Description
In today’s educational landscape, many students struggle with disengagement and a lack of practical application in their learning. Teachers face the challenge of finding effective methodologies that can bridge this gap and equip students with essential skills for their future.
Significantly, there are a few approaches to teaching and learning that can help students acquire knowledge and skills.
Project-based, thinking-based, problem-based, and competency-based learning are all proven methods that help students develop fundamental soft skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration) and more.
The course will introduce participants to these different methods with the objective of equipping educators with a diverse toolkit of strategies to enhance student learning outcomes.
Participants will explore the needs for each of these approaches, why these approaches are important to foster school education, and how to incorporate these approaches into teaching practices.
In particular, they will learn how to design and implement project-based learning units, using real-life scenarios and hands-on experiences that promote active learning and student agency. Participants will also delve into task-based learning, engaging in activities that foster critical thinking skills through questioning, inquiry, and reflection.
Moreover, the course will explore problem-based learning. Finally, participants will explore competency-based learning, and designing frameworks that personalize learning and promote mastery of skills.
By the end of the course, participants will have gained a deep understanding of these approaches and will be able to integrate them seamlessly into their teaching practices.
Thus, they will be able to create engaging learning experiences that promote active participation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in students, thereby empowering students with practical skills, critical thinking abilities, and the confidence to tackle real-world challenges.
What is included
Learning outcomes
The participants in this course will learn to:
- Identify the key principles of project-based, thinking-based, problem-based, and competency-based learning;
- Identify the needs of their students;
- Design learning experiences that meet those needs;
- Implement effective learning experiences using project-based, thinking-based, problem-based, and competency-based learning;
- Create assessments that accurately measure student learning in these different approaches;
- Collaborate with other educators to share best practices and resources for incorporating these approaches into their teaching practice;
- Evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices using project-based, thinking-based, problem-based, and competency-based learning approaches.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Theory: introduction to the 4 ways of learning
- Define and differentiate between project-based, thinking-based, problem-based, and competency-based learning;
- Explain the benefits of each approach and how they can be used to enhance student learning;
- Practical: Project-Based Learning (PBL);
- Demonstrate how to design and implement a PBL unit;
- Provide examples of successful PBL projects and how they align with learning outcomes.
Day 2 – Theory: Task-Based Learning
- Explain the concept of TBL and how it can be used to foster critical thinking skills;
- Discuss the role of questioning, inquiry, and reflection in TBL;
- Practical: Task-Based Learning (TBL);
- Facilitate a TBL activity that requires participants to use critical thinking skills to solve a problem;
- Provide feedback and guidance on how to improve TBL activities.
Day 3 – Theory: Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
- Define PBL and discuss its benefits for student learning;
- Explain how PBL can be used to teach complex problem-solving skills;
- Practical: Problem-Based Learning (PBL);
- Design and implement a PBL activity that requires participants to solve a complex problem;
- Facilitate a debriefing session to discuss the effectiveness of the PBL activity.
Day 4 – Theory: Competency-Based Learning (CBL)
- Define CBL and discuss its advantages over traditional learning approaches;
- Explain how CBL can be used to personalize learning and promote student mastery of skills;
- Practical: Competency-Based Learning (CBL);
- Demonstrate how to design a CBL framework that aligns with learning outcomes and standards Provide feedback and guidance on how to implement CBL in the classroom.
Day 5 – Theory: Integrating the ways of learning
- Explain how the 4 ways of learning can be integrated to create a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning;
- Discuss the benefits and challenges of integrating multiple approaches;
- Practical: Designing Integrated Learning Activities;
- Collaborate in small groups to design an integrated learning activity that incorporates the 4 ways of learning;
- Present and receive feedback on the integrated learning activities.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.
