Skip to main content

Introduction to Project Based learning

It is not news that too often we hear from pupils that school is boring and that they cannot relate to nor understand the material that is presented to them each day in class.  
Project Based Learning: accommodates different approaches to learning; makes content more meaningful; develops higher-order cognitive skills, life skills, technological skills and self-management skills; Students are excited, engaged, enthusiastic and empowered about their learning dig more deeply into a topic and expand their interests; retain what they learn; make connections between different subject areas and other aspects of their life; gain confidence and improve social and collaborative skills.
Project Based Learning
To those of us who teach and love our subjects, it seems incomprehensible that students are not passionate about them.  Rather than feel disheartened, we need to understand that we have before us both a challenge and an opportunity.  Project-based learning experiences will help us figure out how to make learning come alive for our middle school students.
Imagine what a classroom would look and sound like when students are actively engaged in inquiry work, where they are reading, talking, questioning, analyzing and creating products, in large groups, small groups, independently – toward the goal of demonstrating their learning based on self-selected compelling questions and topics. 
The purpose of project-based learning is to provide a structure through which students can demonstrate mastery of a subject by creating, and presenting, a research-based project that is driven by their own interest in a topic and allows them to work within the same parameters as real researchers.  While the projects can assess the students’ knowledge of content, concepts and skills and the level of depth and complexity to which students have understood them, they also allow students to think deeply and analytically and to question a topic which has particular resonance and meaning for them.  
It therefore should be concluded that this stage of learning in the CCTI course comes to further equip its beneficiaries with yet another skill that will go a long way in making the learning process more streamlined and exciting. 

Comments

  1. Sengooba ProssyJune 10, 2016 at 3:34 AM

    Thanks Edward, It's true project based learning will help us make learning alive for our students which will be easier and more fun.

    ReplyDelete
  2. GeraldJune 11, 2016 at 3:34 AM

    A good reflection Edward. I hope you find that extra magic for your learners through this course.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EDWARD AYOJune 11, 2016 at 6:55 AM

      I love this course, Gerald. It has helped me focus my experience towards realising a more relevant approach to teaching and learning. I look forward to putting more of what I am learning in this course into practice.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insight into my project work 6.2.4

In an attempt to state the curriculum objectives of the project with specific 21st Century skills and higher-order skills, I have written down the following: Objectives: Identify aquatic organisms in a water sample. (curriculum) Use sampling and counting techniques to estimate population size. (curriculum) Collaborate in groups to agree, with substantial reasoning, on the most appropriate sampling method to apply for each of the different water samples to be taken.(21st Century skill) Critically examine data on numbers of micro-organisms in the different samples and, considering other environmental factors observed, draw a conclusion about the patterns. (21st Century skill) Create a blog with content compiled by all learners, containing details of the story of the entire project, the observations made and the conclusions/hypothesis deduced.  (higher order thinking) Together influence the community to implement workable solutions which either guarantee the safe use of drink...
Post a Comment
Read more

6.5.4 Reflect: Role playing in PBL

It is in this lesson of the course that I have eventually come to fully comprehend what Project Based Learning is all about. Its about applying all the skills the teacher has learnt to ensure that there is full engagement of the learner during the teaching-learning process.  In order to engage learners we have to be creative, imaginative, and innovative. We strive to: Draw in the students' interest to the topic,Capture their imagination in the real-life scenario of the task, Engage them cognitively through real-life responsibilities and role playing. This is a very exciting teaching - learning experience in which both the learner and teacher are highly enthused in the process. It is needless to mention that the entire project will give the learner an early exposure into applying the skills, so far built in their school life, in real "work-like" experiences. For instance, a learner may get engaged in a real debate to pass a controversial law; participate in a human rights...
2 comments
Read more

How I would integrate search literacy and information literacy -- 4.6.4

Looking at how I would integrate search literacy and information literacy, I am drawn to believe that the first step would be to make an attempt to change the mindsets of those who are going to get involved in this integration. Change them to the mindset that will embrace the integration of course. This is because no clear achievement can be made in this line unless those I am going to work with (including myself) have the will power to see these innovations coming to pass. Once those minds are changed for the 'good' then we can get to work. It will be important to ensure that all skills needed to interact with computers and/or any media we are going to use are mastered and the learners are proficient in the use of these tools (I am assuming that the technology and facilities we need are already in place). Later, use of relevant applications and the browsers must also be mastered. The skills of the learners can be improved as they get along. Next is to ensure that the learn...
2 comments
Read more