EDC U 475 - UTeach: Project-Based Instruction

3 Credit(s) | Lecture |
Course can be counted for credit once

Description:
The Project-Based Instruction (PBI) course is based on the premise that project-based instruction engages learners in exploring authentic, important, and meaningful questions of real concern to secondary students. Project-based instruction promotes equitable and diverse participation and engages high school student sin learning. They learn fundamental science and mathematical concepts and principles that they can apply to their daily lives. The overall goal of this course is to help mathematics and science pre-service teachers develop the knowledge, dispositions, and skills needed to be effective teachers in middle and high schools. A major focus of this course is in developing an approach to designing, implementing, and evaluation problem-and project-based curricula and processes by employing approaches that have emerged from collaborations between teachers and researchers. Specifically, four common design principles are emphasized: 1. Defining learning appropriate goals that lead to deep understanding. 2. Providing scaffolds such as beginning with problem-based learning activities before completing a project; using embedded teaching, teaching tools, and a set of contrasting cases. 3. Including multiple opportunities for formative self-assessment. 4. Developing social structures that promote participation and revision. PBI has three essential components: Theory-driven perspective: Students learn about how people learn and how project-based instruction may be among our most informed classroom learning environments for bridging the gap between theory and practice. Instructional development: Students develop technological and pedagogical content knowledge as they work toward the design of project-based units. They continually build competency as they read about and discuss the principles of PBI, reflect on observations of project-based learning environments in high school settings, and incorporate what they are learning into the design of problem-based lessons and ultimately, and entire project-based unit. Field experience: An intensive field component includes observation of well-implemented project-based instruction in local schools as well as implementation of problem-based lessons with area high school students on a study field trip.

Enrollment Requirements:
Prerequisites: EDC U 270 and EDC U 275

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