Cameron is off to 4th grade!!! I’m excited for this year for him ~ he got in the Project Based Learning Program! It is a different classroom set up that has ton of technology – each kids get a mini-laptop, clicker, 2 smart boards in the room. They do lots of hands on projects to figure out things… Here is the Wikipedia definition of Project based learning:
Project-based learning (PBL): best defined as instruction relating questions and technology relative to the students' everyday lives to classroom projects. Students form their own investigation of their own group which allows students to develop valuable research skills. The students engage in design, problem solving, decision making, and investigative activities. It allows students to work in groups or by themselves and allows them to come up with ideas and realistic solutions or presentations. Students take a problem and apply it to a real life situation with these projects.
Project-based learning (PBL) provides complex tasks based on challenging questions or problems that involve the students' problem solving, decision making, investigative skills, and reflection that include teacher facilitation, but not direction. Project Based Learning is focused on questions that drive students to encounter the central concepts and principles of a subject hands-on.
With Project-based learning students learn from these experiences and take them into account and apply them to their lives in the real world. PBL is a different teaching technique that promotes and practices new learning habits. The students have to think in original ways to come up with the solutions to these real world problems. It helps with their creative thinking skills by showing that there are many ways to solve a problem.
You can go to this link if you want to find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project-based_learning
Anyway – all that to say….This is right up Cameron’s alley!! He is such a science kid – I think He will thoroughly enjoy this year and this type of learning! Here’s to a great year!
