Project Based Learning with Technology
Project Based Learning is a method that brings together teachers of different subjects to plan a sequence of lessons during which the students try to find a solution to a real-life problem. Thus, for a problem like: ‘how can you survive on an island’ teachers of geography, biology, mathematics, English, ICT can work together to guide the students to find solutions to this situation. The steps of finding a solutions are different lessons in which students study the location of that island, it’s climate, animals and plants, can draw maps or read maps, can calculate distances, design shelters, plan survival solutions ahead, etc. What do students learn while finding a solution to this problem? Besides the obvious Math, Geography, Biology, English, etc. the students work cooperatively to research information, analyse it and use some of it in order to plan ahead and find solutions. These are core skills that we aim to teach our students in the 21st century: cooperation, critical thinking, research skills, creativity. ICT / New Technologies play an important role in this method because apps, channels, blogs, vlogs, and sites are sources of information during the research stages. Moreover the final product of a Project Based Learning course can be a media product or a presentation, which, again, makes ample use of technology. During this course the participants will get to understand the stages of planning a lesson and then a course using this method and will be familiarized with useful apps and sites that can help them and their students when studying. There will be examples of good practices and practical activities on how to develop the core skills needed for PBL: research, collaboration, creativity, communication. Self-assessment grids and reflection tools will be provided and discussed for a standardized approach. Participants will also get creative project ideas and will come up with their own ideas for problems which are specific to their community or school. Learning Outcomes * Finding ideas of projects that can be applied in your context of teaching * Planning a lesson / sequence of lessons with PBL * Having a set of apps and sites useful for you and your students * Getting practical ideas of how to develop 21st century skills in your students which are related to using PBL * Networking with teachers from various European countries * Improvement of language and communication skills * Increased capacity to cooperate on international level