's educators are frequent presenters at national conferences, and we've even hosted a Project Approach Workshop on campus. Lead Project Coach Rebecca Teall will be presenting on the StG Project Approach at this year's National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference in November 2025.
How is Project Approach Different than Project-Based Learning?
The Project Approach, though student-led, includes faculty and experts as essential supports. Project-based learning does not offer the same instructor support in setting up expert interviews, site visits and other in-depth learning opportunities. Project Approach serves as a consistent framework for future projects and research students will embark on later in life. It's also more immersive and process-orientated; instead of speeding toward a final result, students are given time—sometimes multiple months—and space to fully experience and enjoy each stage before moving onto the next project.
Meet Our Lead Project Coach, Rebecca Teall
StG teacher Rebecca Teall is a passionate and innovative early childhood educator who has been teaching young children for over 20 years. Her educational philosophy is built on the simple idea that the most powerful way for students to learn something is by experiencing it themselves.
Phases of the Project Approach
Phase One: Topic Selection
At St. George’s, every project begins with curiosity—either sparked by students or inspired by the curriculum.
In our Early Childhood classrooms, teachers carefully observe the children to discover what’s capturing their attention, whether it’s bugs on the playground, the sound of musical instruments or the colors in a painting. These wonderings and sparks of curiosity help teachers identify potential project topics that are meaningful and developmentally appropriate.
In Lower and Middle School, topics are more directly connected to academic content, and student interests still play a key role. Our multiple on-campus Project Approach coaches meet regularly with teachers to brainstorm ideas, explore angles for investigation, coordinate cross-curricular collaboration and plan how to bring these topics to life in the classroom.
Across all age levels, one thing stays the same: students lead the way. Even when a topic is selected ahead of time for older students, the direction of the project is guided by students’ questions and ideas. Teachers evaluate topics based on several key factors, including student interest, academic value, real-world relevance and the potential for deep investigation.
Once a project topic is selected, teachers check in with their students to uncover what they already know and what they’re curious to learn. These conversations happen through group discussions, storytelling, journaling, drawing and more — all designed to make every child feel heard and included.
Phase Two: Development
The development stage is the heart of the Project Approach—and often the most exciting part for both students and teachers! This is when curiosity turns into discovery, and classrooms come alive with investigation, collaboration and creativity.
Once a topic is chosen, students begin digging deeper, asking questions and exploring answers through real-world research. This can take many forms—talking with experts, conducting hands-on experiments, making observations, creating surveys, going on site visits or even just quietly watching something unfold.
Teachers play a key role during this phase, setting up meaningful research opportunities, encouraging new ways of gathering information and keeping the conversation going with group discussions and evolving classroom displays.
Throughout the project, academic standards (or pre-academic skills for Early Childhood learners) are thoughtfully woven into the work. If there are specific skills or concepts not naturally addressed through the project, teachers make sure they’re taught in other ways—so nothing is missed, and learning stays both deep and well-rounded. Differentiation comes naturally within project work, too, allowing students ready for more challenge to progress in their learning.
In short: phase two is where students truly become active learners, problem solvers and critical thinkers, all while exploring and having fun with a topic they care about, nurturing the love of learning all parents hope for.
Phase Three: Culmination
By the final phase of a project, students have developed a deep understanding of the Project topic(s) and are ready to share their discoveries with the wider community. Together, teachers and students reflect on what they've learned, examining insights and key takeaways. As a classroom, they collaborate to design the most effective and meaningful ways to present their knowledge to the world, whether it's a live presentation, a video, a gallery or something different but equally exciting.
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