How do we build active and invested learners?
SPARK CURIOSITY AND CREATIVITY WITH STUDENT-OWNED PROJECTS
"The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child and to assist him in properly responding to these.......I believe, therefore, in the so-called expressive or constructive activities as the centre of correlation."
- John Dewey
- John Dewey
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What is Active Learning?
What is Project-Based and Challenge-Based Learning
Project-Based learning and Challenge-Based learning are both rooted in collaboration. Teachers collaborate with their colleagues across academic disciplines to enable student projects, while students collaborate with each other and their teachers to bring those projects to life. While there are many similarities in the two approaches, some differences to keep in mind between the two approaches are that Project-Based learning ends with a class presentation on what was learned, while Challenge-Based learning revolves around coming up with a possible solution to the challenge and also implementing and measuring the possible solution with real-world application.
The How-To's for Project-Based and Challenge-Based Learning
Setting up a Structure1. Use a framework. Here is one of many frameworks for scaffolding a project:
Osbourne & Parne's Creative Inquiry Model.
2. Use technology to scaffold instruction, as a tool for student research, and as an opportunity for collaboration and communication.
3. Establish Accountability
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Keeping Students Focused and Self-Reflective1. Develop an essential question. Put it on every assignment sheet and even around the classroom.
2. Encourage students to apply scientific reasoning, supporting claims and presenting evidence to frame the investigation and help students reflect on their learning. 3. Have students develop and reflect on their personal learning goals for the project. Have students complete a daily online reflection journal to be checked by the instructor at various stages of the project. 4. Hold weekly conferences with the students or the group about the project and the learning questions. Allow students to make appointments and lead the session. 5. Have students assess themselves. Create a rubric for students to use and make this a significant grade in the project. |
Keep it Real and Meaningful to Students
1. Make sure activities focus on real-world relevance and is meaningful to students. With the Common Core Standards, activities should match as nearly as possible to the tasks of professionals in practice and involve students' beliefs and values.
2. Keep it open and flexible. Require students to define the tasks that need to take place in order to successfully complete the project.
3. Make it rigorous and sustained. Assessments should be completed in days, weeks, or months rather than in a single class period. Projects should require students to invest both time and intellectual resources.
4. Require students to investigate the topic from different perspectives using a variety of resources.
5. Focus on collaboration! Allow students to work in partners and groups throughout the entire project or at least at various stages.
6. Make reflection an integral part of the process.
7. Make it interdisciplinary! Project topics and assessments should require students to build mastery in skills that are applicable beyond a single field of study.
8. Make sure students have range and diversity in assessment options and learning topics. Enable students to present their projects in a polished format.
2. Keep it open and flexible. Require students to define the tasks that need to take place in order to successfully complete the project.
3. Make it rigorous and sustained. Assessments should be completed in days, weeks, or months rather than in a single class period. Projects should require students to invest both time and intellectual resources.
4. Require students to investigate the topic from different perspectives using a variety of resources.
5. Focus on collaboration! Allow students to work in partners and groups throughout the entire project or at least at various stages.
6. Make reflection an integral part of the process.
7. Make it interdisciplinary! Project topics and assessments should require students to build mastery in skills that are applicable beyond a single field of study.
8. Make sure students have range and diversity in assessment options and learning topics. Enable students to present their projects in a polished format.