Article: Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning

The ideas introduced here follows along with the thoughts and developments of our cohort instruction and discussions.  In a nutshell this article hits the nail on the head as far as describing what every good project needs that is meaningful questions that allow the students to be hungry to find the answers.  I found the article to be written very clearly and I agreed with the points made of the article.

"It is the process of students' learning and the depth of their cognitive engagement"

The project must be personally meaningful and have an educational purpose were very clearly stated and the article supported it's statement all the way through by referring back to this underlying idea of the essentials of a project, which are

1.  A Need to Know

2.  A Driving Question

3.  Student Voice and Choice

4.  21st Century Skills-the fun stuff like technology, this part of the article aligned greatly with another article named the 21st C. Learner , even used some of the same language like collaboration, communication, self assessment, critical thinking, purpose driven.  These skills have been referenced to in great detail as the NET Generation Skills according to Don Tapscott. Great connection to what is current in the development of what and how teachers need to teach to this group who do not respond well to being broadcasted to

5.  Inquiry and Innovation

6.  Feedback and Revision

7.  A Publicly Presented Product