Shifting Pedagogical Demands of Common Core
In the TEDxDenver Talk, Diving Into Deeper Learning, teacher Marc Chun explores the demands of 21st-Century Teaching, which are driven by the shift to Common Core State Standards. In this clip specifically, he addresses shifts in skills employers are seeking which may not be addressed in traditional teaching methods.
Project-Based Learning
In the "Shopping Cart" video below, a team works collaboratively to address the question, "How can we improve a shopping cart?" This is a professional, workplace example of project-based learning. In the classroom, PBL can engage these same skills--those demanded by the Common Core State Standards.
Project-Based Learning vs "Doing a Project"
PBL/PrBL is based on a pre-planned driving question that students work through while learning both curricular content and Common Core Skills. This requires new and challenging applications of content and skills in relevant, open-ended ways. Whereas doing projects" is typically a culminating activity in which students demonstrate content knowledge that the teacher has presented TO them. These projects are often an application of information in a different form (from lecture to brochure for example) but do not require new or original applications as demanded by the Common Core State Standards.
Traditional "Doing a Project" Model
Project-Based Learning Model
PBL Entry Events by Discipline
Entry events launch your project. They should be engaging and make students want to jump into the project. A good entry event should leave your students with the ability to answer the Knows/Need To Knows about the project. As you look at the samples, think about:
- How you might structure a project based unit of this sort in your own classroom.
- How your students would respond to this sort of project.
- The different kinds of skills-based learning that would go along with this project.