2. What is a Project
A project is an in-depth, extended, and structured form of classroom inquiry based around a real-world topic or central question.
This is a curriculum approach which:
- enables students to apply their acquired skills in a meaningful, real life context.
- equips learners to solve problems and answer questions creatively within and outside their classroom.
- helps develop real world problem solving skills.
- can engage and challenge a wide range of students.
- engages student's intellect and encourages high level of thinking.
- encourages and values individual as well as group efforts.
- can be effective at any grade level
- works successfully in mixed age groups and classrooms as well as in traditional configurations.
- encourages a wide range of parent and community involvement.
There are a number of different ways of talking about a project. Most models are based on the notion of a student conducted research cycle.
"The Project Approach" refers to a formal framework of teaching strategies that allows teachers to guide students through an in-depth study of an authentic topic. "The description of a project can be like a good story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Teachers and children can tell the story with reference to these three phases in the life of the project" Project approach site
Reggio Emilia is an approach designed for younger students. Projects begin with teachers observing and questioning children about the topic of interest. Based on children's responses, teachers introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explore the topic. While some of these teacher provocations are anticipated, projects often move in unanticipated directions as a result of problems children identify. Thus, curriculum planning and implementation revolve around open-ended and often long-term projects that are based on the reciprocal nature of teacher-directed and child-initiated activity.
http://www.cmu.edu/cyert-center/rea.htm
Telecollaborative Projects is a term used to refer to student-centered online research or collaborative projects designed to link learners in a search to understand a specific topic. These can be either synchronous or asynchronous and tend to involve media-rich materials. While these projects utilize an approach similar to a typical project approach, they do allow a much wider scope of collaboration, both physical and temporal. See Judi Harris' talk and virtual architecture site.
Related Links:
http://questioning.org/beyondtech.html
http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/
|
