Dewey (1902) and other progressive educators (e.g. Piaget 1966, 1970) laid the curricular
and psychological foundations for project-based science instruction. In The Child and the
Curriculum, Dewey notes that the ‘‘child is the starting point, the center, and the end’’ and
that the most natural way for children to learn is by doing (Dewey 1902, p. 187). However,
he also observes that children must be guided and provided with appropriate learning
experiences if they are to develop a habit of ‘‘critical examination and inquiry’’ (Dewey
1902, p. 29).