Double Entry Journal #6

The dominant paradigm showing signs of wear is the old style of teaching and learning that focuses on the teacher delivering information and the student memorizing and retaining that information. Today, students need to be learning skills and contributing to the learning process themselves so they can be able to adapt, problem solve, and think critically for their future work environment and the world we live in today.

Project based learning allows students to learn by doing, they have an active involvement in the learning and now have a real life experience to relate that learning to. These students have to use different brain functions and different parts of the brain to problem solve and complete tasks. This helps their ever developing brains continue to grow and get denser. Here is a quote cited from the article

"Shepherd (1998) studied the results of a unit in which a group of fourth and fifth graders completed a nine-week project to define and find solutions related to housing shortages in several countries. In comparison to the control group, the students engaged in project-based learning demonstrated a significant increase in scores on a critical-thinking test, as well as increased confidence in their learning. "

Students can learn better through problem based learning because they understand how to ask critical questions that will help guide them to solve problems and adapt to situations. This type of learning also causes them to collaborate to find other viewpoints for possible solutions and helps them understand that every assignment or task isn't always going to have an easy, clear-cut formula to solve a problem.

Learning by design seems to help students who are different learning levels progress based on their individualized plans and ideas. I think allowing students to learn this way helps encouarage that their ideas are important and students can contribute to a class or society just as much as a teacher or anyone else. Our main goal should always to help students feel empowered and build their self-efficacy.
 
Design-Based Instruction -
Students create, assess, and redesign products through stages of revisions. The work often requires collaboration and specific roles for individual students, enabling them to become experts in a particular area.
Project-Based Learning -
Students explore real-world problems and challenges, developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups. Also known as project learning.
Problem-Based Learning-
Students learn through the process of solving a problem. The approach is also inquiry-based when students are active in creating the problem.

*All three ways help empower students and help their brains think and learn in different ways which allows the brain to grow and become more dense and capable of higher levels of thinking.

I think the most common benefit to all of these learning approaches is that it helps build students confidence in themselves and builds self-efficacy. Also, I think it is very important to use these styles to break out of the normal routine. Anyone can lose focus, passion, and excitement if things become routine, predictable, mundane. Learning and education is no different. Students need to be challenged and taught in all different ways if they are to ever reach their full potential.