Students today have instant access to information through technology and the web, manage their own acquisition of knowledge through informal learning and can move beyond being consumers of content to become producers and publishers. As a result, traditional teaching and learning methods are becoming less effective at engaging students and motivating them to achieve. Education has been talking about this for well over a decade, and relatively few colleges have reformed their ideology to adopt a recognised methodology such as project-based learning (PBL), but instead have bolted technology onto current practices.
New ways of learning do not happen as a result of some technology company releasing new products or having them squeezed into the existing modernist mentality, but from the deliberate design of learning. This is a holistic approach to using space, technology, social connectedness and accepting well-designed units of work which can allow students to work highly independently. Without getting into a deep discussion the best practices are:
- Connect outcome-based subject matter (the syllabus we are provided) to 21st century content and skills (media, technologies and workflows).
- The teacher’s role is that of project manager or mentor.
- Let students determine the direction of their research and solutions.
- Students have the opportunity to act on their solutions.
“Challenge Based Learning” emphasises exploring topics from many angles and through the lens of multiple disciplines, which allows students to appreciate the natural connections between subject areas that might not always be immediately evident. As a result, it works especially well when teachers from different disciplines work together. So far this is proving a great way to start the year – as all our students love challenges and hands-on learning.
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