EDTS 535 - The 4 Cs of Project-Based Learning (3)

The idea of project-based learning (PBL) has been around for a while now, and as with any popular strategy, its impact can become diluted over time if not used correctly. Although students working on a long-term project may have some inherent benefits, there’s always a risk that class projects can drift into directionless (albeit related) busywork that doesn’t look beyond the classroom. 

To solve this problem, PBL has evolved to include a new Gold Standard that incorporates the “Four Cs” of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. These are the core skills students will need to succeed in modern-day careers, and you can effectively instill them in your students through Gold Standard PBL.

In this course, you will take an in-depth look at  will examine project-based learning (PBL) and discuss its evolution to Gold Standard PBL practices and how they compare to the projects you currently use in your classroom. You’ll practice creating PBL questions and units that address the Four Cs, and review a number of ideas and examples of projects and rubrics you might be able to use in your classroom. In addition, you’ll consider the challenges you might face when instituting PBL and create plans for addressing those challenges. We will compare and contrast PBL and adding projects to a classroom assignment. We will also explore the rationale for using PBL. We will address how the components of the “Four Cs” of 21st-century learning–communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity–relate to PBL. 

After completing the course Using the strategies from this course, the student you will be able to know how to implement a Four Cs-focused PBL unit into his or her your classroom and provide reasoning for its use to set your students up for college and career success.