There are many approaches to teaching and learning that are used within our classrooms. Some methods are more effective than others overall and others are ofen disparaged. Project based learning happens to be a style that comes under intense scrutiny and ridicule at times, ofen being thought of as the lazy way out for teachers because the student is expected to complete the project to learn instead of the teaching preparing and delivering lessons.

This is where this guide comes. By using this guide, the aim is to eliminate the ‘easy way out’ stereotype that has come to represent project based learning. The intent of projects according to this guide is for students to demonstrate mastery of a topic in a personal way- through an independently researched and personally created project. Hence the title: Project Based Learning: Making it Personal.

Traditional models of lecture and test, which have come to dominate education in this age of standardized testing, do not adequately prepare students for life afer school. The workplace does not rely on multiple-choice tests to gauge success. Instead, it measures performance through the ability of the person to complete and master assigned tasks, ofen with little guidance. In this sense, the person must become an expert on the topic of their work (whether it is the menu at McDonald’s or the load calculations for a new bridge) and be prepared to demonstrate that expertise at any time for employers or clients.

Essentially, life is one huge project that begins at birth and ends at death. Only at rare occasions outside of educational system will a person ever need to master the five paragraph essay or the test-taking skills necessary for success on multiple-choice tests. Instead, a person will have to repeatedly demonstrate mastery of the skills needed in their field through the completion of projects or tasks in a timely and efficient manner.

So let’s get away from the lecture and test mentality and move back into reality. It is time to truly prepare students for life and not merely prepare them to attend educational institutions. Real world skills need to be emphasized and mastered so students are able to move into the next stage of their lives. Let’s put the student first and change education for the better by following through on the purpose of this book: MAKING EDUCATION PERSONAL!

Matt Blazek

One Kid at a Time, Eliot Levine

TinyURL.com/EricMazurYoutube

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