Before engaging in this eight-week project-based learning experience, I deemed it
essential to acclimate my students to the process of autonomously creating an assessed product.
Therefore, throughout the year, I engaged my students in smaller scale projects which entailed
cooperative learning experiences with fellow classmates. As part of the social-cognitive view of
learning, students shared their interpretation of concepts and construction of knowledge with
their peers. Specifically, I gave students the opportunity to choose peers for cooperative learning