School may be out for the summer, but a group of teachers will get a jump on professional development for the coming year when we kick off a course in Project-Based Learning under a grant from The Grable Foundation.
In partnership with Intermediate Unit 1, the Consortium will train early career educators in PBL. The grant is one of 17 Grable awarded as part of a $1.4 million initiative called Remake Tomorrow. All are intended to jumpstart or advance learning innovations for our region’s students.
As part of the program, 25 educators will begin the course on July 13 and complete 12 classes, each of which focuses on a key element of PBL. The program culminates with each launching a project in the 2021-22 school year.
The course is aimed at giving educators a teaching technique that’s missing from many education degree programs, but can help engage students more deeply in learning. PBL also can provide students with better preparation for the workplace because the soft skills it cultivates often are as important to employers as academic and technical strengths.
“The goal is to create a core community of PBL educators across the region,” said Program Director Aaron Altemus, one of three trainers for the program, along with Sarah Brooks and Christy Kuehn, who also are Consortium Program Directors.
The program has earned state approval as a graduate level course worth three credits.
