5th Annual Conf. | Developing projects that deliver the learning that employers value

Delivering curriculum by innovative and creative projects

Project Approach to Delivery

They should be:• industry-relevant to key sector requirements• suit a broad range of learning styles and abilities• meet the needs the modern world of work

What is it?• Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students

gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to a complex question, problem, or challenge

• A learner centred method of delivering teaching that engages students in learning essential knowledge and skills.

• An opportunity for students to broaden learning and employability skills through wider exploration and consideration of a real-world project using carefully designed tasks

Project Approach to Delivery

• develop independent and responsible students

• provides students with genuine evidence for employment

• develops personal skills and attributes

• enhances a student’s social skills, by interaction with the social environment

Project Approach to Delivery

Why use it?

Project Approach components

• A Problem

• A Goal

• Relevant and Realistic Activities

• Learner control

• Evaluation

• Teacher

– Facilitator

– Client

– Sounding board

– Mentor

• Student

– Set goals

– Query and research

– Project Management

Project Approach roles

Opportunity to:

• learn skills relevant for employment

• use practical as well as academic skills

• control the project completion promoting a sense of achievement

• seek interest in different sectors and subjects

• add variety to a program of study

• advertise the work of the individual

Project Approach advantages

• Three Types of Project Approach

– Holistic delivery of complete units within a qualification

– Cross sector delivery for achievement of common modules

– Employer led – vocational project, cross sector mapped to certain but not all qualification learning outcomes.

Project Approach to development

• Cambridge Technicals in IT Project Approach

• UTC delivery of Computing and Creative Media

• Silverstone, F1, JCB, IBM

Project Approach examples

• Delivering curriculum in a project approach gives a unique opportunity to develop key employability skills such as:- Communication- Presentation- Team work - Engineering skills

• Teaching and Learning is enhanced through the development of skills that can then be applied to assessment tasks

• Mapping to other curriculum areas in Maths, English, ICT and Science will encourage learners to apply skills from these subjects in context:- Preparing a written report for a professional audience- Budgeting and financial control- Application of mathematical and scientific concepts

Project Approach Holistic Curriculum Delivery

Cambridge National - Systems Control in Engineering

• Understand simple layouts, operation and applications of microcontroller/ microprocessor in products or systems

• Develop a control system understanding the function of the component parts of a control system i.e:- Input devices Control device Output device

An example of cross curricular delivery through innovative and creative projects

GCSE Computing - Computer systems and programming

• Understand standard programming techniques• Be able to design a coded solution to a problem including the ability to:

-Develop suitable algorithms-Design suitable input and output formats-Identify suitable variables and structures-Identify test procedures

Design a roving vehicle that detects rocks, stops and alerts the controller

INPUTCONTROL PROCESS

OUTPUT

Sensors/Switches CPU, Program Motor/Buzzer/LED

Engineering Computing Engineering

Building a Lego robot to exploreThe basic function of component parts of a control system

Understand standard programming techniques

Combined curriculum: Engineering and Computing

The future

• New suite of Cambridge Technical qualifications

• Comprehensive resource development through 2014/15 for Cambridge Technicals including Project Approach

• Employer / school engagement programmes

• Being part of the project approach programme

• Developing own resources that could link to Cambridge Qualifications

• Being an employer - school educator

An opportunity to get involved by:

Workshop Group Application

• Ideas

• Requirements

• Groups

• Timings