Everyone knows how it feels to tick a massive, complex, time-consuming task off our “to-do” lists – amazing! But a lot of times, we forget how many personal, social, and psychological skills are associated with the completion of such tasks. The perseverance, communication, and “tinkering” required to complete a task is enough to put many people off doing it altogether. We are quick to forget that these are the basic underlying skills we manage to complete those tasks.
Unfortunately, these skills are still often viewed as “secondary” in the classroom. With shifts in education focussing more on skills instead of knowledge, children must have opportunities to build important “real-life” skills, such as cooperation, perseverance, and recognising the importance of a positive, reflective attitude. Project-based learning gives children a starting point, guidelines, and a clear end goal; it is up to them to figure out the rest.
Teachers acting as mentors instead of dictators give children the chance to generate their own ideas, discuss them, and work through various steps before reaching a clear solution. In the process, they gain more than just “knowledge” – they gain something much more valuable; a sense of genuine accomplishment.
@MissCurrie19 – Leigh-on-Sea, Essex – Year 3 Teacher
This ‘In Brief…‘ article first featured in the March 2015 Edition of UKEdMagazine – You can freely read the Online Version by Clicking here.
You need to Login or Register to bookmark/favorite this content.
Be the first to comment