Enriched Learning Projects: A Practical Pathway to 21st Century Skills

This book supports teachers in translating standards-based content into the enriched project learning model, which is designed to not only meet standards but also to develop 21st century skills. These are skills that go beyond content and knowledge in order to meet the emerging work and learning demands that students will face as adults, and include communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and global and cross-cultural awareness. The author explores these skills in the context of project learning and presents the developmental and cognitive basis for the enriched project approach. Enriched Learning Projects also describes numerous e-tools that can be incorporated into projects, even by teachers who are not tech-savvy, as well as high-yield instructional strategies that research has shown will engage students who are failing in the traditional modes of direct instruction, which often consist of mindless hours of repetitive drill and boring worksheets. The book explains the three Cs of enriched project learning content mastery, critical thinking, and collaboration, and shows how to plan enriched learning projects for multiple subjects by using backwards planning planning that emphasizes understanding and means over products. A model rubric guides teachers through the five-step backwards design process. Complete sample projects and reproducibles that can be used for planning are provided.