The Need for Authentic Project-Based Learning
created/retrieved on October 26, from www.wordle.net
The need for project-based learning is growing as fast as the need to prepare our students for 21st Century skills. As a matter of fact, I believe that they coincide. Project-based learning, by definition, is when students explore real-world problems, simultaneously developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups. (Do I sense common core as well?!) This is the formula for preparing students with career-ready skills.
6 Reasons why you should use project-based learning
- Deeper Knowledge of Subjects - Research indicates that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning.
- Develop Confidence and Self-Direction - Students move through projects with both team-based and independent work.
- Develop Better Communication - Students will hone their organizational and research skills and develop better communication with their peers and adults.
- Meaningful Assessment - The students can easily see how academic work can connect to real-life issues and they are evaluated on the basis of their project rather than on the comparatively narrow rubrics defined by exams, essays, and written reports.
- Integration of Technology - Project-based learning easily lends itself to the integration of technology. The internet can be a resource that students may use when conducting their research.
- Spark Students' Desire to Explore, Investigate, and Understand their World - 'nuff said!
-Information organized/retrieved on October 26, from www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction
Robotics is a club that I co-coach after school. Robotics embodies project-based learning. The best way to summarize First Lego League is to say that it is a robotics program for 9 to 16 year olds. It is designed to get children excited about science and technology - and teach them valuable employment and life skills. In FLL, the children do the work! The work being; programming an autonomous robot to score points on a thematic playing surface, creating an innovative solution to a problem as part of their project, all while being guided by the FLL Core Values. Our team attends two competitions in a year. This year the challenge is called Senior Solutions. The students must research and design a solution to a problem that senior citizens face. It truly is inspiring to see students collaborate together to solve a real-world problem. One of the Core Values is gracious professionalism. This core value, for me, is the most rewarding attribute to Robotics. It isn't about winning or solving a problem and keeping it from everyone. Teams, especially at competitions, help each other when a problem arises with their robot and assist each other when they can.
Project-based learning IS authentic learning. What better way to prepare our students for careers after graduating.
A Lego club. Now that is a great concept. This would cover your visual learners, your tactile learners, your spatial learners...it covers individual, small group, and whole group instruction. What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI think our blog was supposed to be more on what we might want to do a digital story on...maybe your topic could be digital instructions to a project? Just an idea.
I have a question that I would like to ask, and I am asking all of the students in our class:
How much time should content area teachers spend teaching students how to use programs like Prezi or other digital storytelling platforms? I mean, in a time when we are given more content to cover and fewer hours/days to deliver it...can we afford to spend time showing students (those who do not understand) how to use the digital platforms? Or better yet, can we afford to NOT teach them?