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Examining Good Instructional Design
Teaching well—and engaging learners in learning—requires planning and thoughtful project design. In this activity, you examine and discuss the research supporting the instructional design of this course and the projects you create. You also review the Essentials Course Portfolio Rubric. These resources can help you develop a project plan that meets your learning goals and engages your learners.
Step 1: Reviewing the Research
Click on the optional reading links below to see how research on learning and teaching indicates the importance of:
Introducing Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning is a learner-centred, teaching and learning model. Project-based curriculum is driven by important questions that tie assessment standards and higher-order thinking to real-world contexts.
Project-based learning activities include varied teaching and learning strategies to engage all learners regardless of their learning style. Throughout project work, multiple types of
assessment are embedded to ensure that learners produce high quality work.
Project-based learning benefits include:
- The encouragement of active inquiry and higher-level thinking (Thomas, 1998)
- Increased attendance, growth in self-reliance, and improved attitudes toward learning (Thomas, 2000)
- Learners involved in projects taking greater responsibility for their own learning than during more traditional classroom activities (Boaler, 1999; SRI, 2000)
- Opportunities to develop complex skills, such as higher-order thinking, problem-
solving, collaborating, and communicating (SRI)
- Access to a broader range of learning opportunities in the classroom, providing a strategy for engaging culturally diverse learners (Railsback, 2002)
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