This isn’t be the first time you’ve heard reference to the four ‘Cs’ in project based learning, and I am sure that it won’t be the last. This week I decided I wanted to write a little about these four ‘Cs’, and one in particular, because apart from being essential to PBL, I believe they are necessary for both building a healthy community and the enhancement of the quality of our lifestyle.
The ability to think clearly and critically – critical thinking; to use our creativity in how we meet the world with its endless challenges; to work positively when collaborating with others; and to enjoy genuine quality in our communications, are essential aspects in every facet of life, including sport. PBL uses the four ‘Cs’ very consciously, and we hope that by doing this, it will help our students prepare well for their adult life.
How life has changed in the last couple of decades, particularly with the rapid development of technology. This advancement has created a whole new world, and leads to young people growing up faster than ever. There is so much pressure on parents today with children wanting the latest gadgets. You see even quite young children with mobile phones and/or iPads. This for me begs the question: Is this to enable and/or improve communication or is simply being used as a toy? If so, it’s quite an expensive toy. I’m all for effective communication, but to what degree have mobile phones enabled a genuine improvement in communications? Social media provides countless possibilities for improving the quality of communication, and I am sure that in many ways that has been the case. My concern, however, is that these tools in the hands of young children do not in fact help to improve their communication skills. Working in the classroom, we are very conscious of the need to teach and support healthy and effective communication strategies, not only while working with PBL, but all of the time. So what effect has modern technology had on the notion that communication is 80 percent body language? I say, you just can’t beat that direct, person-to-person communication.
I’ve attached a clip on the subject for your entertainment.
Kind regards,
Rodney
fran packer says
So much is lost with texting and social media, talking to each other has become an unfashionable form of communication which is so sad.
Tania says
What a great little video. Illustrates the point very well 🙂