High school teachers interested in Project Based Learning can benefit from integrating Connected Learning Principles into their classroom instruction. These principles support 21st-century learning by encouraging academic orientation, peer support, shared purpose, production-centered activities, and interest-powered engagement.
Teachers are encouraged to use their specific content standards to drive instruction. The Connected Learning Principles are guiding principles which all contents can utilize and strengthen learning in the 21st century classroom.
Learning Outcomes
Literacy Groups: Literacy groups provide students with structures to understand complex text, data, documents and engaging them in high level discourse. Group roles and rounds drive literacy groups by giving each student a role to play and define their roles. The roles and guidelines of literacy groups vary along content areas and engage students through structures that probe meaning from texts or problem sets.
Classroom Talk: Students articulate their thinking to strengthen voices. Students become accustomed to talking in class and teacher serves as facilitator to engage students in higher levels of discourse. Teachers introduce and reinforce academic language and encourage students to use language in the classroom.
Questioning: Good questions are used to open conversations and further inquiry. Teachers use the strategy for students to investigate and analyze their thinking as well as the thinking of their peers. The mark of a highly engaged classroom is when students are asking thoughtful questions on their own initiative.
Writing to Learn: Students develop their ideas and mastery through short written pieces. These written pieces can be used as formative assessments and low risk environments in which students can get feedback from peers and revise their ideas.
Collaborative Group Work: Students work in teams to develop problems, questions, solutions and outcomes. Students grouped intentionally and are accountable for their progress. Groups work around rich, meaningful tasks in the subject area.
Description of Project
Connected Learning Principles guide 21st century learning. Students will explore the principles, examine case studies of how the principles have been utilized and will reflect on how the principles could be implemented into their classroom.
Intended Audience
The intended audience are high school teachers engaging with or exploring Project Based Learning and how the Connected Learning Principles can guide their classroom instruction.
