Throughout history there has been a clear conflict between traditional and constructivist styles of teaching. This conflict stems from the pedagogical approach in which we as a society believe students learn best. The truth is, each student has their own strengths and weaknesses in learning and thus "a unit of study changes each year because of the uniqueness of the students and the dynamic global issues impacting their world" (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014, p. 52). By knowing your students' interests and experiences, you as a teacher will then be able to create a relevant curriculum (Drake et al., 2014). With this being said, the development of the students curriculum must exhibit a project based learning approach as opposed to a traditional based learning approach because a traditional based learning approach does not meet the learning needs of each and every student.
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As shown in the picture above, a traditional based learning approach starts with the teacher telling the students what they need to know, followed by the students memorizing it and lastly illustrating how to use it through an assigned problem. Through my own experiences of the traditional learning approach I found that it was not a successful approach for me as I learn better through hands on experiences. I also found that I lacked motivation and simply sat in class to receive the content that was needed for me to then go home and learn it through my own learning strategies. After reading chapter one and learning more about the project-based learning approach, I believe that this approach would meet the different learning needs of each student. The Project-based learning approach would accomplish this because it uses a project as a "vehicle for simultaneous instruction and application" (Drake et al., 2014, p.3). The teacher is to guide the students to use his or her own interests and experiences in order to make connections and bring light to knowledge while working on the project (Drake et al.,2014).
Retrieved from: http://plpnetwork.com/2012/10/19/venturing-project-based-learning/
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| Retrieve from http://bie.org/about/why_pbl |
A PBL approach begins with the teacher asking a challenging/ complex question that incorporates the students learning goals, interests, curriculum content and is grounded into the real-world (Coffey, n.d.). According to Drake et al., (2014) the students thus use 21st century skills like inquiry/research, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and problem solving to research, learn about concepts, gain new knowledge and thus apply this knowledge and concepts in different ways. These skills are not only beneficial to the specific task at hand, rather, they are applicable to life experiences outside of the classroom. By PBL allowing students to take the learning into their own hands, the student then builds a basis for how they will work within their future life in college, university, and their career. Therefore PBL ultimately fosters a deeper lifelong learning compared to the traditional learning approach as it encourages students to use technology and become active, reaching out beyond the school building and integrating their skills into the world around us (Edutopia, 2007).
References
Coffey, H., (n.d.). Project-based learning., Learn NC,. Retrieved from: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4753
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Edutopia, (2007, October 19). Why Is Project-Based Learning Important?. Retrieved from:
http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-importance
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