19 February 2008

Pedagogy: project based learning (PBL) in action

Today many teachers, like myself, find ourselves teaching to the test - Criteria Reference Test: CRT- because administrators think the combination of a pacing calendar and standardize lesson will produce improved test scores. On the other hand, project based learning (PBL) focuses on growing the student interest with learning opportunities that involve action, materials and core concepts. I think the best of both worlds is a standardized lesson that supports teachers using PBL.

PBL works great for me. An elementary teacher in FL challenges students to use certain groupings of coins to buy items from the classroom store as a playful and engaging way for them to meet state first-grade curriculum standards for learning coin values and equivalences. PBL engages students using the proven method of constructivism and enables students to apply concepts in real time about what they're studying.

Got 9 minutes? Check out this PBL video clip in primary and secondary education. You can see student interviews and hear from the experts ...... well worth your time.

MIT distinguished professor Seymour Papert is among a growing group of scholars who support project-based learning, in which students move from hands-on work to abstract thinking by solving real-world problems. See the video clip.

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